Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2024 Review

Following in the footsteps of its best-selling vehicle, the GLC mid-size SUV, the new 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes to Australia in just one flavour, the E 300 luxury sedan, priced at $131,500 plus on-road costs.

Mercedes-Benz previously offered an E 200 model that was significantly more affordable, at around $100,000, and rivals like the BMW 5 Series (from $114,900), Audi A6 (from $104,100) and Genesis G80 (from $85,670) are also cheaper than the new 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300.

That said, the E-Class traditionally outsells most of its rivals in Australia despite being more expensive, and although an E-Class wagon will not be offered in Oz, the range will be fleshed out with Mercedes-AMG E 53 and E 63 sports sedans in due course.

The E-Class is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty and service intervals are very competitive at 12 months/25,000km, whichever occurs first.

Capped-price service plans can be purchased up front, costing $3325, $4535 or $6800 for three, four or five services respectively.

It’s true that pricing has risen with the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class compared to its predecessor – the former E 300 launched in 2021 started at $117,900 plus ORCs – but so have equipment levels, with big-ticket items like power-operated leather sports seats up front, complete with heating, cooling, memory function and mild massaging capability, making a positive first impression.

The new ‘Superscreen’ set-up may not be quite as radical as the ‘Hyperscreen’ in the all-electric Mercedes EQE and EQS sedans (which boast a trio of screens behind one pane of glass stretching door-to-door), but the E-Class still has a striking infotainment presence, blending big 14.4-inch and 12.3-inch central and passenger touch-screens behind a single panel.

Beyond those headline features the equipment list is extensive, including dual-zone climate control with automatic air vents, which can be programmed via the touch-screen and use tiny servo motors to direct air in the desired direction. They can also be controlled manually.

Advanced AI-driven voice control of most vehicle systems, a brilliant 17-speaker Burmester stereo with in-seat bass drivers, and wireless smartphone mirroring and charging are also standard.

The cabin features black ashwood open-pore timber trim, customisable LED interior mood lighting, plus several AMG line items including a black Nappa leather multi-function steering wheel and, on the outside, AMG front and rear aprons along with 20-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels.

There’s no spare tyre in the boot, just an emergency tyre inflator kit, while full LED exterior lighting is also standard.

Nine exterior colours are offered in total, including six that are standard: Polar White, Obsidian Black, High Tech Silver, Graphite Grey, Nautic Blue and the new hero colour, Verde Silver, which has a subtle green hue. Three special ‘manufaktur’ colours cost extra – Patagonia Red metallic ($2500), Opalite White bright ($2500) and Alpine Grey solid ($2900), the latter adding quasi-matte finish.

Mercedes-Benz Australia told carsales there are no single optional extras per se, the company instead bundling popular extras into two packages that deliver better value together, it claims.

The Plus Package ($9400) adds Airmatic air suspension, power-closing doors, UrbanGuard vehicle protection plus (anti-theft, vehicle monitoring, parking collision, sentry functions, etc), an illuminated front grille, MBUX interior assistant, quad-zone automatic climate control and digital LED headlights that can project images onto the road.

The Plus Package also adds rear axle steering to shrink the car’s turning circle (by 800mm) from 12 to an impressive 11.2 metres and also improves turning stability at higher speeds.

The Energizing Plus Package ($6200) brings upgraded front comfort seats that can be had in Macchiato Beige and Tonka Brown, not just black like the regular seats. An air-balance system adds integrated car fragrance and the warmth comfort package brings arm rest heating for the driver and front passenger and heated rear seats.

For the record, the cars we drove during this test were equipped with both optional packages, maxxing out the asking price of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300 at $147,100 plus ORCs.

The new-generation 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has not yet been rated by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, but given the high priority the German car-maker places on this executive saloon, we’d be surprised if it didn’t excel across all areas of assessment and land a maximum five-star safety rating.

Fitted with 11 airbags as standard, the E 300 comes with all the expected semi-autonomous driving aids like adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane keep assist and evasive steering assist that enable the car to steer, accelerate and brake by itself.

And it does so with a level of confidence that few other cars can match, able to navigate its way along freeways and even country roads with almost clairvoyant foresight.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic assist are part of the safety suite, as is traffic sign recognition and a surround-view camera with a 3D mode, designed to make parking less stressful.

More than 16 million Mercedes-Benz executive cars have been sold since 1946, and although the vehicle’s lineage is about as proud as you’ll find in the automotive industry today, the E-Class (a nameplate that emerged with the W124 series in 1994) is anything but dusty and decayed.

In fact, the E-Class is the car-maker’s standard bearer for cutting-edge technology, and the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300 leaves nothing on the table in terms of high-tech features.

There’s augmented reality satellite navigation, 5G connectivity, AI-driven MBUX voice commands, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatically-adjusting air vents and a new routine system that can trigger various functions when certain criteria are met.

The latter is one of the car’s major tech innovations, and although it takes a bit of getting used to, once learned it’s a time-saving feature on par with proximity door locks (introduced in 1998 by Mercedes-Benz, it should be noted).

Simply put, you can instruct the car to initiate singular or multiple functions when certain actions or metrics are met. For example, you can tell the car to select a specific radio station at a certain time to catch your favourite program or turn on the seat heaters and switch to a warm interior LED colour when the weather is icy-cold.

The level of depth and scope the routine system brings is impressive, and using over-the-air (OTA) updates Mercedes reckons AI-driven augmentation will eventually learn when, where and what exactly drivers do in their car, enabling it to then suggest complimentary routines that make life a little easier or comfier.

The Superscreen system is also a significant technology improvement for the E-Class and uses an updated operating system. This makes the menu layout simpler and more intuitive than before, and with more computing power behind the scenes it’s faster to respond and prettier to look at.

