The Mercedes-Benz E450 sedan at Mercedes-Benz USA Headquarters in Atlanta.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The Mercedes-Benz E450 is a midsize, mild-hybrid luxury sedan that's all-new for 2024.
I was impressed by the Benz's mild-hybrid engine, refined cabin, and immersive tech experience.
I was not a fan of the E450's lack of physical controls and its close to six-figure price tag.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has long been the standard bearer for midsize luxury sedans.
It has always been able to offer consumers a taste of Mercedes' flagship S-Class experience in a smaller, more affordable package.
Despite the growing dominance of luxury SUVs in the marketplace like its corporate sibling, the Mercedes-Benz GLE, the E-Class remains a key figure in the brand's lineup.
In 2024, Mercedes launched the all-new sixth-generation E-Class sedan, known internally as the W214. With the sixth-gen E-Class comes fresh styling, new tech, and updated engine options.
I recently spent a few days behind the wheel of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic sedan clad in a stunning Verde Silver Metallic paint job
The E450 at MBUSA headquarters.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
I was impressed by the E450's smooth mild-hybrid powertrain, refined cabin, and immersive tech experience.
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of Mercedes's decision to use touch-sensitive surfaces throughout the cabin instead of physical buttons and knobs, as well as the E-Class's near-six-figure price tag.
My test car came to $87,920
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The base four-cylinder E350 4Matic sedan starts at $62,300, while my six-cylinder E450 4Matic test car starts at $68,100.
However, more than $18,000 in optional extras, such as $2,990 for the Nappa leather upholstery and $3,200 for the Airmatic suspension package, plus $1,150 in freight fees, pushed the as-tested price to just under $88,000.
The 2024 E-Class features a fresh front facia
The E450's front grille.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The new front grille features a large Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star logo surrounded by a constellation of smaller three-pointed stars set against a black background. The design evokes the look of the brand's EQ-line of EVs.
My test car came equipped with advanced LED headlights featuring adaptive high-beam technology
The E450's LED headlight.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The E450's optional Digital Light Package features smart headlights that can precisely directly light from its 1.3 million micro-mirrors to illuminate the road ahead without blinding oncoming traffic or washing out traffic signs.
On a fun note, the E450's LED daytime running lights above the main headlamps are designed to look like eyebrows.
Out back, the three-pointed start theme continues
The E450 4Matic.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The redesigned rear end features stylized three-pointed stars embedded into the LED taillights. The rear bumper features a chrome-accented lower diffuser and a pair of exhaust outlets.
At 194.9 inches in length, the new E-Class is about half an inch longer than the outgoing model
The E-Class from the side.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The side view of the E-Class truly screams pint-sized S-Class, adopting the iconic sedan's cab-backward design punctuated by its pronounced sloping rear roofline.
The E-Class is equipped with power-operated Mercedes-Benz branded door handles
The E450s door handles.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The handles retract flush into the door when locked.
My test car came equipped with these 20-inch AMG multi-spoke wheels
The E450's stylish 20-inch wheels.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
These wheels, a $1,950 option, look terrific and add a rear elegant flair to the E-Class, which comes standard with smaller 18-inch wheels.
Overall, Mercedes-Benz did a great job updating the looks of the new E-Class
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic sedan in Verde Silver Metallic.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
Aesthetically, the E-Class is a solid blend of modern looks and features while maintaining the stately elegance that has defined the brand for more than a century.
Under the hood of the E450 is a 3.0-liter, turbocharged, mild-hybrid inline six-cylinder engine
The E450's 3.0 liter, turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is available with two engine options.
The base E350 sedan is powered by a 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine. The pricier E450 gets a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine that produces 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.
Both engines are supplemented by Mercedes' 48-volt mild-hybrid system, which can contribute an additional 23 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. The system is designed to mitigate the effects of turbo lag and quicken the response of its auto start/stop system.
My six-cylinder E450 test car boasts EPA fuel economy figures of 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined. The four-cylinder E350 gets two additional mpg in combined driving.
The E450 comes standard with 4Matic all-wheel-drive
The 2024 E450 sedan.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
This is a departure from past years when rear-wheel-drive was the standard.
Mercedes updated the system to be lighter and allow more power to be sent to the front wheels to improve driving dynamics.
To drive, the E450 delivers performance car acceleration with limo-like comfort
The E450's front cabin.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The E-Class is a gentlemanly athlete in a fine Saville Row suit. The E-Class is capable of immense performance but never feels harried or uncomposed.
The mild-hybrid turbo six in the E450 is smooth and delivers near-instantaneous acceleration through its slick-shifting 9-speed automatic transmission.
As promised, the mild hybrid system did a stellar job filling in any holes in the engine's torque and smoothed the traditional harshness of an auto start/stop system.
With 375 Teutonic ponies under the hood, the E450 is capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in a sports-car-shaming 4.4 seconds, according to Mercedes.
Both models of the E-Class have their top speed electronically limited to 130 mph.
The E450's continuously adjustable air suspension comes through to create a serenely smooth ride without feeling floating and unconnected from the road.
At the same time, the E-Class's reduced turning radius, thanks to its rear-wheel steering system, made both navigating winding mountain roads and crowded parking lots a piece of cake — a true feat considering the sedan is similar in length to a three-row family SUV.
Inside, the E-Class continues to bridge the gap between modernity and old-world luxury
The E450's front dash with the MBUX Superscreen.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The E450's interior harmoniously blends traditional luxury materials and features with an almost overwhelming amount of tech.
