The middle class Mercedes-Benz is purely German style. And the German tradition is its exceptional diversity. Whether it's a taxi driver who counts every penny, or a broad-minded connoisseur of life - for anyone interested in purchasing an E-class car, the multi-page price list offers a huge selection of equipment options, while the car's appearance remains practically unchanged.
Thus, the E-class covers the widest range of prices.
Today, as in the mid-60s, a 2-liter gasoline engine can be adapted for a 1.5-ton Mer-cedes E 200 with a mass of 1.5 tons. As then, now the Mercedes E 200 serves as the entrance to the automotive «elite». And as the next model, released in 1968 and nicknamed «Dash-8», and the modern E-Class model is optionally equipped with a motor originally intended for the large S-Class model. It is now the 4.2 L V-8 engine of the Mercedes E 420, and in 1972 it was the in-line 6-cylinder engine with two overhead camshafts in the W-280 and W-280 E, which brought superclass power and comfort to the middle class.
Thanks to this, the passenger car of the previous W-210 series (after the company introduced a new qualification of models, he began to wear an index «E») today is a top model whose pedigree can only be traced back to its predecessor, the W-124 series.
With the exception of the 5-litre engine and the largest and smallest diesel engines, all engines can be installed in both sedan and station wagons (T-model). Only those who have chosen all-wheel drive, that is, a 4Matic model car, have a limited choice. All-wheel drive can be installed on both the sedan and wagon at an additional cost, but only in combination with the new V-6-cylinder engines and exclusively in conjunction with an automatic transmission.
The new E-Class does not cover coupe and convertible enthusiasts, to whom even the previous W-124 series supplied elegant representatives of these types of cars. Those who prefer 4-seater coupés should look to the class below: for example, the CLK models based on the C-class, or models similar to the convertible.