Just like when you upgrade to a new smartphone, really.

The fact that front seat passengers have their own touch-screen with plenty of functionality, including games and video streaming services, is a nice touch.

Ditto for the selfie camera on the dashboard. It can take selfies but also facilitate video calls using third-party apps like Zoom (video when stationary, audio when moving), but at present remains switched off for the Australian market.

It will eventually be made available once it passes the relevant Australian Design Rules, but a company spokesman said: “We didn’t want to hold up the E-Class launch in Australia for something that can be adjusted with a software upgrade at a later date.”

The digital instrument panel is excellent, offering greater customisation than found with its rivals, and the big head-up display is also very impressive, displaying road speed and detailed satellite navigation instructions directly into the driver’s line of sight.

The new Digital Light LED headlight system with adaptive high beam control also deserves a mention, given it now has 1.1 million pixels per headlight cluster and can project images onto the road, such as arrows to warn drivers they’re drifting out of their lane.

Benz claims the new headlight tech “calculates the brightness value for each individual pixel almost in real time”. Translation? Very, very good road illumination after dark.

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300 is propelled by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine (codenamed M254) that generates a healthy 190kW and 400Nm.

A 48-volt mild-hybrid system can add 17kW and 205Nm for short bursts, improving acceleration and facilitating a fairly brisk 6.2sec 0-100km/h sprint.

In practice, the engine is surprisingly charming, developing remarkably high levels of thrust from low and middling speeds.

And don’t let the idea of a four-cylinder engine in a big luxo-barge put you off, because it’s not only smooth and responsive, diligent and quiet at nominal speeds, but engaging and sonorous at higher revs.

The engine connects to a nine-speed automatic transmission that pumps power to the rear wheels, resulting in a top speed of 240km/h… which we cannot vouch for.

Pretty efficient, it turns out. Despite a somewhat portly 1865kg kerb weight, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300 has an official combined-cycle fuel economy rating of 7.2L/100km.

The mild-hybrid system can reduce the burden on the turbocharged petrol engine in certain situations, particularly in traffic and at lower speeds, which makes the claimed fuel consumption eminently achievable.

However, after a couple of hours of country-road touring we saw a figure of 7.6L/100km, and by the end of the test – which included lots of spirited driving – fuel use averaged out at 8.8L/100km.

For the most part, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a pleasure to drive. It’s whisper-quiet inside, has a refined composition and the buttery-smooth powertrain makes the luxury sedan surprising swift.

There’s an effortlessness to the way the vehicle goes about its business, and once you get the hang of the ‘routines’ and voice commands you barely need to lift a finger to control a majority of vehicle operations.

The way Mercedes has simplified many elements for the driver (and passengers) makes it very pleasant to hop in and drive.

The fundamentals are sound too.

The steering has a lightness to it and in built-up areas the rear-axle steering system is a huge advantage, reducing its turning circle by almost a metre. Tight turns, U-turns, parking? It dispatches them like a small car, not a large car.

As a luxury cruiser or commuter, the E-Class is composed and balanced for the most part, and when whipped around more demanding (and fun) country roads with lots of twists and turns, the air suspension and big 20-inch alloy wheels ensure that it handles with confidence.

Ride quality needs work, though.

What should be a syrupy-smooth luxury car at all junctures sometimes feels a tad sharp and harsh, with ride comfort straying from calm and collected to a little bit stiff.

It’s not a deal-breaking issue but we noticed the rear suspension getting fidgety and unsettled on poorly maintained B-roads and across rutted asphalt.

Negotiating deep potholes revealed a level of finesse similar to an axe-wielding barbarian, and we wonder if smaller 19- or 18-inch alloy wheels with more absorbent tyres would help in this respect?

The cars we drove during the launch were all equipped with the air suspension upgrade so it remains to be seen how the regular steel-sprung suspension will behave on Aussie roads.

In a word: splendid. The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300’s interior design won’t be to everyone’s taste, and at night the LED mood lighting can turn the cabin into a searing kaleidoscopic wonderland (it can be switched off if need be).

Overall, it’s an exceptionally peaceful and luxurious place to spend your driving time.

Wherever your hands fall to rest you’ll find quality materials, and smaller touches like the fleecy lining in the door pockets, the leather-covered dashboard and high-grade dark headlining demonstrate pleasing attention to detail.

Comfort levels are very good, the front and rear seats delivering luxury and support in equal measure. They’re the sort of relaxing armchairs that are tailor-made for long-distance comfort.

There’s plenty of room to stretch out, given the E-Class is now 28mm wider (1880mm) and 10mm longer (4950mm) than its predecessor. Rear seat room has improved thanks to a 22mm longer wheelbase – which is the distance between the front and rear axles (2961mm) – while boot space remains unchanged at 540 litres.

Beyond the new Superscreen set-up, improved user interface, servo-controlled air vents (which are surprisingly accurate) and clever routine system, another standout element is the 17-speaker 730W Burmester 4D sound system.

Flick through the menu system to the 4D audio mode and front seat occupants can independently dial up in-seat bass drivers to deliver an immersive and sometimes visceral audio experience.

You feel the audio more than hear it, especially lower-frequency bass elements, and it’s another small touch that elevates the E-Class above regular vehicles.

If you’re in the market for a large luxury sedan, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class should be at the top of your list.

Blending impressive levels of luxury with more powerful but intuitive technology, the E 300 represents a meaningful leap forward for the E-Class.

While Mercedes-Benz still needs to find traction with its electric EQ models, the long-serving E-Class continues to be a pillar of stability for the brand.

Barring some minor suspension quibbles, the new Mercedes-Benz E 300 sets another high-water mark in its segment.

2024 Mercedes-Benz E 300 at a glance:
Price: $131,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 190kW/400Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 163g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested