Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto

It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too.

The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

Now, Mercedes has entered the fray with the first production use of their own 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox.

The nine-speed 9G-Tronic has been fitted to the Mercedes E350 BlueTec as standard and offers improved economy and emissions, although it doesn’t do anything for performance.

There’s been no official announcement yet, but the E350 BlueTec configurator on Mercedes German website is now showing the new 9-speed ‘box as standard.

And it won’t be long before the new 9G-Tronic gets rolled out further across the Mercedes range.

By Cars UK