Those pastoralists and country doctors traditionally associated with the diesel Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan might be electrifying when the facelift arrives in Australia in November.
There is a decent chance diesel power might drop out of the E-Class sedan line-up for the first time since 1997* when the W213 update lobs.
Mild-hybrid tech is tipped to be added to both the four- and six-cylinder versions of the (non-AMG) E-Class sedan and that points to a potential end of the road for diesel engines here.
Mercedes-Benz first revealed the E-Class update back in March and provided more details this week as the car started rolling out in Europe.
Two turbo-diesel E-Class sedans are offered in Australia currently; the four-cylinder 2.0-litre E 220d and the E 350d inline-six.
Of those two, the E 220d at least looks to be on shaky ground going forward, as Mercedes-Benz has gradually dropped diesel out of various ranges over recent years.
The then-popular diesel disappeared from the CLS four-door coupe range in 2018 when the new-generation debuted with ISG tech in both the fours and sixes.
And more recently, Benz dropped the GLC 300d diesel from the popular mid-size SUV at facelift time and replaced it with the plug-in petrol-electric hybrid 300e priced just a few thousand dollars above the standard 300 four-cylinder petrol-turbo.
The E 300e plug-in hybrid sedan that uses the same powertrain as the GLC 300e is already offered by Mercedes-Benz in Australia and will continue on after the facelift arrives.
Having said all, there’s no doubt diesels will survive in the Benz line-up of SUVs such as the GLE and GLS for some time yet.
The second-generation belt-driven ISG that should be introduced with the new M 254 turbo-petrol four-cylinder to the E-Class in Australia produces up to 15kW and 180Nm. It will come with a 48-volt onboard system, energy recuperation capability and a gliding function.
The specification of M264 turbo-petrol engine fitted to the E 200 and E 300 sedans in Australia does not have ISG tech.
Up at the inline six-cylinder level the M256 turbo-petrol 3.0-litre I6 with ISG and 48V joins the E-Class line-up. It should replace the 3.0-litre M276 V6 in the E 450 4MATIC in Australia at this facelift.
That engine and ISG system is already available here in the CLS 450 and GLE 450 and overseas in the outgoing S-Class. It provides a boost of as much as 16kW and 250Nm.
The diesel inline six-cylinder is the 3.0-litre OM656, which in Australian-spec is not fitted with ISG. Mercedes-Benz Australia could update to the engine to mild-hybrid, leave it as is, or drop it.
No doubt the pastoralists and country doctors will be hoping it is retained.
* After a break from diesel engines for several years, Benz returned a diesel to its E-Class line-up in 1997 with the launch of the W210 E300TD, a 130kW I6 priced at $99,900.