MORE power, lower emissions, extra kit and a new 9G-Tronic gearbox are all part of the plan for the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class line-up, which starts from £32,750.

Developed in-house, the 9G-Tronic gearbox will be twinned with the E 350 BlueTEC engine in saloon, estate, coupe and cabriolet models from next month. 

The pairing brings a reduction of up to 17g/km of CO2 emissions, which now start from 136g/km for the coupe, while power has also been increased to a total of 258bhp, up 6bhp.

At the same time the E 220 BlueTEC will see an increase in power to 177bhp with an emissions cut of up to 16g/km whilse still being paired with the 7G-Tronic transmission.

The boys at Benz say that the E 220 BlueTEC SE saloon now boasts the lowest CO2 emissions of the range at 116g/km.

The E 400 AMG Sport model will from September be known as the E 400 AMG Line and the capacity of the V6 engine will increase to 3,498cc  for both the coupe and cabrio, again with lower emissions of up to 17g/km.

Collision Prevention Assist Plus will also be fitted as standard to every E-Class, to reduce the impact of rear-end collisions and a Premium and Premium Plus package will also be available offering the value of up to 27 per cent over purchasing each item separately.

The package for the saloon includes a panoramic glass sunroof, memory package, rear split/folding seats and a reversing camera for £2,695 while the Premium Plus Package adds Keyless-GO comfort pack and a Harman Kardon sound system for £3,895.

 Costs for the estate are £2,395 and £3,495 for the packages, as they already have the split/folding seats and powered tailgate as standard.