2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Classier, Techy And Plenty More Luxurious!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is it! India’s popular luxury car, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, is all set to get a generation update and has been revealed ahead of its expected launch in October. The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, now in its eighth generation, pushes the boundaries when it comes to design and technology. So much in certain aspects that this luxury sedan is even better than the S-Class! 

So without further ado, let’s get cracking! 

An Evolutionary Design  

Why fix it when it ain’t broken? That’s the approach Mercedes has taken for the E-Class’ design opting for evolutionary elements rather than drastic changes! And it still looks regal, especially in darker shades. 

The nose is flatter and houses a larger grille with the tiny tri-pointed star elements and a chrome surround. You get new LED headlights, which are now sleeker and the bumper below house a pair of faux air intakes. 

The new E has grown in size marginally and is long! India gets the long wheel base version and overall length has grown by 17mm, while the wheelbase is larger by 15mm than the outgoing car. While the overall silhouette still looks familiar, the lines are now smoother and you also get flush fitting door handles that pop out electrically. The wheel design is also new and these are 18-inches with chunky tyres to prioritize ride quality. 

Moving on to the rear, once again the design is very familiar. But you gotta love the attention to detail in the new LED tail lamps with tri-pointed star elements that look super cool. A tweaked bumper design with chrome elements round off the overall look. 

You can have the new E-Class in five colour options: Obsidian Black (pictured here), High Tech Silver, Graphite Grey, Polar White and Nautic Blue. 

Tech Loaded Interior 

Usually, for a car that’s primarily focussed for the chauffeur driven, we usually start with the back seat experience. 

But the E-Class’ main party trick is at the front. It debuts Mercedes’ “Superscreen” in India, which comprises not one or two, but three screens - a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, a 14.4-inch touchscreen infotainment and a separate 12.3-inch entertainment screen for the co-driver. It does look hi-fi, but bear in mind that most of the features are operated through the main screen and there are very few physical buttons. 

Another cool feature is the self-facing camera, which can be basically used as a selfie camera or to attend live Zoom calls on the move! Furthermore, streaks of ambient lighting does make the cabin come alive, especially at night. The dashboard, as expected from a Mercedes, is high quality with plentiful soft touch materials. 

Now to the rear seats! You get all sorts of adjustments including 36 degrees of recline and 40 degrees of underthigh support extension. There is plenty of room to stretch out and you get amenities such as a wireless phone charger and dedicated zones of climate control to keep yourself cozy. For added privacy, rear-seat occupants also get electronically operated sun blinds. 

Plentiful Features… 

… that is longer than your typical grocery shopping list. Highlights include four-zones of climate control, digital AC vents (which can adjust the flow of the air), a panoramic sunroof, a 730W 17-speaker Burmester 4D sound system, powered front seats with memory functionality, dual wireless phone chargers (for front and rear seats), 64-colour ambient lighting and powered tailgate.

Passenger safety is taken care of by multiple airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, front and rear parking sensors with 360-degree camera, tyre pressure monitoring system and some ADAS features such as Active Parking Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking. 

Engine Options - Now With Mild-Hybrid

Gone are the six-cylinder engine options as with this update, you can have the standard E-Class with four-cylinder engines only. Choices include a 2-litre diesel and a 2-litre turbo-petrol, both of which get mild-hybrid tech that give a boost of 27 PS for 30 seconds. Both the engines drive the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. 

Expected Price And Rivals

Considering all the tech upgrades, one can expect the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class to command a significant premium over the outgoing model, which was priced from Rs 76.05 lakh (ex-showroom). It will rival the Audi A6 and the recently launched BMW 5 Series LWB.