The changes for 2024—as one might expect from a model that’s usually seen evolutionary over revolutionary updates—appear minor on paper. Available both as a sedan and the E450 All-Terrain lifted wagon, the new E-Class has an inch-longer wheelbase than before, helping improve interior volume, ride comfort, and straight-line stability in one fell swoop. Suspension-wise, its springs and dampers were combined into a single strut to better isolate the cabin from road noise and vibrations. None of these enhancements would have necessarily made for a better coupe or convertible, but they do make for a better four-door.

Inside, the redesigned E-Class is more spacious than before, and it gets higher-quality materials and an even greater focus on technology. The flashiest piece of the new cabin is the car’s optional, passenger-oriented Super Screen, which can serve as a display for ubiquitous apps such as Zoom, YouTube, and TikTok. The automaker’s AI-driven Routines app, which enables if-this-than-that functionality, is a helpful feature that may eventually get more use than the screen once you get it integrated into your … routine.

2025 Mercedes-E-Class COTY Review: Focusing Up

Mercedes focuses on its bread and butter with the updated E-Class.Christian SeabaughWriter

MotorTrend StaffPhotographerNov 19, 2024

Pros

• Effortlessly smooth powertrain
• Quiet and refined
• Impressive driver assist suite

Cons

• MBUX remains overly complicated
• Not enough in-cabin storage
• Super Screen seems gimmicky

Mercedes-Benz has long positioned its E-Class as being all things to all people. An executive sedan providing serene escapes during evening commutes. A high-riding family station wagon for light exploration. A convertible for Sun Belt fun. And a more mature sports car in the form of a coupe. But the problem with doing so many body styles is that a need for one (say, a power-folding top) can result in compromises for the others. With the spin-off of both the E-Class coupe and convertible into the all-new CLE-Class, the new-for-2024 10th-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class illustrates the benefit of a focused effort on making the best possible sedan and wagon.

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The changes for 2024—as one might expect from a model that’s usually seen evolutionary over revolutionary updates—appear minor on paper. Available both as a sedan and the E450 All-Terrain lifted wagon, the new E-Class has an inch-longer wheelbase than before, helping improve interior volume, ride comfort, and straight-line stability in one fell swoop. Suspension-wise, its springs and dampers were combined into a single strut to better isolate the cabin from road noise and vibrations. None of these enhancements would have necessarily made for a better coupe or convertible, but they do make for a better four-door.

Inside, the redesigned E-Class is more spacious than before, and it gets higher-quality materials and an even greater focus on technology. The flashiest piece of the new cabin is the car’s optional, passenger-oriented Super Screen, which can serve as a display for ubiquitous apps such as Zoom, YouTube, and TikTok. The automaker’s AI-driven Routines app, which enables if-this-than-that functionality, is a helpful feature that may eventually get more use than the screen once you get it integrated into your … routine.

There are some changes under the hood, too. The base E350 sedan’s updated 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 is paired with a new permanent-magnet motor that functions as an integrated starter generator, helping to boost efficiency and smooth out power delivery. The E450 sedan and All-Terrain have long had a similar mild hybrid setup for their 3.0-liter turbocharged I-6, which continues unchanged for 2024. The E350 produces 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, while the E450 makes 375 hp and 369 lb-ft. Regardless of engine choice, you get a nine-speed automatic; E350 buyers can choose between rear- or all-wheel drive, while E450s only come with AWD.

The revamped package just plain works. “Mercedes has been refining the E-Class for a long, long time, and it’s clear it has honed it to the point of being an executive sport sedan out of central casting,” director of editorial operations Mike Floyd said. There’s an effortlessness to the way the E-Class goes down the road and coddles its occupants. Our air-sprung test cars floated over bumps without becoming floaty themselves, even learning the roadways and warning us audibly for harsher impacts. We found the six-cylinder to be exceptionally smooth, as well, both in its power delivery and overall character. “We should have tried the Lexus Champagne glass test with the E-Class; it would have aced it,” associate editor Billy Rehbock said.

We were also blown away by Mercedes’ latest driver assist system, which is capable of both highway and stop-and-go driving and automatic lane changes. The system’s responses were predictable and humanlike, easily keeping pace with traffic and accurately tracking lanes.

That’s not to say we didn’t find any fault with Benz’s latest E. Mercedes, for instance, enhanced its MBUX infotainment operating system by color coding various functions and apps to help make them more intuitive. In practice, many judges found MBUX to still require drivers to spend far too much time with their eyes off the road. Elsewhere, we were surprised to find a general lack of storage throughout the cabin.

Despite the flaws, Mercedes was able to build a better E-Class by keeping the focus on its bread-and-butter sedan and wagon variants. “Credit to Mercedes,” deputy editor Alexander Stoklosa said, “in following its gut—and brand image—when tuning this car.”

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.