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New Mercedes-Benz E-class drives itself, sometimes (pictures)

Mercedes-Benz launched the 2014 E-class at the Detroit auto show, offering the car in a huge range of styles and fitting it with the most advanced driver assistance features.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
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1 of 12 Josh Miller/CNET
DETROIT--Mercedes-Benz launched an update to its E-class at the 2013 Detroit auto show, unveiling a broad array of models including a coupe, convertible, wagon, hybrid, and an AMG version. Despite the differing body styles, the different examples of the E-class will mostly share the same, advanced technology, including driver assistance systems that will take over in heavy traffic. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-class will be available this spring.
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Among the models, Mercedes-Benz showed a hybrid version of the E-class, the 2014 E400 Hybrid. It uses the same system as the S400 Hybrid, a direct-injection 3.5-liter V-6 coupled to an electric motor. The engine produces 302 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, while the electric motor adds its own 27 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Don't expect spectacular fuel economy. Although Mercedes-Benz did not announce numbers for the E400 Hybrid, the S400 Hybrid only gets 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
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Among the sedan models, Mercedes-Benz will also offer the E250 diesel, the E350, and the E550. The E400 Hybrid will be the second most powerful. The list of driver assistance features, relying on a stereoscopic camera system and millimeter wave radar, is extensive. Both adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist combine to, as Mercedes-Benz says, "semi-autonomously follow in-line traffic." Mercedes-Benz offered few details of this system, but has previously talked about a system designed to drive the car in heavy traffic. The system in the E-class probably only works up to a certain speed, and may require the driver to keep a hand on the wheel.
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The headlight styling has changed substantially, putting all front lighting under a single lens. LED headlights are available as an option.
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The sedan's rear roofline looks surprisingly conservative, and hearkens more to the stately lines of past Mercedes-Benz models than some of the sleeker, new designs. This model also incorporates a glass roof.
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This wagon, or estate, version of the E-class will also hit the market as an E350. It features a direct-injection 3.5-liter V-6 along with an all-wheel-drive system, standard. There will also be an AMG S model with 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
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The coupe version of the E-class shows off a much sportier look than the sedan. It will come as the E350, with all-wheel drive an option, or the E550, using a direct-injection 4.6-liter V-8 twin turbo. A convertible version, based on the coupe, will be offered as an E350.
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The E63 AMG version gets a twin turbo 5.5-liter V-8, producing 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque, along with a seven-speed automatic transmission using Mercedes-Benz's SpeedShift technology, which virtually eliminates hesitation or slush during gear changes. An all-wheel-drive system, tuned for performance, comes standard.

Mercedes-Benz also came up with an E63 AMG S model, with power boosted to 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

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The E-class retains the Mercedes-Benz Comand interface for cabin electronics, with a center LCD and a controller on the console.
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For the E400 Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz places a power meter on the left side of the instrument cluster.
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The cabin electronics in the new E-class include the same online features launched last year in the newest SL550.
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An option in the E-class sedan and wagon models will be a Bang & Olufsen premium audio system. In this application, Bang & Olufsen mounts its distinct acoustic lenses on the doors, near the base of the A pillar.

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