2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Have you noticed how cold and technical many modern vehicles are? The redesigned Mercedes E-Class bucks that trend, wearing long hood and short deck proportions, softly rounded forms, cleanly penned flanks, and bold detailing. To add distinctive character, the E-Class features a star-map grille texture, star-shaped tailight illumination, a sweep of chrome defining the roofline, and a variety of expressive wheel designs. The look should age gracefully.

As the new E-Class goes on sale in Canada, it comes in E 350 4Matic and E 450 4Matic models in a sedan body style. Prices start at $73,900, not including the destination charge, which Mercedes-Benz dealers set individually. Considering what the car includes as standard equipment, that’s an appealing price. However, Mercedes packages most of the game-changing features into various option packages related to comfort, technology, and safety.

Our test car checked nearly all of those boxes, lacking only a handful of extras and the Multicontour Seating Package, which equips an E-Class with massaging front seats, an Air Bala nce air purification and fragrance system, and Energizing Comfort Plus programs. Thanks to its heavy option load, our test vehicle’s interior dripped in luxury and technology. From the Tonka Brown Nappa leather upholstery to the Superscreen triple-display glass panel stretching across the dashboard, it was a plush E 350. In addition to the leather, it had attractive wood with aluminum inlays on the centre console, an active ambient lighting system, and an interior design blending classic luxury with high-tech modernism.

Mercedes equips the E 350 4Matic with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine providing 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The automaker says it will scoot the E-Class to 96 km/h in 6.1 seconds.

For added power and performance, consider the E 450 4Matic. It uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine supplying a robust 375 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, and it can zoom to 96 km/h in a claimed 4.4 seconds.

Both versions of the new E-Class employ a nine-speed automatic transmission and include 4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard equipment. They also have a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an integrated starter/generator. This helps to improve fuel economy by relieving the engine of the task of powering vehicle accessories, while an electric motor with up to 23 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque assists in launching the car.

We found the E 350 offers plenty of power for most people, and the car feels swift when accelerating up to speed. However, on our testing loop, it missed the mark regarding fuel economy. Officially, Natural Resources Canada says this model should get 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. Unfortunately, we observed 9.9 L/100 km.

Yes, we used the Sport driving mode and explored the E 350’s performance while driving a favourite mountain road. But the rest of the time, the car’s powertrain was in Comfort mode. And while the E 350 can tackle the twisties like a proper German sedan should, that’s not the car’s forte.

Before we continue, know that our tester had the optional Airmatic Package. It installs an adaptive air suspension and a rear-axle steering system. So equipped, the E-Class feels like it glides across the road surface, even with the huge staggered-width 21-inch wheels and low-profile tires on our test car. It filters the harshness and erases the excess body motion, but without leaving the driver clueless about what’s happening at ground level. It’s quite a remarkable feat. Airmatic also pays dividends when you’re hustling the car, but its efforts aren’t quite as transparent on a lumpy mess of blacktop. You can feel the suspension working, and it feels a touch unnatural. But the E-Class effortlessly handles whatever curves, corners, bumps, and dips you throw at it.

Still, it’s not a sports sedan as much as it is a consummate luxury car. Our favourite thing about driving our E 350 4Matic test vehicle wasn’t related to its mountain-road competence. Rather, it was the comfort, quiet, and soothing ride that won us over. An Airmatic-equipped E 350 instills a sense of calm in its driver, any stress fading to black. It’s a great feeling.

The Multicontour Seating Package could only make the E-Class better, but we didn’t get a chance to experience it. Even without it, though, our E 350 proved plenty comfortable with just a couple of exceptions.

Up front, the driver and passenger enjoy supportive front seats wrapped in a choice of MB-Tex artificial leather, genuine leather, or premium Nappa leather. They’re heated and power-operated, and ventilation is available. A heated steering wheel is also standard in Canada. Our only issue pertains to the centre console shape and lack of padding, against which a leg may uncomfortably rest. Entering and exiting the back seat is something of a challenge because the rear wheel wells are intrusive. However, when you’re sitting back there, you’ll enjoy good leg support, a tall riding position, and decent if not roomy legroom. Squeezing three people into the back might prove difficult, though.

Though the interior looks like it lacks practical storage space, that’s not the case. Sizable door storage pockets, a hidden centre console bin with cupholders and the wireless smartphone charger, and a roomy bin under the split-top centre armrest stand ready to store whatever you’ve brought along for the ride.

Open the trunk to reveal 540 litres of cargo space. That’s a conversion from the number Mercedes publishes for the U.S. (an official Canadian figure was not available as of this writing). Regardless, it seems optimistic. Fortunately, the trunk is tall enough to accept full-size suitcases stored on their sides. In addition, a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat expands capacity as needed.

