Mercedes announced the availability of an all-new nine-speed automatic gearbox for the E350 BlueTEC model. This is the company’s first nine-speed transmission and comes with several innovations.
It promises an average fuel economy of 5,3 liters/100km with CO2 emissions of 138 g/km. These figures are quite good considering that under the bonnet sits a 3.0-liter V6 engine producing 248 horsepower.
The new unit is also lighter and will improve the comfort considering that the revs will be lower and you will be able to drive at 120 km/h in the ninth gear.
The German company plans to offer this gearbox for both front- and all-wheel drive models while the hybrid versions are also compatible.
The torque converter is also a new feature present on the all-new transmission while during steep accelerations or decelerations, it can skip gears and provide a more accurate response.
