Mercedes-Benz E-Class first drive - Performance

There is much to get excited about though. Take the eight engines that will be released between June and September this year. All but one – the V8 in the E500 – are now labelled Blue Efficiency, the umbrella for Mercedes' fuel-saving, CO2-cutting measures aimed squarely at BMW's Efficient Dynamics.

Five of those engines are new – the 2.2-litre diesels in the E200, E220 and E250 CDI models, plus the 1.8-litre turbocharged direct-injection petrol units in the E200 CGI and E250 CGI.

Fuel consumption has been slashed by up to 23% compared with the current car, and there are some headline-grabbing CO2 figures. All three diesels emit just 139g/km, and this isn't at the expense of performance, which has been improved.

Even the three remaining engines – 3.0-litre V6 diesel in the E350 CDI, 3.5-litre direct-injection petrol V6 in the E350 CGI and 5.5-litre V8 in the E500 – deliver more for less in terms of performance and economy versus emissions.