Mercedes-Benz unveiled a long wheelbase version of the E-Class at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show. We headed over to the Mercedes-Benz stand to take a closer look at the exclusive new business limousine that will be built for the Chinese market only.
The long version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is 140 mm longer than the regular sedan and will be produced by a Mercedes-Benz partner in Beijing, China. With a total length of just over 5 meters, the new E-Class LWB might just be the ultimate living room on wheels. Rear seat passengers enjoy 134 mm extra legroom and get the best of the E-Class interior, which has been widely praised by worldwide car media.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Long Wheelbase will come in two styles; the sedan and the sports sedan. The regular sedan will boast a classic grille with the Mercedes star mounted on the front bonnet, equal to the Mercedes-Benz ‘Elegance’ styling line that we know from the 2017 E-Class. The sports sedan will look a tad more aggressive and shares its styling with the ‘Avantgarde’ line, featuring the Mercedes star prominently in the front grille.
Starting with the E 200 L, a range of four- and six-cylinders will be available to the E-Class LWB. Similarly all autonomous and safety driving packages will become available to the LWB version, as well as all premium interior styling features that we know from the new 2017 E-Class.
The LWB version should be in Chinese showrooms by the end of summer. For more information on the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Long Wheelbase, please visit our earlier article. For more news from the 2016 Beijing Motor Show, make sure to subscribe to our dedicated news channel.
ok…so why would people buy this over the s class? unless there was a substantial price difference..
Fair question, Ron.
Until the S-Class get’s facelifted, I can think of several reasons why people would prefer the new E-Class over the current S-Class. The interior is more refined, the sound system is a huge step up and the E-Class has a range of new autonomous driving and safety features. The LWB is also longer than a regular S-Class so really when you compare it with the Maybach you are looking at a substantial price difference. Also, there is an E-Class Maybach on the cards so we’ll have to see how that’s going to play out. I am however confident that all of the current technology found in the new E-Class will find its way to the facelifted S-Class in due course, making the choice more complicated again. However, the main point of this car is size and comfort, therefore you can’t precisely rank it up against the sedan version of the S-Class. The decision then really comes down to personal preference: luxury and extra legroom / comfort – ultra luxury – that is if pricing is similar.