The new 2024 E-Class is a showcase of the automaker’s technology, and it comes with a new third-generation version of the Mercedes Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system. In standard specification, it pairs a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display with a 14.4-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard.

You can configure the digital instrumentation to one of four main themes, including Sport, Classic, Navigation, and Assistance. As an option, you can add a head-up display with a 9-inch image showing speed, driving assistance status, navigation directions, and more.

The infotainment system includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a navigation system with augmented video technology. That provides a live video feed from a front camera on the centre display, and overlays it with graphics showing where you should exit, merge, or turn at critical parts of your journey.

More impressive, the new MBUX technology lets you save up to 800 different vehicle settings to any of seven driver profiles, so the E Class provides a personalized experience for multiple drivers in a household. In addition, you can program “routines” that the car can execute at specific times, on certain days, or at a given location.

Online music streaming is also available, providing access to platforms including Apple Music and Spotify. A 17-speaker Burmester 4D surround-sound system is standard in Canada, and it features Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio technology. It is an astounding good high-end audio system that you must experience first-hand to properly appreciate.

Our test car had the Superscreen Package, which installs a 12.3-inch touchscreen display on the dashboard in front of the passenger. This upgrade eliminates the standard wood trim, replacing it with a glass surface stretching from one side of the car to the other. When the front-seat passenger is viewing video entertainment, the screen is invisible to the driver.

The Superscreen Package also adds a video camera on the top of the dashboard, aimed at the cabin. It has a selfie mode, so you can take pictures of the people traveling with you. But it also works with the embedded Webex and Zoom apps so that you can take conference calls from the car. So, progress?

If all that seems a little much, don’t worry. The new MBUX technology responds quickly to inputs, is as intuitive as your smartphone to use, and simplifies everything so that anyone familiar with an iPhone or Android device can use it without instructions.

In addition, the MBUX digital voice assistant responds quicker to your commands and queries, and is more conversational than before. For example, when we asked for directions to a retail store in a city an hour from home, the digital assistant quickly provided a route and, when we said thank you, it replied, “Don’t mention it.” It is excellent technology.

There is a final component, and that’s the artificial intelligence powering some of this stuff. The MBUX learns over time, with the goal of becoming more adept at knowing and anticipating a driver’s needs. However, perhaps as a part of that, the digital assistant occasionally came to life without summoning it by saying “Hey, Mercedes.” Seemingly, it was listening the whole time, which is a little unsettling.

Every 2024 E-Class includes numerous safety features. However, if you want the whole enchilada of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), you’ll need to pay extra for the Driver Assistance Package. At $2,150 for 14 additional technologies, it strikes us as a bargain.

Highlights include upgraded Pre-Safe pre-collision features to limit injury in a crash and an Active Emergency Stop Assist feature that brings the E-Class to a safe halt if the driver becomes unresponsive. In addition, this option package equips the car with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping, lane-centring, and lane-change systems.

We extensively tested the ADAS on our evaluation loop. It works well, though on curves the car’s lane-centring assist technology allowed a wider driving line than might be comfortable while also seeming slightly unsure of itself. A new Automatic Lane Change function is a part of the Driver Assistance Package. When using the adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assistance, it can automatically change lanes when you catch up to slower vehicles ahead. It checks to see if it is safe to move one lane to the left, signals, and guides the Mercedes over to pass.

On multi-lane highways, we didn’t like using this technology. It works fine, but we don’t always trust our fellow drivers. There’s always someone who is threading across lanes. Fortunately, you can turn this tech off.

In addition, the Active Speed Limit Assist and Route-based Speed Adaptation systems can be liabilities. As one example, while cruising at 120 km/h, the E-Class noticed a 90 km/h construction zone sign that we missed and then braked to adjust to the posted speed. At first, we had no idea why the car was doing that, and irritated motorists behind us didn’t either. You can turn this tech off, too. Otherwise, the ADAS is a natural fit and practical to use in daily-driving situations. In particular, the lane-keeping assist system impresses. We tried to purposely test it on several occasions, and it never took the bait. But then, when we had unintentionally wandered too close to a lane marker, it decisively steered us back toward the centre of our lane.

The redesigned 2024 Mercedes E-Class counts the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Genesis G80, and Volvo S90 among its rivals. Of these, the Genesis has the lowest starting price and several impressive ownership benefits in exchange for the brand’s relative lack of cachet.

Perhaps the most natural alternative to the E-Class is the BMW 5 Series. In that matchup, the BMW boasts a lower base price, better fuel economy, and quicker acceleration. That’s compelling from a cost-effectiveness standpoint.

Still, we think the E-Class represents value due to its technological sophistication. From its standard mild-hybrid drivetrains and MBUX infotainment to its available Superscreen and Driver Assistance Package, it is an exceptionally impressive midsize luxury car.

Note: Images show a US model.