Yahoo Autos 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class First Drive Review: Traditional Luxury Meets Hit-Or-Miss Tech
With the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Stuttgart's mid-size sedan enters its 11th generation with a thorough overhaul, injecting technology into the venerable luxury sedan to bring it firmly into the 2020s. The E450's turbocharged straight-six engine now comes complemented by a 48-volt mild hybrid system that improves both low-end grunt and fuel efficiency. Matching serious performance gains, the new gen’s chassis dynamics benefit further from Airmatic suspension and rear-wheel steering.
Meanwhile, the interior receives more techy gadgets—or gimmicks, depending on how you look at things—than ever before. Ambient light bars can now pulse to the beat of the music, a trio of massive screens lights up the entire cockpit (one of them happens to be 12.3 inches and placed in front of the passenger), and an optional dash-top camera offers video conferencing capability. The instrument screen can even display holographic maps for ADAS controls and navigation.
Does such a seismic technological shift enhance or take away from the E-Class driving experience? Turns out, a little bit of both.
Mild Hybrid, Mild Weight
In total, the stately E450 now puts down 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, the latter available as low as 1,800 rpm thanks to the silky smooth inline-six pushing 22 psi of turbo boost and the electric motor contributing 148 of those lb-ft. The E350, meanwhile, pairs the same e-motor to an inline-four to produce 255 hp and 295 lb-ft. Both employ a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The e-assisted torque results in a claimed zero-to-60-mph time of 4.4 seconds in the six-cylinder, a halt-tick improvement over the outgoing E450 that feels very legit in real-world driving. Nine whole gears and hybrid efficiency also contribute to a claimed 31 mpg on the highway (or 33 mpg with the E350). All the while, the hybrid system charges up and moves along imperceptibly—regenerative braking is barely noticeable while electric motors hum along with very little actual hum. In fact, if not for the gauge readouts and longer distances between fill-ups, most drivers might well forget the new E-Class is a hybrid in the first place.
Par for the new-version-of-a-luxury-car course, the E gains a few hundred pounds but copes with the added weight without breaking a sweat. The wheelbase has grown by 0.87 inches, but rear-wheel steering pairs with Airmatic suspension to make driving around town or on the highway a breeze. The ride is already pillowy on 21s but optioning the 18-inch wheels should smooth out the ride even further.
Then, push hard into the Continental EcoContact 6 tires while canyon carving to truly experience Mercedes wizardry, as the rear steering does its magic to make a 16-foot-long sedan handle just as well as many hatchbacks. Of course, the eco tires squeal and moan under load, but weight distribution is excellent and all-wheel drive behaves predictably.
Smooth Design
Electric EQs notwithstanding, M-B design for the past few years took a step in the right direction in my eyes, as each model smoothed out any angularity clinging on since the late 2000s. For the E-Class to join the S and GLC as highlights in the lineup, continuing that trend required a new grille up front with subtle tri-point details, flowing lines over a long nose, simple side panels, and a low roofline that transitions into a deftly tucked rear end.
The interior also largely continues to refine design cues seen in the previous generation, though a fanning quilted weave on the seat upholstery does hint slightly at the EQ’s seashell inspirations. All the textures and materials definitely stand out as quintessential Benz, including stellar seats that, though comfortable, probably need a year or two of daily driving to truly break in. [Ed. note: So, like, anywhere from a third of the entire lease term to indeed your entire lease term. -CT] Adjustable headrests, seat heating and ventilation, sufficient space for both front and back row occupants, and heavy sound deadening result in a supremely serene environment, with or without the exhaust humming in Sport mode.
