Four years and around a million E-Class sold, Mercedes-Benz is upping the mid-sized luxury sedan ante with what else, a re-freshened model for the 2006 model year. Although you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference with the model launched since 2002, Jurgen Banken, the E-Class's overall design chief said that there were more than 2,000 parts changed or improved to make the new car even better.

With a commanding 38 percent market share in its segment in Western Europe, Mercedes-Benz decidedly played it safe with the timelessly elegant looks of the E-Class. The overall silhouette is carried over from the 2002 model with just minor changes. Perhaps the most obvious of them is the new front grille, which echoes the lines that the all-new S-Class first showed. The grille has also been reworked (now with a more prominent "V" shape) to keep it in tune with the new Mercedes-Benz family look. The ovoid head lamps, first introduced in the W210 model continue on but with some reflector modifications. The lamps now offer a louvered design along with a projector-type main beam housing a bi-xenon HID system. The park lamp has also been revised, now integrating an LED-type bulb in place of the conventional system. From the back, the rear has received a much more subdued touch with only the addition of a lengthy chrome strip to accentuate the E-Class's flowing lines.

Although the first batch of E-Class arriving through the Philippine's exclusive distributor, CATS Motors doesn't have it, the E-Class now boasts the world's first Intelligent Light System. This allows the car to adjust the dispersal pattern of the head light according to the various terrain and vehicle speed the E-Class may encounter. Among others, there's a setting for "Country" and "Motorway". Overall, Mercedes-Benz engineers say that the headlamps' range can stretch up to 120 meters with the main light cone extending another further 50 meters. The fog lamps have also been redesigned with the Intelligent Light System in mind.  In order to promote better vehicle safety, the E-Class also made changes to the E-Class's tail lamps. It now has ADAPTIVE BRAKE system, first introduced in the S-Class. This system allows the E-Class to pulsate its brake lamps in order to warn the driver behind of a panic stop.  Engineers say that the brake lamps' pulsating light makes following drivers more aware and more reactive during panic braking.

Under the hood, the E-Class receives a myriad of engine choices, all of them new or significantly changed.  Although there's a huge range of engines from a 2.0-liter CDI to the race-ready 6.3-liter AMG version, the Philippines will initially have the E 200 Kompressor (supercharged 1.8-liter inline-4, 184 horsepower) and the E 280 (normally aspirated 3.0-liter V6, 170 horsepower). While the E 200 shoulders on with a 5-speed automatic transmission, the E 280 benefits from the advanced 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission.

Answering to increased pressure from its perennial rivals, Mercedes-Benz engineers have given the E-Class a more dynamic character thanks to DIRECT CONTROL. Although optional in European models, it comes standard across the line here. This system allows for a quicker steering ratio (10 percent quicker) making the E-Class more responsive to driver inputs.  In addition, the suspension has been altered to accommodate newly developed spring link bearings for more effective cornering and body roll. Revised rebound rates the the buffer springs enhance the E-Class's riding comfort.