Photography by J.G. Pasterjak
The Mercedes-Benz E-class has been a stalwart in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, dating back to the early ‘90s with the W124 chassis, available as a sedan, a coupe and a wagon.
Some 30 years later, much of that remains the same–though if you want a wagon variant of the modern E-class here in America, you’ll have to opt for the “All Terrain” E-Class that’s designed to compete with the likes of the Volvo V60 Cross Country and Audi A4 allroad.
At any rate, we have a 2024 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic to review for a week.
On paper, the E 450 is one of the most powerful versions of the E-Class sedan you can get without having to step into AMG territory, with motivation coming from a turbocharged inline-six plus a “EQ Boost” 48-Volt Mild-Hybrid System producing a combined 375 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque.
That power is then sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic.
Top speed is electronically limited to only 130 mph, and the car is capable of reaching 60 mph from a standstill in 4.4 seconds.
Fuel economy isn’t too shabby either, rated at 22 mpg highway, 31 mpg city and 25 mpg combined.
MSRP for the E 450 4Matic starts at $68,100, though our loaner has been fitted with several options–like AMG multi-spoke wheels ($3050), AirMatic air ride suspension ($3200) and Dinamica headliner ($1600)–that raise the sticker price to $91,620.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to drop them in the comments below.
The E 450 All Terrain actually wears the cladding pretty well, in my opinion.
Would I pick it over the Audi Allroad or Cross Country Volvos? (Or even a gently used Buick Regal TourX?) Not sure.
I'm just glad we can still kinda get wagons here in the U.S.
Is your press car the wagon or the sedan? The pictures in the article are sedan-y, so I'm assuming that's what you have. But the wagon is far more interesting to me!
I am two hours into a 3 Hour Dr. in this thing. My butt cheeks have long since gone numb on the rockhard seat bottom. Also no fewer than three times has the car warmed me to keep my hands on the steering wheel before turning off the cruise control, turning off the radio, turning on the hazard flashers, Then finally starting to apply the brake. All three times my hands were, indeed, on the steering wheel.
Aside from all that, though, at least it's mediocre.
In reply to wae :
It's the sedan, though I definitely agree with you on the wagon.
JG Pasterjak said:I am two hours into a 3 Hour Dr. in this thing. My butt cheeks have long since gone numb on the rockhard seat bottom. Also no fewer than three times has the car warmed me to keep my hands on the steering wheel before turning off the cruise control, turning off the radio, turning on the hazard flashers, Then finally starting to apply the brake. All three times my hands were, indeed, on the steering wheel.
Aside from all that, though, at least it's mediocre.
This car seems awfully dramatic.
I spent the weekend with the car, and it was present when I drove it. That's it's main vibe: Present.
It shares most of its controls and switchgear with our last Mercedes press car, and they're absolutely hateful here, too.
It yells at you to keep your hands on the wheel when they're on the wheel--I guess the Germans aren't used to straight roads?
On the plus side, it's super torquey and the four-wheel-steering means it will do a U-turn on a two-lane road. That's pretty impressive. The trunk is absolutely cavernous, too.
Oh, and the front seat passenger has their own giant screen, which can even be used to take selfies while riding along. Maybe that's why this car is somehow $91,000.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Tom Suddard said:Maybe that's why this car is somehow $91,000.
The base MSRP doesn't seem terrible, but $91,000? I don't care how good that headliner is, I think my money would be better spent elsewhere.
I bought a new 1994 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4x4 and this family friend old guy asks me what I paid for it. $19,500 out the door I tell him.
Dude lets out a whistle......that's more than I paid for my first house.
I've now become that old dude - I paid $92,500 for my first house.
Okay I did 400 miles in this thing today and I'm exhausted. The seat bottom is just unacceptably hard, and there's zero support anywhere aside from your cheeks. My ass feels like I judged a spanking contest all day, and it was like the district finals or something.
It's nearly impossible to adjust the climate control so it's comfortable. I was constantly going back and forth between fan setting 5, which was far too weak after a while and the car would eventually heat up, to fan setting 6 (of 6) which was full hurricane mode.
And don't even get me started on the steering wheel warning. No fewer than five times did the car warn me, fail to acknowledge my hands on the wheel, turn on the hazards and actually hit the damn brakes. If this is how the system works the system is just plain bad.
I'm honestly a little shocked that something like this could make it to full production. It just seems buggy, unfinished or just plain awful. But, hey, at least you can play Angry Birds.
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