The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is chock full of new technology that makes the vehicle safer as well as more comfortable.
When it’s time to introduce a new model, many automakers attempt to whet the appetites of fans with dark pictures showing only a hint of what’s to come. Mercedes decided to turn that approach inside out, showing off the interior of the new E-Class ahead of its debut in Detroit next month.
What can Mercedes aficionados expect? A simple design featuring more technology, but fewer buttons to use it. The maker stuffs the new iteration of the E-Class with a suite of new technology that includes car-to-car communications, the ability to unlock your car using your smartphone and remote parking.
Much of this is accessible using a new, optional, digital dashboard display that puts most functions under the driver’s control via touchpads on the steering wheel.
“With the interior of the new E-Class, we are giving a new interpretation to the concept of contemporary luxury,” says Hartmut Sinkwitz, head of Interior Design. “We have designed a spacious and intelligent interior. True to Mercedes-Benz’s design philosophy of sensual purity, it employs technological innovation and high-grade equipment to create an exceptionally emotive experience for driver and front passenger.
“The E-Class thus not only sets a new standard in the business class. Alongside a workplace and private environment, it also becomes a ‘third place’ – a living area in which passengers are able to enjoy contemporary luxury.”
The dashboard on the E-Class is customizable to the tastes and preferences of the driver.
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What does this all mean? An incredible amount of personalization at your finger tips. Don’t like the standard hue of the lighting in the E-Class? No problem. There are 64 colors to choose from.
In a more practical sense, Mercedes allows the driver to customize the two screens on the dashboard to get the information they want and need in the position and layout that works best: for that driver. One is a large touchscreen in the center that handles infotainment, climate controls, etc. The second acts as the instrument cluster.
The E-Class is the first Mercedes to get dual thumb controls on the steering wheel. They essential act as smaller version of the center touchpad console and instrument cluster.
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In addition to the touch control buttons and the touchpad, the driver can use the Comand controller and Linguatronic voice control to control the infotainment system. They can choose at any time what input method they prefer.
Of course, a Mercedes isn’t a Mercedes without an abundance of wood and leather providing its customary mix of ostentatiousness and comfort. The maker showed three different versions of the interior during the reveal that allow buyers to dress up their E-Class in a more modern look or remain with the more traditional appearance.
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As for the exterior? There are new headlights and taillights designed enhance the look and safety of the new E-Class, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to get a closer and more personal look.