Refreshed Mercedes-Benz E-class gets upgraded by Carlsson

E500 dialed up to 523-hp and 405 lb-ft of torque; small diesels gain power too

 Carlsson 

Carlsson has been tuning Mercedes-Benz cars since 1989. 

In the pantheon of Mercedes-Benz tuning houses and coachbuilders, Carlsson is one of the more visually conservative ones (the gold leaf-encrusted 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class notwithstanding). It just debuted its take on the facelifted 2014 E-class sedan.

The announcement of a tuning program for the refreshed E-class follows on the heels of the debut of the new CLA-class sedan and the aforementioned 2014 S-class, sans gold leaf.

Carlsson has simultaneously rolled out improvements for gas and diesel powered versions of the E-class, starting with the CK40 performance kit consisting of an ECU chip, which raises the 333-hp output of the European-spec E400 sedan up to 385 hp. For the V8-powered E500 sedan (sold as the E550 in the U.S. market) Carlsson now offers the CK50 kit which consists of a free-flow sports air filter and an ECU remap to take the horsepower output from 408 hp up to 523, and the torque output up from 354 lb-ft to 405 lb-ft.

Carlsson has not announced the 0-60 times for their tuned E400 and E500 yet, though the company says that the E500's max speed has been increased from an electronically limited 155 mph to 186 mph.

 Carlsson 

Carlsson has developed upgrades for gas and diesel E-class cars. 

For the diesel-powered E-class Carlsson also has a few things in store: The C-Tronic Diesel Power SW CD35 kit for the E350 CDI Bluetec raises the horsepower from 256 to 310, and the torque from 457 lb-ft to 516 lb-ft. As with the gasoline engines, this is accomplished via a remapped ECU. Carlsson now also offers upgrades for the smaller diesels: the E200 CGI and E250 CGI sold in Europe. The E200 CGI gains 27 hp via Carlsson's C-Tronic CB 20-25 integrated electronics module, going from 184 hp to 211 hp, while the E250 CGI goes from 204 hp to 231. An intercooler is also available for the two smaller diesel engines, which adds an extra eight to nine horses, as is a sport exhaust system.

Remapped ECUs aren't the only thing on the menu: Carlsson has also developed a modest appearance package for the E-class consisting of a new front spoiler, a rear diffuser, and new side skirts. Neither of these immediately give away the fact that this E-class is somehow different, though the decidedly low-key wheel designs ranging in size from 18 to 20 inches will perhaps expose it as something custom-made.

 Carlsson 

A choice of two wheel designs accompanies a wide range of leather upgrades for the interior, where traditionally most of the money is spent. 

For the car's suspension Carlsson offers an adjustable coil-over setup that lowers the rear by 0.7 inches, and the front by 0.5 to 1.3 inches. And for E-class models equipped with Mercedes-Benz's Airmatic suspension, Carlsson also offers the C-Tronic Air-4 module which can lower the ride height by 1.1 inches.

Overall, Carlsson's upgrade package is tamer than what AMG and Brabus have been able to do with the E63 AMG as a base, but Carlsson perhaps understands that the market in that price range is very thin, whereas modest diesels need some help too.

Carlsson has not released pricing for its E-class upgrades but expect the choice of wheels, suspension, and interior options to make up a big portion of the bottom line.