Next E-Class bagged and tagged

Newswheel staff :: 03 November 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz E-Class, Europe & UK, US

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Mercedes-Benz revival continues?

Development prototypes of the next Mercedes-Benz E-Class have been caught roaming the wild. The new car clearly takes some design cues from the recently launched S-Class (and so in turn, from the Maybach uber-limo). But will it finally resurrect MB’s reputation for building the best-engineered cars in the world?

Clamshell bootlid treatment a dead ringer for the new S-Class.

The car caught testing by website Autospies is wearing only minimal disguise and looks close to being production ready. While the clamshell boot/trunk treatment is very reminiscent of the new S-Class, it’s interesting to note that the big limo’s exaggerated wheel arch flares will not be appearing on the new mid-ranger. Overall, the car looks distinctive and imposing compared with the rather bland and bulbous proportions of the existing E-Class.

Sir Not Appearing in this Picture: the S-Class’s bulbous wheel arches will not be seen on the new E.

Historically, the E-Class has been a key barometer of Mercedes-Benz car production, packing the best of the company’s know-how into a modest and functional package. And for many people, not least German taxi drivers, the demise of the fabulously over-engineered W124 E-Class in favour of the bugged-eye rust bucket that is the W210 E-Class is symptomatic of the greater malaise that the German manufacturer has been suffering. Yes, the current W211 E-Class is an improvement. But unlike the W124, it doesn’t show the rest of the world the meaning of word quality.

Of course, sticking the boot into Mercedes-Benz for its recent quality problems is a popular sport among the motoring media. So, instead of the usual prose-based whinge, we thought we’d add a visual element. Below are a few snaps taken by chance at our local car body shop of some rather sad looking panels removed from a pair of ’96 vintage W210 E-Classes (plug alert: The Body Shop, Dunton Green, nr Sevenoaks, Kent, Tel 01732 452994, for all your car body repair needs, fine fellows every one of them, especially if you need the rear axle of your BMW 3 Series welded back onto the chassis…). Both cars had extensive rust around the front wheel arches and the radiator grille surround, along with intermittent rot on the door pillars and window surrounds.

Rusty panels from a pair of 1996 E-Classes. Not Good.

For a nine year-old car with a premium badge, these pictures are pretty shocking. Granted, a scientifically valid sample this most certainly is not. And of course, rusting examples of almost most mass-produced cars can no doubt be found, especially in the UK’s filthy climate. But you simply don’t see W124s suffering this sort of dilapidation – even the most ancient 1986 examples. As the boys at the Body Shop point out, they see four or five W210s like this every month. They can’t all be cars kept by the seaside…

What’s more, the owner of the silver car from these photos was given a hefty discount on his replacement panels by the local MB dealer, such was their embarrassment at the condition of his car. So, there it is: even if the all new E-Class is the real deal in terms of quality, the consequences of MB’s fall from grace in the 1990s will be cruising the streets for all to see for many years to come.

Linkage:
Autospies (new E-Class spy pics)