Mercedes E-Class review

At one time, if you'd told a high-flying executive that their Mercedes E-Class would one day be able to park without a driver and join video meetings with colleagues around the world, they'd have thrown their BlackBerry at you.

Yet this sixth-generation E-Class can do both those and more. We’re talking about autonomous driving functions, a bleeding-edge infotainment system with a separate screen for your passenger, ambient lights that pulse to the beat of the music you’re listening to and a surround-sound system with Dolby Atmos.

What about the actual driving experience, though? Well, we should tell you right now that there’s no electric car version. If you want a fully electrified E-Class-sized Merc, see our Mercedes EQE review.

Mercedes' main rivals are taking the same approach with the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series. Both will sit alongside electric equivalents – the Audi A6 e-tron and the BMW i5 – although the BMWs will be harder to tell apart.

It turns out that executive car buyers like to have a choice over when and how they go electric – and manufacturers are clearly listening. So, is a new Mercedes E-Class right for you? Read on to find out...

The latest Mercedes E-Class will be one of the last dedicated internal combustion-engined Mercedes models before the brand goes electric-only. It's available with petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines, with a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard on all versions.

The mild-hybrids start with the 201bhp E200, which uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that’s boosted by a 23bhp electric motor. Despite the electrical assistance, you have to work the engine quite hard to get it from 0-62mph in its official 7.5-second sprint time.

Then there's the E220d, which has a 2.0-litre diesel engine producing 195bhp. Although it has 6bhp less than the petrol, its extra pull at low revs means it manages to get from 0-62mph in a similar time. 

The flexible way it produces its power makes it better suited than the E200 to a relaxing executive car but if you crave even more performance, the six-cylinder E450d diesel, with its official five-second 0-62mph time, should have you covered.

Nevertheless, our preferred model is the E300e. It has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol PHEV engine that generates a combined 328bhp, making it the most potent E-Class currently available. It can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in just 6.5 seconds, rivalling the performance levels of a hot hatch.

With a 25.4kWh battery sitting under the boot, the E300e has an official electric-only range of 70 miles – a handful of miles more than what the BMW 530e (also a PHEV) can manage (up to 64 miles). In real-world driving,  45-50 miles is more realistic, but that's enough for most commutes.

In pure electric mode, you’ll find that acceleration is smooth, and you can get up to motorway speeds briskly using electricity alone. If you do floor the accelerator pedal, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine fires up almost immediately, with acceleration feeling just as nippy as it does in a 530e.

Perhaps the best thing about the E-Class, though, is its pillowy ride. Around town, it does a brilliant job of dealing with broken-up surfaces while at motorway speeds it wafts along as smoothly (and quietly) as some luxury cars. If you frequently cover big miles we honestly can’t think of a better long-distance companion.

Just don’t expect it to be as sharp as a BMW 5 Series in the corners. Drive the E-Class hard and you’ll find that it is softer, more ponderous and has less feelsome steering than a 5 Series, and although there's a respectable amount of grip, there’s little joy to be had in hustling it down a country road. This is a car that feels at its best when driven in a relaxed manner.

That's why we were surprised to find that the E300e PHEV’s regenerative braking system isn’t that well-tuned. Squeezing the pedal doesn’t always give a consistent amount of braking force so you have to concentrate hard to avoid being jerky when slowing down, which is frustrating.

The Mercedes E-Class's interior shares a number of its styling cues with the Mercedes EQE and the Mercedes EQS. Ostentatious ambient lighting bathes it with a warm glow and a pair of screens dominate the curvaceous dashboard.

There’s a 12.3in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel, a 14.4in infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard, and if you go for AMG Line Premium trim or above, another 12.3in touchscreen on the right side for the passenger.

The passenger screen can be used to run social media apps and take photos, and has a special filter to make sure it's not visible from the driver’s seat.

The E-Class’s infotainment operating system is not as slick and intuitive as the iDrive system in a BMW 5 Series but it’s easy enough to get to grips with. Just don’t try to control it using the touch-sensitive pads on the steering wheel – they're fiddly and infuriating. You’re far better off prodding the screen or using the surprisingly competent voice control.

Aesthetically the interior is more striking than its rivals, but look closer and you’ll find that the materials don’t feel quite as dense and substantial as those in an Audi A6 or a 5 Series. It’s not a deal-breaker though, and we like that you can choose from various shades of leather upholstery if you think the standard black seats are a little too restrained.

Visibility is similar to an equivalent 5 Series thanks to relatively slim pillars. All models come with front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera. Stepping up to AMG Line Advanced introduces a 360-degree camera.

Interior storage is impressive, with lots of places to put everyday items, including two large storage cubbies in the centre console and big door bins.

The sixth-generation Mercedes E-Class is bigger in every direction than its predecessor, and that's immediately noticeable up front. There's plenty of head and leg room, and the interior is wide enough that you won’t ever end up banging elbows with your passenger.

Passengers in the back get plenty of room in every direction too, but a third rear passenger will have to straddle a big central floor hump. The same is true of the back seats of the BMW 5 Series. 

The E-Class has rear seats that split 40/20/40 and fold down when you pull the handles in the boot. The Audi A6 has folding back seats too, but you have to pay extra for them in the 5 Series.

In terms of boot space, the mild-hybrid versions offer a square-shaped loading area with a carrying capacity of 540 litres. The PHEV loses some space to the battery under the boot floor, reducing the capacity to 370. That’s a touch less than you get in the BMW 530e PHEV.

The Mercedes E-Class is quite pricey. Even the entry-level E200 commands a good chunk more money than the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series – although the 5 Series is about to be replaced with an eighth-generation model that will cost more than the current car.

The list price of the E300e PHEV – the only version we’ve driven so far – might raise even more of an eyebrow, because it costs significantly more than its non-PHEV equivalents. However, in this case, that number is almost a moot point because the E300e is aimed squarely at company car drivers paying BIK tax.

Indeed, far more relevant are the E300e’s CO2 emissions (as low as 12g/km) and the fact that it can officially do 72 miles on battery power. It's in the 5% BIK tax bracket, meaning a 40% taxpayer will have to sacrifice hundreds of pounds less of their salary to drive the cheapest AMG Line Advanced model compared to PHEV versions of the main rivals.

​​It’s a pity that 50kW CCS fast charging isn’t available on UK models (it’s standard across the rest of Europe), so you’ll be waiting at least two hours for a 10 to 100% charge.

Every E-Class comes brimming with kit, starting with the entry-level AMG Line – our recommended trim on E200 and E220d models – which has 18in alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, electrically adjustable heated front seats and two-zone climate control.

If you value small luxuries, we’d recommend stepping up to AMG Premium – our favoured trim for the E300e – because you benefit from active ambient lighting, a Burmester 4D sound system and the 12.3in passenger infotainment screen.

The E-Class was awarded the full five stars when it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP, with high scores for Adult Occupant and Child Occupant protection (92% and 90%). It comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot assist and other safety kit.

If you’d like more assistance, the reasonably priced Driving Assistance Plus package is worth considering as it introduces adaptive cruise control, traffic sign identification, lane-keeping assistance an exit warning function to ensure you don’t open your door on an unseen cyclist.

It's too early to tell you how reliable the latest E-Class will be but Mercedes didn't do particularly well in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. It came in 22nd place out of 31 car makers. Audi came 24th, while BMW finished in a much more respectable eighth.

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