Mercedes has decided it is facelift time for the fifth-generation, 'W213' E-Class. And no, we're not subscribing to Mercedes' own assertion that the E-Class is now into its tenth iteration, because we're going by cars which have actually been called E-Class and therefore the facelifted W124 of 1993 is our origin point. Ahem. But we digress. Moving on, the looks have been tweaked on all of the four-door saloon, the five-door Estate and the, um, also-five-door All-Terrain, but we are told by Stuttgart that the Coupe and Cabriolet models will receive similar refreshment soon. The changes are more obvious on the saloon, where its rear light clusters now bleed into the bootlid and look more like those found on the smaller CLA, but up front you'll spot the radiator grille is a different design and shape, so the whole front end of the E-Class looks smoother and more refined. The All-Terrain, by the way, has been made to be more similar in appearance to the SUV models in the Mercedes line-up, so that's nice, isn't it? Inside, there's much more technology but the steering wheel is a completely new design and it's quite button-busy. We'll have to see how this works in reality, once we've driven the refreshed E-Class. Elsewhere, seven models across petrol, diesel, saloon, Estate, rear-wheel drive and 4Matic AWD will be available as plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), while a new M254 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit now comes with mild-hybrid tech (MHEV) featuring an integrated starter-generator (ISG) hooked up to a 48-volt circuit. This chucks another 15kW (20hp) and 180Nm into the mix, as well as reducing emissions and improving fuel economy. The M256 inline six-cylinder engine also gains ISG enhancement, while the OM654 four-cylinder and OM656 six-cylinder turbodiesel units, the latter of which made its debut in the S-Class, both enjoy greater emissions-control technology to clean up their exhaust pipes' act.