Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2024 - ) review

All E-Classes have some level of hybrid assistance, this being ‘mild’ (typically abbreviated to MHEV) on the regular petrol and diesels for slicker start/stop and other measures to help economy and emissions. The E300e plug-in hybrid (or PHEV) we drove takes things much further, and can travel meaningful distances on just electric power for genuinely astonishing mpg figures. You’ll need to plug it in to score them, which favours those with a driveway and space toinstall a home charger , not to mention a suitably cheap off-peak domestic energy tariff. Beyond that the biggest cost-saving potential for the E300e is, meanwhile, for company drivers saving on Benefit In Kind.

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t enjoyed the same stellar reputation for reliability in recent years that it once had. The same applies to its direct rivals, but the E-Class was the most recommended car in the 2019 Auto Trader New Car Awards, so it’s clearly a popular choice. Tightening emissions regulations do make the Mercedes more complex than before, but the company also now has more hybrid experience under its belt, which should bode well for longer-term reliability.

Mercedes has a proud tradition of safety innovation, expressed here in a huge array of automated beeps, bongs and interventions if the car thinks you’re about to crash into something in situations ranging from parking to motorway lane changes. We welcome blind-spot warnings coming as standard, along with tons of other kit and would question the need to upgrade further with the expensive Driving Assistance Package Plus. Without getting bogged down in detail this basically takes all the systems to the next level in terms of capability, though we found the radar-controlled cruise and lane keeping a little dim-witted at times and had a telling off for taking our hands off the wheel even when we very much hadn’t. A petty annoyance, perhaps, but if the tech gets basic stuff like that wrong it does shake your trust in how effective it is in other areas.

There’s more space in the E-Class than ever before, and every seat (bar the middle one in the back) feels suitably luxurious, with heating for the front ones as standard. Wellness in its various forms is a big Mercedes thing now as well, and depending on the trim includes everything from air quality to ‘energising’ breathing exercises to keep you fresh on a long journey. If you so wish you can even link this to your wearable tech via the app to prompt you if the car reckons you’re tired or stressed based on your health stats. We had a quick play and tried out the supposedly relaxing mood enhancing ‘screen saver’ graphics and sounds on the central screen but, truth be told, quickly reverted to more conventional entertainments like music and podcasts. Overall, your sense of wellbeing goes beyond physical comfort and into the feelgood factor of the design, which feels both luxurious and high tech, especially if you opt for one of the paler contrasting upholsteries over the otherwise stern black. On the road our hybrid version was very refined and comfortable, though we were disappointed at how some sharper-edged bumps thumped through and would worry for the other models and their lower, supposedly sportier suspension. Seemingly UK E-Class buyers don’t get the option of the wafty air suspension and rear-wheel steering available in some other markets either, which is a shame.

Having seemingly run out of space for any more screens for the driver Mercedes now offers the option of an additional one for the front-seat passenger, through which they can stream movies and other content via a separate audio channel or even video call using the car’s onboard camera. If the driver tries to look across at the screen it detects the eye movement and dims it automatically as a safety feature. While all very fancy we’d venture the interior actually looks cleaner with just the usual combination of digital instruments and centre screen, the sharp graphics and smooth menus making the tech environment feel just as premium as the physical one. The fiddly touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel are less appealing, and maybe we’re old fashioned but we still don’t like voice control even if the more sophisticated ‘Just Talk’ system means you no longer have to start every interaction with “Hey, Mercedes!” when you’re driving on your own.

See ‘Running Costs’ for more context but the mild hybrid assistance for the smaller petrol and diesel engines helps them run more efficiently, the choice of diesel for the most powerful model seeming an odd choice in this day and age. It also gets a mild hybrid boost, for what it’s worth, and is more refined than the smaller diesel. The plug-in hybrid E300e we drove is the most interesting option, and we were very impressed to get 63 miles of a 75-mile journey on electric power alone and an amazing 161mpg as a result. This dropped when the battery drained but was still way better than any other plug-in we’ve driven, suggesting Mercedes has mastered the technology way more convincingly than many rivals. The seamless switching between petrol engine and electric motor is also very slick, adding to the sense of refinement and wafty relaxation.