- Mercedes-Benz revealed the new, sixth-generation 2024 E-Class Tuesday morning, ushering in a new era for one of its hallmark models.
- The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class brings evolutionary exterior styling (like its larger S-Class sibling), but offers up a host of new tech features for greater connectivity.
- Two models will be available at the U.S. launch: the 2.0-liter E 350 and the 3.0-liter E 450, both with 4Matic all-wheel drive.
- Pricing is not available yet, but the automaker says this new E-Class will launch in the U.S. later this year.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class certainly looks familiar, but there’s far more at play once you get inside.
At first glance, you likely won’t see just how Mercedes’ midsize luxury sedan has changed from the old car. It still has the classic three-box design with what the automaker calls a “cab backward” layout — using a short front overhang with a long hood and positioning the cabin far behind the front axle.
On the exterior, the new E-Class does bring some noteworthy updates to the long-standing aesthetic. The overall wheelbase is 0.9 inches longer than before, measuring out to 116.6 inches. That allows for about half an inch of extra legroom for both front and rear passengers, while the slightly wider body also improves elbow and hip room. The bulk of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class’ generational changes for its exterior styling come in the front and rear fascia.
At the front, the new model gets a prominent grille design with a three-pointed star mesh and two illuminated glass fiber bundles on the top and bottom of the grille surround. New LED headlights are part of the package, while the lower fascia also gets an update to look a bit more distinctive than the old E-Class. In the side profile, Mercedes fitted flush door handles that extend outward like the larger S-Class and EQS sedans, and gave the car a distinctive shoulder line for your eyes to follow from front to rear. Around back, the three-pointed star theme continues with the taillights. They’re also a bit slimmer than before (again, like the most recent S-Class), with a chrome strip above the lights that extend through the car’s entire 75-inch width.
Meet the “Superscreen” and several other new tech features
Once you’re inside the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, two of the first changes you’ll experience are the new steering wheel design we’ve seen in the brand’s other revamped models and the Superscreen. Offering up 39 inches of potential screen real estate, it’s not quite as dramatic as the “Hyperscreen”, but it’s a similar philosophy. The driver gets their own 12.3-inch screen, as does the passenger if you elect for that option. The center infotainment display is the largest, as you’d expect, at 14.4 inches. The new E-Class also boasts 5G connectivity, offering much faster data rates than the old LTE systems, at least where you can get a 5G signal.
While you’d expect the screen to be the conversation piece, I’ll wager folks will actually be talking about the dashboard-mounted camera. That small bump atop the center stack is a selfie and video camera. That lets you take photos or video and participate in video conferencing via WebEx or Zoom when the car’s parked. Sticking with the Gen Z-focused changes for a moment, you also get the “ZYNC” portal embedded within the infotainment system, offering up third-party streaming apps as well as TikTok and Angry Birds.
Honestly, I’m not sure whether the older folks who tend to buy the E-Class will actually take to and use these features, but for the influencer generation…there you go. Maybe we’ll see a slate of E-Class-hosted TikToks before too long (and yes, we’ll most likely do one ourselves when we’re able to drive the new E-Class).
Other noteworthy features include Active Ambient Lighting, which actually pulses in time with the music you’re playing or the movie you’re watching, if you take advantage of those streaming apps while parked. The new E-Class also incorporates AI-automated functions where it will learn your climate control habits (as one example), adjusting everything accordingly.
The E-Class goes mild-hybrid across the range
Once we dive into the engine choices, we’re back to a “meet the new boss” situation. Two models will be available at launch: the 2.0-liter-equipped E 350 and the 3.0-liter straight-six E 450. Both come equipped with 4Matic all-wheel drive and a 9-speed automatic transmission.
Both options get a bit more grunt, and not just because of the mild hybrid starter-generator setup. For brief stints, the electric motor will temporarily offer up an extra 20 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque. On the whole, though, the 2.0-liter manages 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque (22 more lb-ft than the old car). As for the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, the new E-Class manages 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Here, the torque is the same, though you do get 13 more horsepower. Either way, it’s not enough to make a dramatic difference to the car’s performance. I suspect Mercedes is holding onto that card for the forthcoming AMG model, though we’ll have to wait and see there.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class also gets rear-axle steering, which is increasingly common among the brand’s sedan lineup. In this application, you get up to 4.5 degrees of rear-wheel steering below 37 mph, which tightens the car’s turning circle by up to 35.4 inches at full look (for a 36.5-feet turning circle). Airmatic air suspension is also an option, offering self-leveling when the trunk’s heavily loaded and a lower ride height above 74 mph in Comfort mode.
One other important note and a major change in this generation: There will be no E-Class coupe or convertible available. The automaker killed off both those options in the C-Class and E-Class, and we’ll ultimately see a convertible positioned between the two should you have a top-down inclination.
Fuel economy figures for the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class aren’t available yet, but don’t expect them to be drastically different than the current car. The outgoing 2.0-liter E 350 4Matic manages 24 mpg combined, while the more potent E 450 4Matic actually does slightly better, at 26 mpg combined.
The new E-Class will arrive later this year for U.S. buyers
As with the outgoing E-Class, Mercedes-Benz will build this new car at its Sindelfingen plant in Germany, alongside the GLC crossover. Pricing is not available yet, but the current E 350 4Matic starts around $60,400. We’d expect this model to be at least slightly more expensive, if not a few thousand higher than the outgoing model. Mercedes presently positions the E-Class around the same price point as its BMW 5 Series rival, while it’s already a bit more expensive than the Audi A6.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class will launch in the U.S. in late 2023, though we don’t have a more specific timeframe than that just yet. We’ll post updates when we have more information.
