2000 Mercedes Benz E-class

2001 March: IIHS gives the E430 good marks for safety.

2000 August: The addition of a Kompressor (supercharger) gives extra zing to the smallest engine (120kW, 230Nm) offered in the Mercedes Benz E-class: the E200K at au$79,500.

Manufacturer's data:

E-class E200K, sedan, 5-seats, 4-doors
loa: 4795mm, width: 1799mm (body), height: 1440mm
wheelbase: 2833mm, track: 1542mm/1536mm
turning radius: 5.67m
weight: 1540kg (unladen)
1998cc, petrol, 4-cyls, supercharged, 2-valves/cyl
bore: 89.9mm, stroke: 78.7mm, c.r.: 9.5:1
power: 120kW at 5300rpm, torque: 230Nm at 4800rpm
transmission: 5-speed automatic,
suspension: wishbones/ multi-link, brakes: disc/disc ABS, ESP
tyres: 205/65R15, fuel-tank: 65L
price: from $79,500 ($au 8/2000)
competition: Audi A6

The engines offered in the E-class vary from a 2-litre (E200K) to a 5.4-litre V8, power and torque varying by more than a factor of two. They are Mercedes' standard family, offered in other models such as the M-class 4x4:

	200K	270CDI	240	280	320	430	E55 AMG
capacity (cc)	1998	2688	2397	2799	3199	4266	5439
cyls	4	5	V6			V8
power	120kW	125kW	125kW	150kW	165kW	205kW	260kW
torque	230Nm at 2500- 4500rpm	400Nm at 1600- 2800rpm	225Nm at 3000- 5000rpm	270Nm at 3000- 5000rpm	315Nm at 3000- 4800rpm	400Nm at 3000- 4400rpm	530Nm at 3000rpm
L/100km city	9.6 overall	8	10.5	10.5	10.6	11.5	13.5
L/100km highway	9.6 overall	5.8	7.2	7	6.8	5.7	5.7
base prices (rrp)	$79,500	$90,980	$89,480	$108,390	$127,790	$145,890	$192,090
wagon			$95,480		$122,690
$au 8/2000

The diesel may not look all that powerful, but it has loads of lovely torque (400Nm), as much as the smaller petrol V8, and at much lower rev's for flexible driving.

Naturally equipment levels vary greatly from the $80K E200K to the $192K E55 AMG.

Standard across the range are anti lock brakes, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), 5-speed automatic gearbox with "one touch" control, power adjustable seats for the driver and front passenger, and window airbags and rear side-airbags. All three rear seat positions have (removable) head-rests and lap-sash seat belts.

The bigger engines go with more luxurious equipment levels, for example leather upholstery and memory for front seats, steering wheel and side mirrors on the E320 an upwards. Dual climate control, speed sensitive power steering and 17" alloy wheels on the E430. Sun-roof, heated front sports seats, Xenon headlights, sports suspsension and 18" alloy wheels on the E55 AMG. Weight also goes up from 1540kg to 1720kg across the range.

1999 The E-Class 4-Matic, a 4x4 version, is built in Graz, Austria. The main markets, in order of importance, are USA & Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. However, the USA is by far the largest market for this vehicle. 1999 deliveries:
USA 11,200, Canada 950, W. Europe 3,500, Japan 400, total world-wide 16,400 [-M.B.12/'00]

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