Atlanta Classic Cars installed our first Illuminated Star on a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350 today! I was worried it would be a little too flashy but it is well done and fairly subtle. It really does add a WOW factor the the vehicle! It was hard to take good pictures in the daytime but I did want to show how the housing for the bulbs is a full star and circle behind the chrome emblem.

Illuminated Star:

• $480 for parts. Installation is additional.
• Available for 2014 E-Class, 2006+ CLS-Class – Part Number BQ6880127
• 2012+ ML-Class, 2013 GL-Class – Part Number BQ6880126
• Not compatitible with Distronic

I have often heard it described as the answer to a question that no one asked. However, it is the favorite of many enthusiasts and gets rave reviews from anyone who drives it! You know you want one!

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Classes started to arrive yesterday and today was my first chance to take a closer look and a test drive. The changes to the interior are subtle but noticeable. The ambient lighting, additional aluminum accents and central clock give it a richer look. There are changes to the steering and ride quality that make it more quiet and comfortable. The most noticeable changes are to the exterior and it looks great! The new nose reminds me a lot of the CLS-Class. Here are some side-by-side comparison pictures so you can judge for yourself!

• 2013 E350 Sport in Polar White with Almond/Black Interior
• 2014 E350 Sport in Polar White with Silk Beige Interior

And a close-up of the new nose!

Ok, Who found all 8,000 changes?

Our first shipment of 2014 E-Classes just arrived! I have been looking forward to seeing the changes in person and so far I am impressed. It looks sleek and modern. Hopefully they will be inspected ready to show by tomorrow afternoon! I will park one next to a 2013 E-Class and compare.

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been released for sale! They should begin shipping to the dealerships this week! Update: Expected shipping date is April 19th!

Pricing has also been released:

• E250 BlueTEC Sport/Luxury: $51,400 (Fall)
• E250 BlueTEC Sport/Luxury 4MATIC®: $53,900 (Fall)
• E350 Sport/Luxury: $51,900
• E350 Sport/Luxury 4MATIC®: $54,400
• E400 HYBRID Sport: $56,700
• E550 4MATIC® Sport: $61,400
• E63 AMG 4MATIC®: $92,770
• E63 AMG “S” 4MATIC®: $99,770
• E350 4MATIC® Wagon Sport/Luxury: $58,600
• E63 AMG® “S” 4MATIC® Wagon: $102,370

From the Owners’ Manual:

“The ECO display gives you information on how economical your driving style is. The ECO display assists you in achieving the optimum driving style in terms of consumption, taking the actual and selected conditions into consideration. Your driving style can significantly influence the vehicle’s consumption.

The ECO display consists of three bars:

• Acceleration (moderate acceleration especially at high speed)
• Constant (Constant speed and avoidance of unnecessary acceleration and deceleration)
• Coasting (Drive with care and remove your foot from the accelerator pedal in good time: the vehicle can coast without braking)

The percent value is the average value of the three bars. The three bars and the mean value begin at the value of 50%. A higher percentage indicates a more economical driving style.”

I have been watching my ECO Display while driving all month. The picture above is the best I have been able to acheive during my morning commute. This is all surface streets with stop lights and stop signs. I have seen it as low as 0% and as high as 75% but I usually end up between 40% and 45%.

The ECO Display is accessed by the steering wheel controls. When you can see the odometer push the up or down arrows until you see the ECO Display. Has anyone else tried using this screen to drive more economically? I think I will get about 20 more miles on this tank of fuel than I usually do…not a big improvement.

“The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG’s S model offers almost 600 horsepower, but we bet few people are terribly disappointed that it’s actually 23 shy. And with 590 lb-ft of torque testing the traction limits on all four tires, it’s hard to feel anything but a giddy sense of awe.”

“In a masterstroke of customer understanding, Mercedes will offer E63 wagon buyers—i.e., enlightened lunatics—only the higher-output tune.”

“Our tech department’s educated guess predicts that the E63 can hit 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, the S in 3.3, and either version can complete a quarter-mile blitzkrieg in less than 12 seconds.”

Read the full article at CarandDriver.com.

“But the new turbo-diesel is a fuel-sipping smoothie, with 195 horses and 369  lb-ft of torque. At a steady highway pace through the swelling hills of  Catalonia, we managed 44 mpg, a remarkable gain over today’s E350 Bluetec. Another economic upside: Mercedes confirmed that the rear-wheel-drive E250  Bluetec will become the most affordable E-class of all, undercutting the current  E350 Bluetec’s $53,105 base price.”

“Sedan, wagon, coupe or cabriolet, the E-class’s reworked body impressed everyone from journalists to janitors at Detroit’s auto show in January. With additions  where it counts – a sinuous, air-slurping front end – and the tasteful  subtraction of the clumsy pontoon rear fender, Mercedes’ oft-criticized sedan styling language is suddenly speaking sexy.”

“The enriched cabin gets a restyled dashboard and gauges, a handsome analog  clock, aluminum-look switches, and striking wood or metal trim. There’s a  heightened sense of fit-and-finish; corners and joints are executed with a  precision nearly befitting an S-class.”

“With the carryover V-6 a known quantity, we honed in on the intriguing high-low  matchup between the bi-turbo six and the underdog diesel. Mercedes figures a  7.9-second squirt from 0 to 62 mph for the E250 diesel, but the car had no  trouble passing dawdlers and its four cylinders were impressively muted.”

Read the full review at Automobile online.

“The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a midcycle refresh, and the face-lift is most obvious in the front, where more gracefully contoured headlights perch above larger air intakes, softening the more severe, conservative look of the outgoing E-Class’ nose.”

“Get your V8-powered non-AMG E-Class while you can. The stonking, 402-horsepower twin-turbo V8-powered E550 will still be available in 2014, but it won’t last long. In 2015 the E550 will be dropped. In its place will be the E400, powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 that generates 329 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque.”

“Although it gives up 31 lb-ft of midrange torque to the erstwhile E350 Bluetec, the four-cylinder turbodiesel makes for a surprisingly good facsimile of the bigger engine. Torque builds seamlessly even from very low revs and there’s no shortage of thrust. Its indifferent soundtrack doesn’t stir the soul, though many people may not be able to peg it as a diesel simply by the way it sounds. There’s zero clatter and no smoke. Modern diesels have become remarkably refined, and this one’s no exception.”

“We also took a turn in the upcoming 2015 Mercedes-Benz E400 and found that the biturbo-6 moves it with authority. It transitions into boost imperceptibly, never feeling flat-footed, and strides to the redline with enthusiasm.”

Read the full review at Edmunds.com.

I do love that Red Wagon! More details in the Future Vehicles Section at MBUSA.com.