From engineering to design, the eternal debate in the automotive industry is whether evolution or revolution is better when it comes to developing a new model. It’s an even more strenuous place to be as a luxury brand. We’ve seen revolution pay off for BMW and Lexus and flop with Acura, while evolution has been a negative for Audi and a positive for Volvo. Mercedes-Benz has typically been all about evolution, especially when it comes to the renowned E-Class lineup, but the newest model is quietly bucking that trend.
Now in its eleventh generation (or sixth if you don’t count the early cars that weren’t called E-Class), Mercedes has sold more than 16 million units of the midsize E-Class family since 1946, and upon initial viewing the new W214 model seems to be yet another evolution. Look beyond the styling, though, and the E-Class’ technology and user experience break new ground. If you embrace everything the 2024 E-Class has to offer, it’ll be impossible to look back.
Full disclosure: Mercedes-Benz dropped this almost fully loaded E350 off at my apartment and let me have it for five days a few weeks before the embargo lift.
The new E-Class still looks like an E-Class, though it’s undoubtedly the strangest design yet. Slightly longer in length and wheelbase than before, the W214’s proportions are even more similar to the S-Class’. A thin, crisp character line runs across the body above each wheel arch, and the subtle surfacing catches the light fantastically well. We only get the AMG Line body styling, with a hexagonal grill containing a huge three-pointed star. The gloss black trim that surrounds the grille and connects to the headlights is controversial, but I’m into the look, and I love the wavy headlight design too. I also really love the blobby taillights, which each house two big three-pointed star light elements for both running lights and the brake lights.
Typically I’m not a fan of these primer grays, but with all of the chrome exterior trim and lovely $3,050 21-inch wheels I think this $1,750 Alpine Grey paint really works, as it reflects a lot more color than I expected. I’d have to go for the wonderful Sonoran Brown or sage green–like Verde Silver, though. If you’re basic, you can drop $200 on the Night package, which blacks out almost all of the exterior trim, but I’m a big fan of the $400 illuminated grille surround that this E350 has.
Step inside and the E-Class’ cabin still feels familiar too, at least if you have experience with the previous-gen model or other modern Benzes. Slim air vents wrap around the dashboard to create the top of its wing-like shape, with a large center console meeting it at the base. Every E-Class has a standalone, upright 12.3-inch gauge cluster screen, and a 14.4-inch touchscreen set into the center of the dash and surrounded by a lovely trim panel — though my test car has the $1,500 Superscreen package, which adds a 12.3-inch screen for the driver and puts the two under a single glass panel. The integration looks even better than the Hyperscreen on the EQ models.
Large screens aside there’s not too much that would scare off a traditional buyer. It’s easy for me to get comfortable in the seat, and the driving position is excellent. The A-pillars are fairly slim for a modern car and overall visibility is great. Mercedes also nails the armrest placement, which is key to my comfort in a car. Rear-seat passengers have more headroom and legroom as well. Sadly my test car doesn’t have the $2,950 Multicontour seat package, which adds heated armrests and massaging seats — my number one feature on any car — but it does have the quilted $2,990 Nappa leather that requires you to also get an $800 combo of ventilated front seats and an MB-Tex upper dash. The leather quality is really nice, and there are only a few harder plastics lower down in the car. I especially appreciate the color-matched felt lining in the door pockets.
The entry-level E350 drives exactly how you’d expect a modern E-Class would. As the company has been want to do in recent years, the new E-Class is skewed even further toward luxury than sportier past generations, but it’s paid off. Powering the E350 is a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 and a 9-speed automatic transmission, the same basic powertrain as the previous-gen car, but it now has a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. With 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque it has the same amount of power and only 22 lb-ft more torque than before, but the integrated starter-generator provides a boost of up to 23 hp and 148 lb-ft. All-wheel drive is now standard.
Mercedes says the new E350 will hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, matching last year’s RWD E350 but a tenth slower than the old AWD model. The powertrain tuning is much better than in models like the C300 that share this engine; the E-Class’ motor both sounds and feels smoother and the transmission is much less jerky. It has a composed chassis and a nicely weighted, linear steering rack that make it fun enough to hustle a bit on a twisty road, and Sport mode makes enough of a difference in the powertrain and chassis tuning to be noticeable, at least.
The 48-volt system makes the start-stop seamless in terms of sound and vibration, but it can be a little slow to switch the engine back on if you’re rolling from a stop. The EPA rates the E350 at 33 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined; I never see higher than 29 mpg on the highway and average 21 mpg overall.
Last summer on the international first-drive launch I got to experience the E450, which uses Mercedes’ phenomenal turbocharged mild-hybrid 3.0-liter inline-6, which has 375 hp and 369 lb-ft and is nearly two seconds quicker to 60. That powertrain is silky smooth and much more luxurious, and gas mileage is only a couple mpg off the E350, too. If you can swing the $5,800 premium, the E450 is worth it.
(If you really need performance, the Mercedes-AMG E53 was recently unveiled with a plug-in-hybrid inline-6 powertrain. It’s got 604 hp, major chassis performance upgrades and an electric range of 70 miles. I can’t wait to have a go in that one.)
What really transforms the new E-Class’ driving experience is the ride. My test car has the optional $3,200 Airmatic package, which adds four-corner air suspension with continuously adjustable dampers. I find it quite surprising that Mercedes is even offering air suspension on the base model E-Class, but it really underscores how skewed the new generation is toward luxury. Even with the big 21-inch wheels on this car the E350’s ride is nothing short of phenomenal, a massive improvement over the previous generation. Los Angeles’ worst road surfaces feel buttery smooth, like spreading honey on toast. There’s not too much body roll either, and drivers can raise the suspension for easier egress or to better clear a tough driveway.
