Mercedes-Benz E-Class review

The engine in our E220d test car is in effect carried over from the outgoing E-Class. It is part of Mercedes’ modular engine family, so in crude terms it’s two-thirds of the straight six in the E450d. It is boosted by a variable-geometry turbocharger and assisted by a 48V mild-hybrid system, which sandwiches a 23bhp electric motor between the engine and the gearbox to act as a starter-generator and help out under acceleration.

There are no great surprises with the suspension, but there are a few disappointments. The front suspension is a four-link set-up, while the rear is a five-link. All E-Class saloons apart from the plug-in hybrids get Mercedes’ Agility Control suspension, which is effectively sport suspension that’s 15mm lower than on the hybrids.

The dampers are frequency-selective: it’s a passive system and with no driver-selectable modes, but its valving reacts to the frequency of inputs. In theory they firm up with low-frequency inputs, such as body roll, and soften off with high-frequency inputs on rougher roads. 

There’s no option of steel coils with adaptive dampers, but some versions offer the option of the 'Refinement Package', which adds 'Airmatic' air suspension with adaptive dampers, and four-wheel steering that allows the rear wheels to steer 4.5 degrees. All estates get air suspension on the rear axle as standard for self-levelling.

From launch, Mercedes-Benz UK decided not to offer air suspension on the E-Class, but has since changed its mind and started to offer it on some engine and trim combination. We've not tried it yet, but if other air-sprung Mercedes are anything to go by, it would be well-worth seeking out. It is usually bundled together with the 4.5-degree rear-wheel steering in the £3500 'Refinement Package'.

The flip side of the firm suspension is that the E-Class handles with a surprising keenness. It keeps the body level in corners, and there is plenty of grip from the P Zero tyres. The steering is downright excellent: it’s very quick, at 2.2 turns from lock to lock, but thanks to a well-judged variable ratio, it never feels nervous, and it weights up progressively in corners, even when you’re not pushing it particularly hard. 

Whether that is the right ride/handling compromise for a large exec saloon is debatable, mind. This is a near-two-tonne car that’s over two metres wide across the mirrors, so while the handling is poised and satisfying, you would never truly call it fun, and it won’t let you forget there is a lot of weight in play.

For the company that was the first to commercialise electronic stability control, the ESP system is somewhat lax – the rear axle can step out slightly when accelerating out of a tight junction. It’s by no means unsafe – even with the system off and in slippery conditions, you need to provoke it for anything dramatic to happen – but it might give some drivers something of a surprise.

Comfort & Isolation

The ride is somewhat disappointing, but the E-Class is still a broadly comfortable car, and particularly so if you’re not a fan of the raised driving position of an SUV.

The E-Class doesn’t sit you as low as one would be in a 5 Series, but that feels about right in a car that isn’t marketed as an overtly sporty saloon. The controls feel correctly positioned in relation to each other, and there’s extensive seat and steering wheel adjustment. The seats themselves are particularly supportive, if firmly padded.

Despite Mercedes revealing its advances in aerodynamics and how its engineers used almost 500 microphones to pinpoint sources of unwanted cabin noise, the E-Class doesn’t set new standards for quietness. There isn’t much wind noise, but at motorway speeds the road noise is definitely noticeable. We recorded 67dBA at 70mph – that’s 2dBA more than in the Audi A6 we tested in 2022.

Assisted driving notes

Every UK E-Class comes with a dashcam, blindspot monitoring and Distronic adaptive cruise control as standard, plus mandatory emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and speed limit assist. Those last two work better than most but still get it wrong too often for comfort. They are quite easy to disable: a single tap of the screen or a press of a physical shortcut button and a tap suffice.

On AMG Line Premium and up, you can add the Driving Assistance Package Plus for £1695, which adds active lane following, automatic speed limit adoption and extended automatic restart on motorways.

Our car didn’t have the optional package, but even without, Mercedes’ adaptive cruise control is one of the best, with none of the irksome tendencies of some. It isn’t confused by cars in other lanes, and instead of sticking rigidly to a set following distance, it acts like a real driver when another car cuts in, at which point it gently slows rather than panic brakes.

In our testing, the E300e fell a little way short of its 71-mile claimed electric range, with the engine kicking in after 60 miles. Tested in temperatures in the low teens, it averaged 3.0mpkWh in EV mode. Unlike most EVs, it appeared to be more efficient at speeds over 35mph than in town. This is likely due to the electric motor driving through the nine-speed automatic gearbox. With a depleted battery, the E300e still returned over 40mpg.