(December 9, 2015) STUTTGART — The redesigned Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan that goes on sale next year will feature interior design elements that the automaker calls industry firsts. The interior of the next-generation E-Class, unveiled Tuesday by the automaker, draws from the Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile design concept that Mercedes-Benz unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

It boasts a wide, high-resolution dual display and newly designed touch-sensitive control buttons on the steering wheel that enable drivers to control vehicle functions without taking their hands off the wheel.



The redesigned E class will make its world debut at the Detroit auto show in January. Mercedes-Benz hasn’t yet revealed the exterior design, but it is expected to adopt styling cues from the company’s flagship S class.

The new interior features a wide high-resolution next-generation dual display (12.3 inches per display) that appears to hover in space. In addition, touch-sensitive control buttons on the steering wheel make their first appearance in a car. They allow the driver to control the entire infotainment system using finger swipes without having to take their hands off the steering wheel.

The all-new experience is rounded off by a novel, intelligent graphic design with high-resolution visualizations and animations as well as simplified control logic. At the same time, the occupants enjoy a sensual interior with spacious architecture and high-quality materials.

“With the interior of the new E-Class, we are giving a new interpretation to the concept of contemporary luxury,” said Hartmut Sinkwitz, head of Interior Design. “We have designed a spacious and intelligent interior. True to Mercedes-Benz’s design philosophy of sensual purity, it employs technological innovation and high-grade equipment to create an exceptionally emotive experience for driver and front passenger.

"The E-Class thus not only sets a new standard in the business class. Alongside a workplace and private environment, it also becomes a “third place” – a living area in which passengers are able to enjoy contemporary luxury.”

Wide dual display can be configured to suit personal preferences

The eye-catcher in the comfort-oriented, luxurious interior of the new E-Class is two displays each with a 12.3-inch screen diagonal and a resolution of 1920 x 720 pixels. These merge visually to form a wide-screen cockpit, thus acting as a central element to emphasize the horizontal bias of the interior design of the new E-Class.

As the instrument cluster, this wide-screen cockpit contains a large display with virtual instruments in the direct field of vision of the driver as well as a central display above the centre console. A common glass cover results in a modern flat-screen look. The driver can choose between three different styles to select their preferred screen design for the wide-screen instrument cluster:  “Classic,” “Sport” and “Progressive”.

The wide-screen instrument cluster is optionally available with COMAND Online. Instead, the entry-level model of the new E-Class combines two tube-type round dials and a 17.8 cm color display cluster (1000 x 600-pixel resolution) with a central display with a 21.3 cm screen diagonal (960 x 540-pixel resolution). The round dials, instrument cluster and central display are installed in a single frame with a high-gloss piano-lacquer look.

The driver can adapt the content of the central display to suit their personal preferences. With the exception of the navigation map (which always fills the complete display area), the graphic content of the central display of COMAND Online is divided into a main area for informative graphics and animations (2/3 on the right side of the display) and a supplementary area (1/3 on the left side of the display).

The display can be backlit at night with multicolor ambience lighting — which then makes the wide-screen cockpit appear to float in space.

In a further innovation, the new E-Class is the first ever car to integrate touch control buttons in the spokes of the multifunction steering wheel. Like the surface of a smartphone, the buttons are touch-sensitive and therefore respond precisely to horizontal and vertical finger swipes. This enables the driver to control every function of the infotainment system in the same simple, logical and intuitive manner as with a smartphone without having to take their hands off the steering wheel.

 Having selected the desired function with a swipe, the driver presses the appropriate touch control button to trigger the function. Another four buttons in each switch panel are provided with the familiar functions, such as for volume control and telephone control.