Mercedes-Benz claimed to have reduced the fuel consumption of the new E-Class by up to 0.9 litres per 100 km compared with the outgoing model. It offered gasoline or diesel engines with a choice of rear or 4-wheel drive. The 2003 E-Class was larger than its predecessors while offering less interior space, particularly in the estate version, than the W210 it replaced. The third generation E-Class debuted at the 2002 European Motor Show Brussels featuring twin-headlights, angled slightly rearward. Pilot production went into testing in the summer of 2001, the W211 E-Class debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January 2002. Development ended in 2001 after 48 months, at a total cost of €2 billion.
The final designs were chosen in 1999 and German patents were later filed on Decemutilizing an E 500 prototype. The W211 development program began in 1997, followed by design work.
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Before North American sales began, the car was shown in the 2002 movie Men in Black II. Launched in 2002 for the 2003 model year, the W211 E-Class was another evolution of the previous model.
The C219, marketed as the CLS, was introduced as a niche model in 2005, based on W211 mechanicals. The Mercedes-Benz W211 is the third generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class made from 2002 to 2009 in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate configurations - replacing the W210 E-Class models and superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009.