The Airmatic package also nets you rear-axle steering that turns the rear wheels up to 4.5 degrees. Rear-wheel steering is my single favorite feature on new cars, and the Mercedes system is great. It drops the E-Class’ turning radius by three feet, and it requires fewer turns lock-to-lock. It’s a game-changer for city driving and parking, and it increases high-speed stability as well.
Where the W214 differs from all E-Classes before it is with the user experience and integrated technology, especially when it comes to listening to music or streaming content. The 2024 E-Class is the first car with Mercedes’ updated MBUX infotainment system, which has simpler menus and more functional widgets, and the updated climate controls look better and are easier to use while driving. There’s also a new electronic architecture with a bigger focus on software-driven systems, and everything is controlled by a single processor and central computer that’s faster and more powerful.
Mercedes will receive tons of complaints from auto journalists who say the MBUX system is too annoying or hard to use, and to that I say I want to see them try and convert a PDF or share a photo on Instagram before criticizing a touchscreen system. I find the new MBUX to be a joy to use, and after being in any Mercedes I’m typically disappointed by whatever system I try out next. The graphics are fantastic and the menus are easy to navigate, plus it’s easy to set favorite functions. The Google-based maps have a good refresh rate even with satellite view on, and Mercedes continues to have one of the only native navigation systems I prefer over Google Maps through CarPlay. The excellent augmented reality nav view is standard, though an AR head-up display isn’t offered.
I continue to actually use Mercedes’ great voice assistant too — yes, people like me exist — which can accomplish even more functions than before and be activated without saying the “Hey Mercedes” prompt. The E-Class has a new feature called Routines that lets the driver set the car to automatically activate specific features when certain parameters are met. For instance, you can tell the car to change the ambient lighting to red and set the music to the rock SiriusXM station if you exceed 80 mph, or have the car roll down your driver’s window and turn on the 360 camera when you arrive at the office and have to pass through a gate.
Despite initial skepticism, my friends really enjoyed having the Superscreen’s passenger display. In addition to being able to look at vehicle info, control the navigation or media and adjust their own comfort functions, the passenger display offers a bunch of games and the ability to browse the web or stream videos, even with the car in motion. Camera-based filtering technology makes the passenger screen essentially black to the driver depending on what content is being shown, even with the brightness turned all the way up.
Far and away the new E-Class’ standout feature is the Burmester 4D surround sound system, a $1,030 standalone option or part of the $3,400 Pinnacle Trim that also adds the illuminated grille, noise-insulated glass, Digital Light LED headlights, a head-up display and active ambient lighting. This sound system includes 17 speakers, including 3D speakers in the ceiling, two speakers in the driver’s headrest, sound resonators inside the front seats, and subwoofers integrated in the car’s body structure. Along with Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio, the result is simply one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard.
Listening to the “Dune: Part Two” soundtrack puts me right back in the IMAX theater, with immersive sound that envelops the entire cabin. With the seat resonators turned all the way up the bass hits just like in the theater, and suddenly I’m not lamenting the lack of massaging seats anymore. And listening to highly produced pop music like Beyoncé’s Renaissance exposes instruments, ad-libs and other details that you just can’t hear in other systems or with headphones. It helps that the E-Class’ cabin is ultra quiet even at highway speeds; even with music playing at a reasonable volume it’s easy to hold a conversation.
Making the sound system even more enjoyable to my easily entertained self is the active ambient lighting. There’s a continuous light strip that wraps from the door panels all around the dash, with additional strips running through the air vents, along the center console and underneath the dashboard. Along with the wild color combinations and animations found in other Benzes, the E-Class’ ambient lighting can be made to pulse along with the music. And it’s not just a simple pulsing; different sections in the same light strip can flicker with varying intensities and patterns depending on the audio. It’ll be annoying to some, sure, but they can turn it off. Me? Gimme it at full intensity in the most outrageous colors, please.
I’m already the kind of person who will just sit in my car scrolling on my phone and listening to music, but the E-Class encourages it. While parked I can browse the web, play those games, watch YouTube videos, scroll through TikTok or even hop on a Zoom call using the built-in selfie camera. More apps and games will be made available over time, including services to stream live TV and movies. A lot of the apps could definitely be better optimized for the in-car experience, and loading times can be slow if the car doesn’t have a 5G connection, but it’s never too annoying to me. Why would I want to do any of this while just sitting in the car, you may ask? Well, it’s a lot nicer than my apartment, for one.
The real appeal of Mercedes’ pivot towards this new technological sort of luxury will be even more apparent in the coming years. It’s the first company in the world to sell a Level 3 automated driving system to the public both worldwide and in the U.S., with the Drive Pilot system in the S-Class and EQS allowing drivers to fully take their eyes off the road in traffic jam situations and stream media or anything else the infotainment can do. The huge screen, amazing sound and streaming features are also a major boon in EVs or PHEVs — I’ll happily sit and charge if I can watch Mission: Impossible while I do it.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E350 starts at $63,450 including destination, a premium of around $6,000 over last year’s car and around $2,000 more than a base BMW 5 Series with all-wheel drive. My test car comes out to $83,400, but load an E350 up all the way and you’re looking at a pricetag with the number 9 at the front. Still, the S-Class starts at more than $115,000, and the E-Class offers damn near the same level of technology, luxury and comfort.
Even without checking every option box the new E-Class could be a lot to stomach for traditional buyers, and there will certainly be those who are totally turned off by the technology overload. But for me, and for a growing number of customers that are increasingly getting younger and savvier, the 2024 E-Class’ glow-up is exactly the luxury experience we want.
