2024 Mercedes E-Class First Look: A Luxury Sedan for Gen Z

• The 2024 Mercedes E-Class is all-new from the ground up.
• It sports a new interior and exterior and is neck deep in new tech.
• There's a new screen, some AI features, and even the option for TikTok built right in.

Compared to the outgoing E-Class, the new car is similarly proportioned as well. The wheelbase is just 0.87 inch longer, for a total of 116.5 inches, but that's the only change to the car's dimensions. Even though the front and rear tracks (the distance between the center of wheels at either the front or back of the car) are slightly wider, other measurements like length, width and height are all unchanged. That means you can expect slightly more rear legroom — a lack of which was one of the few issues we had with the old car — but you won't have to worry about it being any trickier to park.

While dimensions are similar, there are some major advancements under the skin should you option them. The new E-Class offers a Technology package that adds two significant features. The first is rear-wheel steering. At speeds below 37 mph, the front and rear wheels turn in opposite directions — by up to 4.5 degrees while parking. This reduces the car's turning circle, making for tighter U-turns and easier navigation into a parking spot. Above 37 mph, the wheels turn in the same direction to aid stability.

That Technology package also adds an air suspension and adaptive dampers. The air springs have a few functions, but the main ones are to keep the car level regardless of load and raise and lower the car as needed (like lowering the car at speed to reduce drag and make it more efficient). The adaptive dampers read the road and can tune the suspension's compression and rebound independently of each other. Essentially, if one wheel dips into a pothole, the E-Class does its best to ensure the impact is only felt by the wheel and that corner's suspension without transmitting the shock into the cabin.

That's already plenty of change, but the newness keeps on coming.

Unlike the recently overhauled C-Class, buyers will have two engine options to pick from, not just one. Both are boosted by a mild hybrid system to add extra electric torque and make the powertrain smoother in operation. The smaller of the two engines — found under the hood of the E 350 — is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. It is essentially the exact same engine found in the current C-Class, and we described its power as "ample" for the smaller, lighter sedan. We'll find out if it's enough for the bigger E when we get behind the wheel.

If more really does mean merrier for you, there is also the option of a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine. It makes 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, a bump of 13 horsepower over the previous version of this engine. Other changes were made to the interior of the motor to better increase efficiency — the crank case, crankshaft and cylinder head have all been changed for the new model. Both engines are paired to nine-speed automatic transmissions and send their power exclusively to all four wheels. (Rear-wheel drive isn't an option.)

The E-Class is on its way to your For You Page

The interior is easily the biggest departure from the current car. It's a blend of the Mercedes EQ electric vehicles and the automaker's internal combustion models. The expansive dash primarily consists of the optional new Superscreen, which is basically the Hyperscreen we've seen in cars like EQE and EQS, but with a separate pod for the driver's instrument cluster. The instrument binnacle measures 12.3 inches, while the center touchscreen — which hosts a new iteration of Mercedes' MBUX infotainment software — is 14.5 inches diagonally.

The passenger screen that the Superscreen adds also measures 12.3 inches and can display media files, allows the passenger to play games, and even has TikTok built right into you can scroll through social media on your car's display instead of your phone's. The display also uses a special technology to block whatever's on it from the driver's view when the car is on the move but it's visible when the car's stationary. It might sound like a gimmicky addition, but Mercedes told us that big screens resonate with its buyers, and the automaker thinks the Hyperscreen-esque experience will translate well to E-Class shoppers.

The rest of the interior is what we've come to expect from Mercedes-Benz. Unlike the current car, the new E-Class gets rid of almost all the physical controls in the cabin. The exception is a single physical strip of touch-sensitive buttons underneath the central display. It controls functions like the volume, the driving modes and the screen's power button.

The seat controls are still at the top corner of the doors near the door jamb, the gear selector is still on a stalk rather than taking up space in the center console, and the steering wheel is still awash with touch-sensitive controls you may or may not find yourself activating by accident. The center console is devoid of controls of any sort and instead features a cubby hidden away by a sliding lid that reveals the cupholders and a small storage area. It's all-new for the E-Class, but fans of the brand who are familiar with its more contemporary offerings will likely find the cabin quite familiar.

The E-Class goes big on tech. The large center display features an updated version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (or MBUX for short) and a new design. The icons are bigger and in various different colors, which should make the interface easier to navigate. It looks a lot like a smartphone or a tablet that runs a Mercedes'd version of iOS and Android.

Another new feature is what Mercedes is calling "artificial intelligence" but really is just a program that helps learn your habits and automate some functions for you. (You can also set them yourself by going into the automations menu in the center display.) Essentially, if the E-Class realizes that when you get to a certain GPS location, always come to a stop, and always roll down your window — say, to scan your way into a parking lot as you enter work — it will ask if you want to automate this feature and have the window roll down automatically every time you reach that location. Habits relating to seat heating, ventilation and climate can also be learned, and the E-Class will know what to do in certain scenarios to make your life a little easier.

Other major tech changes include just how many advanced driver aids are available. The newest feature is what Mercedes is calling Attention Assist, and it essentially tracks a driver's eyes to make sure they're on the road. If your eyes leave the road for a certain amount of time it will start to warn you to pay attention again — no more Instagram scrolling for you. Blind-spot warning, lane keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, lane change assistance, Traffic Jam Assist, evasive steering assistance and Pre-Safe (a system that tensions the seat belts and prepares passengers for an imminent impact) are all available on the new E-Class too.

Pricing isn't available yet, but we assume the new E-Class will start at around $62,000 when it goes on sale later this year.

Edmunds says

The new E-Class is techier, more advanced and more screeny than ever before, that's for sure. But we're still wondering what it's like to drive. The answer to that will come in time, so stay tuned.