Mercedes-Benz E-Class History
Catalog record
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History
The E-Class name was officially adopted in 1993, applied to the W124 (in production from 1984); it is the descendant of Mercedes' long line of mid-size sedans and the heart of the brand.
Across the W124, W210, W211, W212, W213, and W214 generations it has offered sedans, wagons, coupes, and convertibles, plus the high-performance E63 AMG.
Generations
First generation · W124
The original; the 'E-Class' name was adopted for it in 1993. Famously robust.
1990 Photo: “1990 Mercedes-Benz 300 E (W124) sedan (21618998374)” by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1991 Photo: “1991 Mercedes-Benz W124 300E 2.6 in Nautical Blue, front left” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1993 Photo: “1993 Mercedes-Benz E 280 (W124) sedan (2015-07-16) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
1995 Photo: “1995 Mercedes-Benz E220 Automatic 2.2 Front (1)” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Second generation · W210
Distinctive quad-oval headlights; introduced the E55 AMG.
1996 Photo: “1996-1997 Mercedes-Benz E 230 (W 210) Elegance sedan (2010-09-23)” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
1997 Photo: “1997 Mercedes-Benz E200 Elegance Automatic 2.0 Front” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1999 Photo: “1999 Mercedes-Benz E 240 (W 210) Elegance sedan (2011-11-17) 02” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2001 Photo: “2001 Mercedes E320 CDI Elegance (13147167073)” by Kieran White from Manchester, England / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2002 Photo: “2002 Mercedes-Benz E320, Front Left, 10-27-2021” by Elise240SX / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Third generation · W211
Home of the supercharged then naturally aspirated E55/E63 AMG.
2004 Photo: “2004 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDi Avantgarde Automatic 3.2 (With AMG Aesthetic) Front” by Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2006 Photo: “2006 Mercedes-Benz E 500 (W 211 MY07) Avantgarde sedan (2015-07-09) 01” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2007 Photo: “2007 Mercedes-Benz E350 4MATIC Wagon in Black, front right, 04-04-2026” by Cutlass / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2008 Photo: “2008 Mercedes-Benz W211 E280 Avantgarde, 06-30-2024” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fourth generation · W212
Added the C207 coupe and A207 convertible; twin-turbo V8 E63 AMG.
2010 Photo: “2010 Mercedes-Benz E350” by DestinationFearFan / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2011 Photo: “2011 Mercedes-Benz W212 E300 Elegance” by Ethan Llamas / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2012 Photo: “2012 Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI (W 212 MY12) BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde sedan (2012-10-26)” by OSX / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
2013 Photo: “2013 Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI (W 212) sedan (2016-03-05) 02” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Fifth generation · W213
Moved to inline-six engines; semi-autonomous driver assistance.
2016 Photo: “2016 Mercedes-Benz E200 Avantgarde (1)” by Bindydad123 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2017 Photo: “2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350e AMG Dynamic” by Chanokchon / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2018 Photo: “2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 (W 213) sedan (2018-11-02) 01” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2019 Photo: “2019 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Exclusive Line (1)” by Bindydad123 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Sixth generation · W214
Current sedan/estate; coupe and convertible moved to the new CLE nameplate.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Wagon (Estate)
- Coupe
- Convertible
Notable special editions & performance variants
E63 AMG
The high-performance E-Class — naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 (W211/W212), then twin-turbo V8 with all-wheel drive.
E55 AMG
The earlier AMG E-Class — a supercharged V8 in the W211 era.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class
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