The centerpiece of the Mercedes cabin is the MBUX Superscreen, which consists of a pair of 12.3-inch screens in front of the driver and passenger with a large 14.4-inch screen nestled in between.
It dominates the conversation, overshadowing the interior's rich Nappa leather, ambient lighting, brushed metal accents, and open-pore black ash wood veneers.
The focal point of the Superscreen is the central infotainment display
The E450's navigation system.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The 14.4-inch touchscreen runs an updated version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience or MBUX infotainment system. MBUX utilizes AI to learn the drivers' habits and preferences, allowing the system to offer tailored, predictive responses.
The "Hey Mercedes" voice prompt that wakes the MBUX voice assistant, which was annoyingly intrusive in the previous version of the system, is now less sensitive. In addition, the MBUX now has a new "Just Talk" function that can receive voice commands without using the "Hey Mercedes" prompt.
The Superscreen boasts some additional features other cars don't have
YouTube on the E450's screen.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The screen not only features compulsory infotainment features like navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, but boasts additional capabilities like media streaming and social media through built-in apps like YouTube and TikTok.
MBUX is also equipped with built-in videoconferencing capabilities
The E450's selfie camera.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
Atop the front dash is a built-in selfie camera that allows occupants to take pictures and participate in videoconferencing through the central screen when the vehicle is stationary. The camera is compatible with both Zoom and WebEx.
The central screen is also home to the E450's surround-view camera system
The E450s surround-view camera system.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The surround-view camera gives the occupants a 360-degree overhead view of the vehicle's surroundings.
In front of the passenger is a 12.3-inch interactive touchscreen
The E450's passenger screen.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The screen offers many of the capabilities of the central screen, including navigation, media, and app integration. The screen event comes with built-in games like Sudoku.
The screen is obscured using filtering technology to keep content from being viewed by the driver.
The third of the Superscreen's displays is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster in front of the driver
The navigation map view on the E450's 12.3-inch digital instrument display.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The display is one of the most impressively configurable instrument clusters available today. My favorite is the 3D navigation map view.
There are four other display layouts
Classic (Upper left), Sport (Upper right), Assistance (Lower left), and Service (Lower right).
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
They range from the traditional twin rotary dials of the Classic layout to the red racing-inspired Sport layout.
Also in front of the driver is a Nappa leather-wrapped multifunction steering with paddle shifters
The E450's steering wheel.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The steering wheel features two sets of capacitive touch controls. The controls on the left side of the wheel control adaptive cruise control and the digital instrument display. The controls on the right side manage the multimedia functions and can interact with the central infotainment screen.
I'm not a fan of the touch controls that Mercedes has decided to use instead of physical buttons and knobs throughout the cabin.
The lack of haptic feedback from the buttons makes them difficult and even distracting to use while driving. It definitely feels like Mercedes-Benz sacrificed substance in favor of style.
The light gray Nappa leather drivers seat was incredibly comfortable
The E450's driver's seat.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The heated and ventilated seat features a stylish quilted design.
With the shifter located on a stalk to the right of the steering column, the center console is freed up for storage and charging
The E450's center console.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The center console of my test car came clad in gorgeous natural grain black ash wood with metallic accents. Slide the wood grain lid open and you'll find a pair of large cup holders, a set of USB-C plugs, and a wireless phone charger.
Over head, the E450 is equipped with a panoramic sunroof
The E450's panoramic sunroof.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The sunroof's capacitive touch controls also proved to be annoyingly imprecise to use.
My test car came equipped with an excellent Burmester premium sound system
A Burmester speaker.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The E450's 730-watt Burmester surround sound system features 17 speakers.
Rear seat passengers now have more room than the outgoing model
The E450's rear cabin.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
Thanks to the new model's longer wheelbase, rear seat passengers now have half an inch more knee room and legroom than the previous E-Class.
Behind the rear seats is a trunk with 12.7 cubic feet of room
The E450's trunk.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The rear bench folds down for additional cargo capacity.
The E-Class comes packed with safety tech
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 sedan at Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters in Atlanta.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
The E-Class comes standard with a host of advanced safety and driver assistance features, including the parking package, adaptive high beam assist, and blind spot assist.
The optional driver assistance package adds adaptive cruise control, active lane keeping assist, active steering assist, active speed limit assist, traffic sign assist, and pre-emptive side impact detection.
My Verdict: The Mercedes-Benz E-Class delivers world-class luxury but at a price
The 2024 E450's new rear end.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
For more than a century, Mercedes-Benz has been the byword for automotive luxury.
That continues with the new E-Class sedan.
Despite the quickly escalating price tag and some obtuse controls that look great but are difficult to use, the E-Class remains the best midsize luxury sedan on the market today.
The E450 successfully delivers on the brand's reputation for world-class performance, luxury, and technology.
Unlike most cars, the E-Class is more than just transportation to get you from point A to point B. Like its big brother S-Class, it makes it makes the occupant feel special.
A drive in the big Merc is more than just a drive. It's a luxurious multimedia experience.
And that's why I'd gladly have the E-Class everyday of my life.
After 20 years of patience and negotiations, RPG veteran Brian Fargo managed to buy back a lost haul of memorabilia from Fallout, Baldur's Gate, and more: 'It was like a very exciting version of Storage Wars'
Закрытый альфа-тест DFUSE пройдёт в конце октября
Feral Interactive объявили о бета-тесте мультиплеера для Company of Heroes на Android
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is getting a prequel in the form of an audio drama podcast