2024 Mercedes-Benz E Class

Yet, those EQ sedans and SUVs hold a lot of sway over the E-Class interior. This car’s swapped its former circular air vents for thin horizontal ones that get split by LED lighting that pulses with color based on the driving style. A new take on the brand’s Hyperscreen, the available Superscreen occupies the center and passenger side of the dash. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster teams with a 14.4-inch touchscreen and, when ordered, an additional 12.3-inch passenger screen that all get bundled under the same glass panel. They’re framed by gorgeous wood and metallic trim that flows into the door panels.

How fast is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

We’ve not driven the E 350 4Matic, which comes with a 2.0-liter turbo-4 that turns out 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, though we’ve driven it in the prior-generation model and in a wealth of other Mercedes products. In other models, it’s relatively willing to wind out and tap all its power—and now has a mild-hybrid system that adds up to 23 hp and 148 lb-ft to boost low-end torque. Standard all-wheel drive slows this E-Class down a tick—but it still takes just 6.1 seconds to reach 60 mph, on its way to a 130-mph top speed. 

At present, Benz has no plans to bring over a plug-in hybrid E-Class, but AMG editions are assured.

We’ve spent all our time in the 3.0-liter turbo-6 version, and the E 450 4Matic improves upon the turbo-4 not just in raw speed, but in silken response. With the same mild-hybrid system but with a total of 375 hp and 369 lb-ft (not to mention a curb weight of nearly 4,400 pounds), it rushes in quiet urgency to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, to the same electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. With its 9-speed automatic, the E 450 can be caught off-guard with full-throttle leaps from very low speeds, but in almost all other user cases it clicks off gearchanges with minimal intrusion.

On a new chassis with a standard four-link front and five-link rear independent suspension, the E-Class can be upgraded like our test car with an air suspension, adaptive damping, and rear-wheel steering that turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the fronts by up to 4.5 degrees to ease low-speed maneuvers, then turns them in phase up to 2.5 degrees with the fronts for higher-speed stability. 

The air suspension comes in handy to cut fuel consumption—it lowers the car at highway speeds—but it’s entirely responsible for generating an extremely well-cushioned ride, even when the drive-mode selector spins from comfort to sport mode.

With each passing generation, the E-Class has grown more and more relaxed in its non-AMG editions. This year that’s no different: it’s adept at cruising over the worst pavement, even speed bumps, with casual indifference. Its steering sets into curves and corners delicately, with very little counterweight but with precise ease. In comfort mode, its air springs and adaptive dampers are doing as much as possible to keep as little of the road from intruding into the cabin—but even in sport mode it hardly thocks over pavement seams, choosing to drift over them and to leave only tire noise in the wake. Rear-wheel steering allows lots of low-speed steering angle with almost no force required—it’s almost a spin-the-dial steering sensation as it slips into tight parking spaces—but at extralegal highway speeds it locks in and firms up, still with a light touch on the wheel. It’s as good as any large premium-luxury sedan of the recent past in that regard, and it’s clearly been set up to reserve much territory for coming AMG versions, though we hope the E 450’s squishy brake pedal gets tuned better for that higher duty.

Tap the recessed door handles to get them to surface from the door skins, and step into the E-Class, and a world of leather, wood, and glossy plastic awaits. Our high-dollar test vehicle stocked multi-adjustable power front seats that pocketed us perfectly for an easy 350-mile road trip, thanks to cooling and nappa leather trim and fine-tunable lumbar support. Base cars wear synthetic leather and midgraders get leather, for a $1,620 upcharge. From the seat-shaped controls on the door, it’s a snap to sort out a suitable driving position, though the power-telescope steering wheel could move an inch closer without complaint. In-car storage in front covers smartphones and cupholders under a wood-trimmed center console alongside a couple of USB-C ports. A separate covered bin at elbow height can hold two, maybe three packs of Peeps—more if you squish them, obviously.

If you’re 6 feet tall and wear size 12 shoes, it takes some angling to get into the back of the E-Class. The door cuts go wide at waist height, but narrow at the sills. Once you’re in the back, the E-Class welcomes you with a great seatback angle, good under-leg support and plenty of headroom even with the sunroof. Toeroom? It’s cramped, but otherwise the E-Class allots a good deal of space to back-seat passengers, though the middle seat in back won’t lend itself to anyone above a size M. Keep your close friends close—and tell them to pack light, because the E-Class’ trunk has lost a half-cubic-foot of space, and now measures 12.7 cubic feet.

We’re still dazzled by some of Mercedes’ verve and confidence in styling its cabins, but some concessions to cost have cropped up in the latest E-Class. The sunroof has a fabric sunshade, not a hard blackout panel. The transmission and wiper stalks look thrifty and thin, and some console and door trim pieces creak under heavy pressure. Most of the digital interfaces can be learned quickly, but it’s still a two-tap chore to change the fan speed or temperature. Those thin air vents need stronger air flow, and the touch-and-swipe steering-wheel controls attract fingerprints and frustrate some operators.

On the options list, a driver-assistance bundle includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot steering assist, and automatic lane change functions. We’d turn off the latter; it’s adept at executing the lane changes, but it can’t always judge when traffic changes speeds too quickly to render it useful. It only requires a quick flick of steering to cancel—but that makes it look as if the driver’s not paying attention. We do appreciate the band of LED lights that wraps around the base of the windshield, and lights up red in sections when the car transgresses over the double-yellow.

The E-Class carries a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty, but free scheduled service isn’t included as it is with some other marques.

Which Mercedes-Benz E-Class should I buy?

At $5,800 more, the E 450 doesn’t bump a Benz payment much. But you’ll have to sport a strong sense of self-control to stop there. We’d add on either the $1,620 leather interior or the $2,990 nappa leather package, spend $150 to light the standard black-ash wood trim from behind with dozens of tiny LED stars, toss in a few hundred more for a light-up three-pointed star logo on the front end, and seriously consider packages that include multicontour front seats with cooling, a head-up display and Burmester sound—oh and don’t forget the $1,500 for the passenger-side Superscreen, an extra $300 for USB-C ports all around, and $990 for a 3D instrument cluster.

A camera monitoring the driver’s eye movements adds additional layers of security and hands-free driver-assist features, and apps such as Zoom or Webex can’t be used while the car is in motion. Mercedes pledges all the new technology and its interface can be employed or ignored based on the driver's preference.

How much is a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

Top that off with 21-inch wheels, active lane control, black exterior trim, the Airmatic suspension and rear-wheel steering, and it’s easy to spend almost $90,000 on an E-Class now—and that’s before the upcoming AMG E 53 enters the picture.