Several generations of E-Class sedans have been among the most satisfying vehicles in the history of Consumer Reports’ testing. Mercedes often has an uncanny ability to produce cars that combine agile handling, a plush ride, a quiet cabin, comfortable seats, and meticulous fit and finish. In many ways the redesigned E-Class continues this tradition, even raising the bar in some respects; but it also takes a few critical steps backward.
Starting with the good news first, the latest E-Class benefits from a smoother ride, sharper handling, and improved fuel economy compared to the last model. The quiet interior is elegant, and both the front and rear seats are superb. And then there’s the simple fact that this is an extremely handsome car. Said one tester, “Just the styling alone…so classy, it has real presence.”
Unfortunately, the E-Class’ controls are dreadful. Our drivers became quickly frustrated when trying to execute even simple tasks, such as adjusting the volume for the audio system, or that you need to venture into the complex center screen for the front seat lumbar support.
This disparity of love and hate brought out a glut of comments in the vehicle’s logbook, which ran the gamut from “This car is lovely” to “This car is a pain.” Perhaps this tester said it best: “Handling, ride, noise levels, seat comfort...these are all top of the class. But the controls make me want to not drive it, and that’s a failure at a high corporate level.”
We bought a Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic sedan—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review.
The base 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in our tested E350 provides strong midrange torque, and the nine-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly. It employs a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, which helped the E350 4Matic return 28 mpg overall, a commendable figure for a midsized all-wheel-drive luxury sedan. But we don’t like the engine stop/start system’s long delay of power when getting going again, which prompted one tester to say, “The delay of power related to the engine stop/start system would make me always want to shut the system off—which isn’t easy to do because the button is hidden behind the steering wheel.”
Once fully underway this is a fantastic powertrain, with plenty of power to merge onto the highway or get around slower vehicles in two-lane passing zones. Upshifts are almost always buttery smooth, as are most downshifts, though we did notice a couple of rough part-throttle kickdowns. By the numbers it’s right there with others in the segment, thanks to a competitive 0-to-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds. The E350 comes standard with rear-wheel drive, with Mercedes’ “4Matic” all-wheel-drive system available. The more powerful E450 4Matic comes standard with all-wheel drive.
Handling is engaging and capable, whether on a curvy highway, a twisty back road, or around our track. The E-Class dives into corners enthusiastically, and we appreciate the steering’s decent feedback, judging it to deliver a better feel to the driver about front tire grip than the BMW 530i. The E-Class proved to be a capable long-distance cruiser, too, with a comfortable and composed ride most of the time. Larger bumps or potholes will punch through into the cabin, however, and we noticed some jittery sensations when encountering multiple small road imperfections in a row.
The cabin is a near cocoon of tranquility, aside from some growl from the four-cylinder engine at lower revs. Beyond that, this is a hushed car that does a good job keeping outside noises outside, allowing passengers to enjoy the high fidelity from the superb Burmester audio system.
The finely-finished cabin is full of stitched leather and matte-wood trim. There are also gorgeous metal speaker covers on the doors, and lots of tasteful chrome accents.
We appreciate the way the front seats coddle occupants, but it’s annoying that you have to adjust the lumbar support through the center infotainment screen. The optional massage features are also controlled via the screen, but we found them a true treat to use, especially on longer drives. The E350 has lots of adjustments that help bodies of all types dial-in an ideal driving position. Several of our taller testers, though, wished the steering wheel had more telescoping range, and some drivers also found that the steering wheel blocks the view of the turn signal icons within the instrument screen. Outward views aren’t too bad for a modern sedan, although the windshield pillars get pretty thick at the base, and rear views are obstructed by the high rear package shelf and thick roof pillars.
The rear seat benefits from plush padding, ample under-leg support, and good toe space underneath the front seats, but headroom will be tight for taller passengers. Sadly, rear-seat passengers don’t get the benefit of the massage feature.
The controls aren’t the least bit user-friendly, and are the main sticking point keeping this good car from being great. Instead of knobs and buttons, the E-Class has touch-sensitive sliders for the audio system and cruise control, and all the climate functions are within the center infotainment screen. Everything takes time to master and requires extra focus while driving. Even turning the car on is a hassle since the button is completely hidden behind the steering wheel. But the biggest gripe, by far, is that the steering wheel controls require too much precision and eyes-away-from-the-road time, especially for the audio volume and adjusting the adaptive cruise control’s speed settings.
The interior affords lots of avenues to entertain and dazzle both the driver and passengers—such as the booming audio system, various ambient lighting options, and seat massagers—but these gizmos can also be distracting. “This Mercedes is trying too hard to keep the driver’s attention inside the car,” said one of our testers. “The light show, the 4D sound vibrating the seats, animations on the center screen, the isolation from the outside world—it's as impressive as it is alarming.”
Standard active safety and driver assistance features on the E-Class include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorcycle detection, along with automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and automatic high beams. Adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance are optional.