Speed and luxury has always remained one of the strong points for German automaker Mercedes Benz and the company has now announced the debut of their first ever nine speed automatic transmission with torque converter Mercedes Benz e 350 BlueTEC. The automaker said that they have always been trying to improve the technology that can allow them to offer the best driving experience along with better fuel economy and the new Mercedes Benz E 350 BlueTEC will become the most fuel efficient six cylinder diesel vehicle in its class.
The exteriors of the new car get the same style factor as the other E Class sedans that Mercedes Benz has released recently. It will incorporate the same front grille with Benz logo right in the middle and bigger air vents on the side that deflect the air to improve the fuel economy of the vehicle.
Under the hood, Mercedes Benz has done away with the regular seven speed 7G Tronic automatic transmission and has replaced it with the newly developed 9G Tronic nine speed box. The car will be available in Saloon and Estate models and will have standard V6 diesel engine that offers impressive fuel economy of 5.3 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers or 42.8 mpg as per US standards. Mercedes Benz claims that the higher number of gears will increase the drive comfort and will easily convert engine power into traction. However, in terms of acceleration the car will offer same performance of zero to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds. The car will also bring down the CO2 emission levels from 144 g/km to 138 g/km which makes this car more environment friendly.
The automaker also said that they have worked hard on adding more gears to the car and therefore they have added three speed sensors that monitor the entire operation and provide better transmission control for effective shifting. The 9G Tronic system that E 350 BlueTEC will have will also have better Start/Stop system that will save more fuel. The car is available for sale and Mercedes Benz have been taking orders for it already. In Germany, E 350 BlueTEC Saloon will cost 54,710.25 Euros while Estate version will cost 57,923.25 Euros.