- The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan debuts with hybrid drive, with the E350’s four-cylinder and the E450’s six-cylinder in-line coupled to a 23-hp electric motor.
- The cabin can be equipped with a screen in front of the passenger seat and a camera that allows video calls while stationary.
- Mercedes also integrates several third-party apps into the infotainment system, with the central screen granting access to Zoom, TikTok and Angry Birds.
Mercedes-Benz is leaping into the future with avant-garde electric vehicles like the EQE and EQS, but the automaker hasn’t forgotten the models that built its legacy. It now breathes fresh life into the long-standing E-Class sedan for 2024. The new generation brings a range of hybridized powertrains and a futuristic interior that can optionally be equipped with three screens and a selfie camera.
Unlike Mercedes’ soapbar-shaped EVs, the 2024 E-Class maintains the more traditional proportions of a three-box sedan, with a set-back cabin and long dashboard-to-axle ratio. Nevertheless, the E-Class is visually linked to the EQE by the black trim strip between the headlights and the radiator grille. The taillights feature two star-shaped elements on either side of the full-width housing. The sleek body gets a few inches wider than the outgoing sedan, and Mercedes touts an improved interior thanks to a slightly longer wheelbase.
Internal technical characteristics
Although the 2024 E-Class will come with dual displays as standard, the high-tech interior shown here reveals an optional third screen in front of the passenger, leading to a large pane of glass that extends across the rest of the dashboard. The EQS’s similar setup is called “Hyperscreen”, but Mercedes downgraded the status of the E-Class’ screen to “Superscreen”. Mercedes says E-Class models equipped with dual screens have a large trim piece on the right-hand side of the dashboard, but have not provided images showing this facility.
The rest of the cabin is outfitted with rich-looking leather and metal switches, and ambient lighting envelops the dash. An optional package lets the lighting pulsate to the beat of the music being played on the Burmester surround sound system. The light strip can also display visual warnings from the driver assistance systems.
Mercedes is proud of the new entertainment options, with the infotainment system now drawing from a single on-board computer. If properly equipped, the passenger can stream videos and games while driving, thanks to a system that blocks content when a dash-mounted camera detects the driver’s gaze shifting from the road to the screen. Mercedes also installed several third-party apps on the central display, including TikTok, the web browser Vivaldi and Angry Birds, while the built-in entertainment system allows for streaming as part of a subscription program.
Zoom is also available, taking advantage of the optional selfie and video camera that comes with the Superscreen. It sits on the dashboard and allows for recording or video calling when the vehicle is stationary. The E-Class also features augmented reality for navigation, overlaying arrows on live images from the car’s myriad cameras. Thanks to the new “Just Talk” function, the voice assistant can now listen to commands at any time, provided the driver is alone. The infotainment system also suggests situation-dependent applications, which saves the driver from having to search through submenus.
Four and six-cylinder hybrid engines
Two hybridized powertrains are offered in the US. Both engines feature an integrated starter-generator powered by a 48-volt electrical system, with the electric motor contributing a boost of 23 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque that can be used to reduce turbo lag and boost starting / stop smooth system. The E350 uses a 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline four that makes 295 pound-feet, 22 pound-feet more than the outgoing four-cylinder. The move up to the E450 brings a 375-horsepower, 369-pound-feet, 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six, an increase of 13 horses over the previous E450. All E-Classes are all-wheel drive, and both drivetrains are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The 2024 E-Class features multi-link suspension at each corner, with an optional air spring replacing the base coil spring as part of the technology package. There are adaptive dampers and a load leveling function that can adapt to the road surface. The tech package also adds rear-wheel steering, which helps make the E-Class more nimble at lower speeds by reducing the turning radius by almost a meter.
The E-Class has many driver assistance functions as standard, but packs a few upgrades – such as active steering with lane centering and automatic lane change – into an optional driver assistance plus package.
Mercedes hasn’t said when the E-Class will go on sale in the United States, but we expect the new sedan to hit dealerships by the end of the year. Pricing also remains a mystery, but the 2024 E-Class should start at around $60,000, a slight increase over the 2023 model.
Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller started blogging about cars at age 13, and he realized his dream of writing for an auto magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure cars with aspirations of one day owning something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo and is an avid motorsport fan.