Automobile Blog

Mercedes-Benz to launch E 300 Bluetec in Germany

The automaker, which has been selling Bluetec-equipped models in North America for the past year, said the E300 Bluetec meets future Euro 5 emissions standards. The car is equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 common-rail turbodiesel that develops 211 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. The car accelerates from zero to 60 mph in less than 7.2 seconds, with a top speed of 152 mph, yet returns 32 mpg in combined city/highway driving.

The Bluetec system employs advanced technology, including a multistage exhaust-gas treatment system and a diesel particulate filter, to cut emissions without compromising performance or fuel economy. Mercedes plans to apply the system to nearly all its passenger-car diesels over the next two years.

The new E 300 has an average fuel consumption of 13.6km/l and, the OEM claims, already complies with Euro V emissions norms which will not be enforced until 2011. The compression-ignition engine of the new car, according to Mercedes-Benz, includes the following features that distinguish it from the existing CDI-badged versions of the 2,987cc unit.

The car’s exhaust gas treatment system includes an oxidation catalytic converter and an additive-free diesel particulate filter. Additionally, a revised nitrogen oxide (NOx) storage catalytic converter, with an onboard ammonia generation system is coupled with an SCR catalytic converter, the OEM says.

The E 320 Bluetec, the first model to have the suffix, went on sale in the US and Canada in October 2006. Starting in 2008, the OEM plans to offer Bluetec variants of the GL-, M- and R-Class ranges.