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RPM TV Website | March 22, 2024

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Mercedes-Benz introduces nine-speed automatic

2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe
Adam Schoeman

According to the Mercedes-Benz vehicle configurator website, all new E350 BlueTec sedans will now be equipped with a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

The in-house built unit will predictably wear the 9G-Tronic name, and replaces the older 7G-Tronic unit which has served almost every non-AMG Mercedes-Benz for quite a few years.

The extra two ratios do little to excite in terms of performance, but Mercedes-Benz is claiming that an E350 BlueTec sedan equipped with this new ‘box has achieved improvements of close to 9 percent for the urban fuel consumption cycle.

That translates into an improvement from 5.7 litres/100km to 5.2 litres/100km for city driving, while highway cruising remains unchanged.

Naturally, the gearbox also contributes to a slightly improved carbon emissions rating. The previous 7G-equipped E350 BlueTec was rated at 144 g/km, and has now improved to 138 g/km under the 9G-Tronic’s tutorship.

As mentioned, this is an in-house unit, which is a little unusual, as most of the sophisticated automatic gearboxes in use by the premium brands are supplied by Germany-based ZF. While Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to manufacturing, the question must be asked if there is enough experience on the table to support such a cutting-edge gearbox.

It is also unclear whether the 9G-Tronic will achieve the same level of fuel consumption gains when coupled with petrol engines, or if the extra two ratios are only truly effective on torque-rich turbocharged diesel motors like the E350’s six-cylinder.

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