Although the "E" designation dates back the the 1950s, when Mercedes-Benz first began to equip its engines with fuel injection (or "Einspritzung" in German), the E-Class as we know it first appeared in 1994, when Mercedes moved the "E" from the end of a car's name to the front and beefed up engines, turning the 300E into the E320 and the 400E into the E420, for example. The name change coincided with the launch of a new generation of E-Class cars, which featured improved styling as well as an increase in power.
Since the launch of the E-Class in the early 1990s, Mercedes has expanded the line to include a variety of solid, luxury-oriented trims that range from the fuel-efficient E320 Bluetec Sedan, equipped with a 3.0-liter clean diesel engine, to the high-powered E63 AMG sedan, with a stunning 507-horsepower V8 engine and styling by AMG, Mercedes' in-house sport tuner. Two wagons are also included in the current E-Class lineup, including the E63 AMG Wagon.
The midsize E-Class sedans and wagons continue to be the most popular cars sold by Mercedes today. More than likely, that's because E-Class cars epitomize what most drivers have come to expect from the German automaker: well-designed, finely tuned, and well-equipped cars, with innovative, luxury-oriented features.
Antilock brakes were available right from the start, for instance, and side airbags were added in 1996. An Electronic Stability Programming (ESP) anti-skid system was added a few years later, and in 2000, the automaker's TeleAid emergency communication and assistance program became standard equipment.
Luxury features such as leather seats, power door locks, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, headlight cleaners, a power sunroof, and a premium AM/FM stereo system were standard from the start (although it would take until 2004 to add a CD player as standard equipment).
During the mid-1990s, E-Class trims included two-door coupes as well as convertibles. However, by the late '90s Mercedes had spun off that segment into a new class, the CLK-Class, which was positioned between the C-Class and E-Class and became the automaker's line of sporty coupes.
Since their introduction, the E-Class sedans and wagons have been available with Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, which provides improved handling, stability, and traction in all types of driving conditions.
