2023 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Starting at $57.900

Highs: Glass-smooth V6, lavish interior, supple suspension.
Lows: Base four-cylinder underwhelms, fussy infotainment touchpad, leather’s not standard at these prices?
Verdict: The Mercedes-Benz E-class prioritizes soul-soothing tranquility over heart-pounding thrills, which is just as it should be.

Highs: Glass-smooth V6, lavish interior, supple suspension.
Lows: Base four-cylinder underwhelms, fussy infotainment touchpad, leather’s not standard at these prices?
Verdict: The Mercedes-Benz E-class prioritizes soul-soothing tranquility over heart-pounding thrills, which is just as it should be.

Overview

Velvety, creamy, buttery, smooth–these are the words that come to mind in a #Mercedes-Benz E-class. The four-door sedan, two-door coupe, and two-door convertible body styles that make up the E-class family all provide a sense of lavish comfort and a long list of options that enables customers to tailor their car to their taste. Start with the engine choices: the E350 sedan is powered by a 255-hp inline-four; the E450 sedan is blessed with a 362-hp version of Mercedes’s silken 3.0-liter inline-six. The slinky coupe and the soft-top convertible come only in E450, six-cylinder form. The E-class comes with a good-sized helping of luxury items ranging from a glove-compartment cool box to a power-adjustable steering column. Surprisingly, however, some things you would expect to be standard in this price class turn out to be optional, like leather upholstery and the more sophisticated of Mercedes’s driver assists. The #Eclass is a tranquil, comfort-first cruiser, so those with a need for speed should check out the AMG E53 for its amplified performance. But if it’s a beautifully crafted luxury automobile you’re after—with a pedigree to match—the E-class has always been and remains a compelling choice.

What’s New for 2023?

For the 2023 model year the only change to the Mercedes-Benz E-class line is a slight bump in standard content as non-Manufaktur metallic paint options are now included in the base price.
Pricing and Which One to Buy
E350 Sedan: $57,900
E450 Sedan: $66,700
E450 coupe: $70,800
E450 cabriolet: $77,950

We recommend the sedan body style and advocate for the E450 trim, with its potent six-cylinder powertrain and standard 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. It comes standard with blind-spot monitoring, a fully digital dashboard, heated front seats with memory settings, an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and passive entry. To that we’d add the optional air suspension, head-up display, heated steering wheel, multi-contour front seats with massage functions, and ventilated front-seat cushions.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

Every E-class features an obedient nine-speed automatic transmission that pairs with three distinct engines. The E350 has a turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. It pairs with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The E450 models are powered by a turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine with a 48-volt hybrid system that doubles as an electric supercharger. The setup sends 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet to the wheels. Which wheels get the power varies by body style: E350 sedans are available in rear-drive or with Mercedes’s #4Matic all-wheel drive system. The E450 sedan comes only with all-wheel drive. The E450 coupe and cabriolet (convertible) roll with your choice of rear-drive or 4Matic all-wheel drive. Since the E-class is a comfort-biased car, its handling is competent but not sporty. It leans in corners, but it rarely feels overwhelmed when pushed hard. With the optional air suspension in its Comfort setting, the ride is creamy, and the E-class is perfect for gobbling up lots of road. It glides over pavement imperfections with only slight notification of such unpleasantries communicated to the cabin. With the drive-mode selector set to either Comfort or Eco, the steering is nicely weighted—not too light, not too heavy—and feels accurate. The E-class tracks straight on the freeway with a solid and predictable nature, and feedback from the road is muted. Unfortunately, the E450 we tested needed a long 187 feet to stop from 70 mph.