In about a week's time, Mercedes plans to lift the wraps on its next-generation E-Class. However, thanks to an internal leak in December when three exterior photos found their way into the internet and a new leakage that occurred today and concerns the official German market brochure, there won't be much to talk about when Merc unveils the 2010 E-Class, known internally under the codename W212. Aside from the new exterior pictures, the brochure scans reveal the executive sedan's squared-shapes interior as well as the E-Class' full engine line-up and dimensions.

Following in the footsteps of the C-Class and more recently the GLK, the new E-Class exterior gets taut body surfacing and angular design elements such as the four diamond shape headlamps up front. Same goes for the interior, though in a less tacky way than the GLK's cabin which looks like it was built from bricks. Apparently, Merc's designers are trying -we not saying that that they succeeded- to evoke the robustness of the mid 1980s E-Class.

Not surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz's BMW 5-Series and Audi A6 rival has slightly grown in dimensions compared to the outgoing E-Class, measuring 4.868 mm in length (+12 mm), 1.854 mm in width (+32 mm) and 1.470 mm in height (-13 mm) with a wheelbase of 2.874 mm (+20 mm).

Powering the new E-Class is an updated range of diesel and gasoline engines. Diesel lovers will be able to choose from five different units: a new 2.1-liter 4-cylinder engine with 136, 170 and 204 HP and a 3.0-liter V6 with 231HP (BlueEFFICIENCY) and 211HP (BLUETEC).

Those who favor petrol can select between five different engine options: a 1.8-liter direct injection 4-cylinder with 184 and 204HP; a 3.5-liter V6 (for the 4MATIC model) delivering 272HP; a 3.5-liter direct injection V6 producing 292HP and at the top of the range, a 388HP 5.5-liter V8 that can be combined with RWD or AWD layout.

During the year, Mercedes plans to enrich its E-Class range with the introduction of the Estate (station-wagon) and Coupe models while in 2010 - 2011, the German automaker will add a hybrid version(s) and an AMG model aimed squarely at the BMW M5 featuring a 6.2-liter V8 engine that should be good for around 550-horsepower.

Via: Germancarzone