This is a big one — a new generation of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is almost upon us, and we’ve been given a sneak peek of the India-spec car in the months leading up to the launch. The E-Class is a hugely significant car for Mercedes in India. After all, the W124 E-Class was the first car that the German car company launched in India and as of today, the E-Class remains the best-selling Mercedes in India. This V214 generation replaces the V213 generation, but the outgoing car is significant in its own right. It set new benchmarks in this segment by offering a long-wheelbase variant, thoroughly outshining rivals like the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. So popular was the format that the new 5 Series is only offered in LWB guise.
The new E-Class, as with every generational upgrade, will raise the bar for what we can expect in terms of tech, comfort and space in this class. There’s a lot to talk about here, including engines, dimensions, and all the features it has on offer, including some that we feel shouldn’t have been omitted. Let’s get stuck in.
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I wasn’t too convinced when I saw the E-Class images when they first dropped online, but after seeing the car in the flesh, I have to say I have changed my opinion. The E-Class does look very stately, especially in the white we had at hand. The face is a new design for Merc, leaning into the EQ styling language ever so slightly. The grille gets the 3-pointed star element, the LED headlamps are an all-new design and the E-Class’s face doesn’t look very similar to the C- or the S-Class. Good, I say. No more of that Russian doll design.
On the side, you will notice the 18-inch wheels but that isn’t even remotely the most significant thing about the profile. What’s important is the E is now 14mm longer than before, and the wheelbase itself is some 15mm longer (wheelbase is now 3094mm). We know what that means, more space on the inside! The flush door handles are new, as are soft-close doors. Both elements are very S-Class-like. The rear isn’t too radical a change. You do get three-pointed star elements in the tail lamps, another design element that looks much better in the flesh than in imagery. Overall, the styling of the E-Class is handsome and its sheer size should give it plenty of road presence. I like how it looks, but more than styling, it is the cabin that leaves a lasting impression.
Let’s start from the backseat because this is where most E-Class owners will spend their time. You get a three-seat bench with a chunky armrest that folds down to make this feel like a genuine two-seater at the back. Space is very generous, with respect to both knee room and headroom. The front seat position can also be controlled from the backseat itself, allowing the passenger to free up even more space than there already is.
The seat itself is plush and you sink into it well, and adding to the comfort is the recline angle — it can be moved from a rather upright 26 degrees to a very comfortable 36 degrees. You sink into the soft neck pillows and with complete controls for the electric blinds — both windows and rear screen — right at your fingertips, there’s plenty of comfort and privacy to be had. Even the quarter-glass at the rear has a small manually adjustable blind. The armrest holds some storage, along with USB ports, a tray with a wireless phone charger and also cupholders. Material selection is top-notch. Soft leather lines the door cards and the wood inlays adorn the backsides of the front seats.
A step up from before? It certainly feels that way with the space, comfort and privacy on offer. Rear entertainment would have been welcome and I would have also liked to see rear seat ventilation and massage to make the E-Class really feel like a level up on the competition. That said, the lack of these features is not a dealbreaker.
Up front, the dashboard is dominated by the Superscreen — a derivative of the Hyperscreen we have seen on the EQS / EQE but it differs in the fact that it isn’t a single slab of glass from the left to right. The instrument cluster is a separate unit that rises vertically from the dash. Once again though, you get three distinct screens — the floating 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a massive 14.4-inch infotainment screen, and a 12.3-inch passenger display. These screens run the latest version of MBUX, which comes with a new design for the icons, better usability and more features. One that stood out was Routines. You can programme the car to do certain things if certain conditions are met. For example, you can set the car to put on soft mood lighting and play certain music every Saturday evening, for date night with your partner. Or you could automate the window rolling down when you reach your office building so that you can punch in when you enter. The screen also supports Microsoft 360 apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint if you’re the work-on-the-go kind of person, and a camera on the dash also supports video calls. I mean, something has to pay for the car, no?
The features list remains lengthy — a 4D Burmester audio system with exciters in the seats should make listening to music even more involving. Four-zone climate control (with an air purifier) is a step up on the 3-zone climate control we got in the last car, and the new E-Class gets digital air vents that can be adjusted from the screen to certain pre-set positions. We’ve seen this on the Porsche Taycan before, but unlike the Taycan which is incredibly frustrating to use, this is more intuitive. It also gives you the option of manually adjusting them the old-school way, which is the most ideal, honestly. What’s missing? Not too much, but ventilated seats would have been nice here as well. Materials up front, much like the rear, remain top-notch. The open-pore wood perfectly contrasts the digital real estate on the dash, and the soft-touch surfaces feel rather expensive.
We haven’t driven the E-Class yet, which is why we’ve left the mechanicals for the end. In terms of variants, we will be getting the E 200 and the E 220d with petrol and diesel engines respectively. The E 200 gets the M254 engine — a 1999cc, four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit that makes 201bhp and 320Nm. The 220d gets the OM654M engine — a 1950cc, four-cylinder turbo-diesel that puts out 194bhp and 440Nm. Both engines now come mated to a 48V mild hybrid system — an integrated starter generator that adds 23bhp and 205Nm on demand for brief periods of boost. Both engines come mated to Merc’s 9-speed transmission. The E-Class also gets Merc’s “Comfort suspension”, with steel coil springs and passive dampers. The dampers do react differently based on amplitude, ie. The size of the bump and the speed it hits said bump at change damping forces however these are not adjustable dampers, that can be set up differently from the drive modes in the cabin.
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class seems to be a seriously impressive package. The verdict is out until we drive the car, which should be soon, but until then there’s no denying the space, equipment levels and tech that it offers. It looks good, and the interiors are closer to the S-Class than ever before. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be priced at a slight premium to its primary rival, the LWB 5 Series, and will be more expensive than the outgoing E-Class as well. Expect prices to start from Rs 82-85 lakh (ex-showroom). Worth the money? We’ll let you know in our first drive review so stay tuned for that!