Mercedes announces competitive pricing for E320 BlueTec

Mercedes-Benz announced the pricing for the "world's cleanest diesel." Yes, the one that narrowly missed achieving legality in all 50 states. At $52,325, the 45-state compliant vehicle is just $1,000 more than the gas-powered E350 with comparable performance. When juxtaposing stat sheets, you'll find the zero to 60 for the diesel is just one tenth of a second slower, yet it gets 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway in contrast to the E350's 19/26 mpg.

By keeping the price competitive, Mercedes hopes continues to offer an attractive option to diesel drivers as they sold 11,000 E320 CDIs since the launch of that vehicle in 2004. The E320 BlueTec is set to go on sale immediately following the deployment of the low-sulfur diesel fuel required by the BlueTec system to American pumps nationwide in October of this year.

Related:

• Mercedes exec sees bright future for diesel, biodiesel
• Mercedes E320 Bluetec arrives as 45-State Vehicle

[Source: Car and Driver]