The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been an important vehicle for the brand and often helped set a benchmark for the midsized luxury sedan alongside of vehicles like the BMW 5 Series. Marking its sixth generation in the new W214 platform that you see here, the new Benz E-Class fills the seat of being one of the last newly designed internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as it joins the midsized offering of its EQE electric vehicle (EV) counterpart.
For the 2024 model year, the Mercedes E-Class gets bigger with a wheelbase that’s about an inch longer, and from the proportions and aesthetics, it looks to stand out more than before. To avoid overlapping the EQE EV sedan, the new E-Class retains a classic look to avoid becoming a gas version of the EQE EV. There are many design elements that pay homage to older E-Class vehicles, from the four-light headlight design to the beltline creases above the smooth inset door handles. That smoothness affords the new E-Class a drag coefficient of 0.23, which almost matches its EQE EV sibling’s drag coefficient of 0.22.
Rounding up the design elements, the E-Class will be offered with two distinctive front ends where most of the change takes place within the large prominent grille. There’s an older designed grille and one that takes elements from newer Benz vehicles.
Initially, the new 2024 E-Class will be offered in two trims, the E 350 4Matic and E450 4Matic, which utilize a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque in the E 350 4Matic, or a 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6-cylinder engine. Both engines work off of a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that can step in and provide up to 148 lb-ft of torque to the equation. Power is sent through a 9-speed automatic transmission, and the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is standard. There’s also rear-wheel-steering that turns the rears up to 4.5 degrees for easier maneuvering. The AirMatic air suspension system is available for both trim levels as well.
Apart from other powertrains being offered overseas, the US will not see them, but we expect AMG performance versions to join the lineup soon for our shores.
Inside, the E-Class utilizes the latest of the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User eXperence) infotainment system with screens galore. Those screens, if you opt for the optional SuperScreen package, are made up of three units, one acting as the expected digital gauge cluster, a center 14.4-inch touchscreen display, and a third screen for the front passenger where they can play games like Angry Birds, stream movies, spend hours on TikTok, or even take selfies using one of the in-car cameras. The line between your smartphone and car’s infotainment unit taking up your use of time has potentially been moved with vehicles like the new E-Class.
The MBUX system, overall, has been updated with new onscreen interfaces and icons that help to cause less of a distraction. Of course, the driver can’t see what is happening on the passenger screen, and it only comes on if there’s a passenger detected in the front seat.
There are new clever storage compartments in the center console area, too. The compartments allow you to charge up your phone via USB without the cables hanging out of the typical armrest storage area – a simple change but a way of listening to buyers and appeasing them with small changes.
Pricing has not been announced, but the new 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class will go into production in the coming months and be placed on sale in the US before the year is out.
