(Mon 12 Jan 09)

The new Mercedes E-Class will go on sale in the middle of June this year. All the four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines in the range are new and boast improved fuel economy, the best figure being the 53.3mpg of the 136bhp E 200 CDI which will arrive a few weeks after the other models.

The V6- and V8-engined cars are also slightly more economical than before, as well as being the most powerful in the range. The E 500 has the most grunt of the standard line-up with 388bhp, though there will also be an E 63 AMG with 525bhp.

Mercedes-Benz has, as normal, festooned the E-Class with clever technology, including an Adaptive High Beam Assist function which lowers the headlights when it senses vehicles in front of the car. That's an optional extra, but the Attention Assist drowsiness detection system, which uses more than 70 parameters (including steering wheel movement) to check whether the driver is alert, is standard on all models.

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