2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

How’s the tech? Technology dominates the interior of the E-Class, so it's best to look forward to learning and using the Benz's impressive tech rather than hoping to minimize your time with it. The displays are bright and can show copious amounts of information. The navigation, including its search feature, is particularly good. We also loved our test car's optional Burmester 4D surround-sound system. It's arguably the best audio system in the class and definitely worth the asking price.

The voice controls are an integral part of the MBUX experience, and while they understand natural language and control a vast number of settings and adjustments, we found them to be a little hyperactive. On multiple occasions, conversations and even song lyrics triggered responses from the system, changing everything from temperature settings to entering an errant destination in the navigation.

Even at this elevated price point, many of the active adaptive driver aids are optional. During our time in the E-Class, all the systems worked well, with minimal false alarms and excellent response times. Adaptive cruise control and lane centering were notable in their precision, and even the automatic lane change feature worked smoothly.

How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates the E 350 will get 27 mpg in combined city/highway driving, or 25 mpg combined for the E 450. This is a few mpg worse than the BMW 5 Series. On our test route, our E 450 got 28.6 mpg combined, indicating that the EPA's estimates are achievable in real-world driving. On the exact same route, the E 350 achieved 25.9 mpg, slightly below its EPA rating. We attribute this to the smaller four-cylinder engine having to work harder to keep up with traffic and climb longer grades.