Mike Sinclair•3 Jul 2014
NEWS
Mercedes back inline
Mercedes-Benz is developing an inline six – and it may find more homes than just the next all-new E and SL-ClassMercedes-Benz could dump its range of V6 engines in favour of a new generation of inline petrol sixes.
The top-secret engines, under development in both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged variants, are destined for the next all-new E-Class and SL roadster but could eventually feature in a much wider range of Mercedes-Benz models.
Mercedes-Benz insiders reluctantly confirmed the existence of the new engine family during motoring.com.au's recent visit to Europe for the launch of the new S-Class coupe. They would not comment officially on the plans for the engines but conceded their existence and the status of their development.
Mercedes-Benz eschewed inline sixes in the late 1990s. At the time it championed the packaging benefits of V6 engines.
Other traditional inline six-cylinder marques such as Jaguar, Aston and even Toyota have also progressively dropped the configuration. Only BMW has remained steadfastly wed to the inline six.
The return to an inline configuration engine is believed to be linked to Mercedes-Benz's desire to retain or improve refinement as it seeks to downsize engines in search for fuel economy gains. The new sixes are seen to be "a better match for customer expectations" in the E, S and SL-Class categories.
motoring.com.au understands the engine family will yield capacities from 2.2 to 3.5-litres. It's not clear whether a range of diesel inline sixes is also under parallel development.
The new six is related to Mercedes-Benz's latest family of turbocharged four-cylinder engines used in the front-drive MFA-platformed A-Class and derivatives.
It likely shares some componentry with the longitudinal version of the A-Class engines destined for a number of models including the next-generation C-Class coupe.
Unlike the four-cylinder engine, however, motoring.com.au understands that there are no AMG-specific variants of the powerplant under development.
Tags
Mercedes-Benz
E-Class
S-Class
SL-Class
Car News
Prestige Cars
Written byMike Sinclair
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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