Summary

• The E-Class shares many qualities of the S-Class however at a fraction of the worth, making it a worthy different.
• The E-Class matches the S-Class in scores and efficiency, providing luxurious and high quality at a extra accessible value level.
• With superior expertise, spacious cargo room, and comparable efficiency, the E-Class is positioned because the extra reasonably priced Baby S-Class.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has extensively been christened the brand new child S-Class, and individuals are already falling in love with it. The defining themes of the S-Class are engineering, high quality, pace, luxurious, and splendid journey high quality. The flagship Mercedes S-Class will at all times have an edge in exclusivity. This notion of S-Class exclusivity within the automobile world is unbeatable by the E-Class, however in terms of some areas, the E-Class is arguably equal to and even higher than its bigger rather more costly sibling.

Mercedes-Benz is among the world’s main aspirational manufacturers – that’s related to success. The S-Class is among the many distinctive choices within the automaker’s lineup – but additionally one of the crucial costly. If you dream of proudly owning an S-Class however do not have the assets to afford one, there are different choices you may contemplate. The chances are that the GLA, the cheapest car Mercedes-Benz sells today, or the lesser-appointed C-Class will not impress you.

However, the E-Class would be the excellent stop-gap earlier than you ultimately graduate to the S-Class. Be cautious, nonetheless: You could just like the all-new E-Class a lot that you simply abandon your goals of proudly owning the larger sedan. Here’s why the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is actually nearly as good as a child S-Class.

UPDATE: 2024/02/29 18:00

With the brand new 2024 Mercedes E-Class’s debut in North American dealerships nearing, we evaluate it with its larger and pricier sibling, the S-Class. This replace explores whether or not the E-Class actually is a worthy different to the S-Class, and the way Mercedes could draw extra prospects to its new-gen E-Class.

In order to provide the latest and correct data attainable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Mercedes-Benz and J.D. Power.

Luxury, Exclusivity, And Superior Build Quality Define The S-Class

When you consider a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, you visualize a extremely refined car blasting down the autobahn at excessive pace the place the occupants really feel extra like they’re in some form of fusion of a luxurious liner and jet fighter than a automobile. These famend S-Class qualities of clean journey and quiet cabin partially stem from mass and muscle.

The S-Class’s Interior Oozes Quality And Luxury

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class ideas the scales at shut to five,000 kilos, whereas the muscle is offered by a 496-horsepower 4.0 twin-turbo V-8 or a 429-horsepower turbocharged inline-six. The S-Class AMG S63 E mannequin raises the bar to 791 horsepower. When you climb into an S-Class, its impeccable engineering and luxurious pour into all of your senses. Large contact screens dazzle your eyes. Soft leather-based coddles your physique. Doors shut as in the event that they belong in a financial institution vault as a substitute of a automobile.

The sum of all these points and extra whisper-quiet high quality with such assurance that little doubt stays within the minds of the occupants that they’re in a world-class car. Every bit of this can also be said about the E-Class!

The Base S-Class Is Almost Twice As Expensive As The Equivalent E-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class starts at $114,500, while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class starts at $64,850, with the E-Class AMG traditionally priced a hair lower than the lowest-priced S-Class. It is exceptional that the E-Class, a automobile that prices considerably lower than the S-Class, can now nearly equal and even barely exceed the Mercedes-Benz flagship in most classes.

How The E-Class Embodies The Spirit Of The S-Class

In some methods, the E-Class is so near the S-Class that solely scientific devices can measure the distinction. If you may in some way be blindfolded by the exclusivity and dimension of the S-Class, then get behind the wheel of each vehicles, it’s unlikely you’d be capable of cut up the hairs between these two distinctive luxurious sedans.

The E-Class Matches The S-Class In Several Key Metrics

A great way to grasp how related these two fashions are is to try them by the numbers, that’s, trade score numbers. In nearly each class, the top-of-the-line S-Class and top-of-the-line E-Class are in a useless warmth, in line with each J.D. Power. J.D. Power rates the S-Class 77 and the E-Class 79. The total score of each vehicles is so shut that any jury would contemplate it a tie.

Ratings: E-Class Vs. S-Class

(Souce: J.D. Power)

The solely class the place the S-Class has a transparent higher hand over the E-Class is the J.D. Power driving expertise score of 82 versus 77, whereas the E-Class ekes out a small win with barely greater high quality and reliability. Given the near-equal efficiency of the AMG variant of the E-Class and S-Class, it’s doubtless that in the event that they each have been rated, the AMG fashions can be in useless warmth in all of the listed classes.

The 2024 E-Class Has More Cargo Room Than The S-Class

When evaluating the 2 sedans, apart from exclusivity, dimension appears to be the largest differentiator. The dimension class of a car is decided by inside quantity, not exterior dimensions. A mid-size automobile has 110 to 119.9 cubic toes of quantity, whereas a full-size automobile has over 120 cubic toes of inside quantity. By this normal, the E-Class sedan is a mid-sized automobile, and the S-Class simply barely makes it into the full-sized automobile class.

The 2023 E-Class has 98 cubic toes of most passenger house and 13.1 cubic toes of space for storing within the trunk, which supplies it a complete quantity of 111.1 cubic toes. The all-new 2024 mannequin, which is able to arrive in dealerships within the first quarter of 2024, offers 19 cubic feet in the trunk. Meanwhile, the S-Class has 112 cubic toes of most passenger house and 12.9 cubic feet of storage space in the trunk, which supplies it a complete quantity of 124.9 cubic toes.

The S-Class has 14 extra cubic toes of passenger quantity than the outgoing E-Class. The S-Class will doubtless keep its benefit over the E-Class within the occupant quantity metric, regardless of enhanced legroom and headroom within the new-gen E-Class. However, the 2024 E-Class could have extra cargo capability than its larger, costlier sibling.

How The E-Class Exceeds The S-Class

The 2023 S-Class 580 can go from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. The 2023 E-Class 450 nearly matches the S-Class with a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds. Most drivers can be hard-pressed to really feel or gauge the distinction with out a scientific instrument that measured acceleration.

There’s No Huge Difference In Performance Between The S-Class And E-Class’s High Performance Variants

At the highest of the 2023 E-Class sits the AMG E63 with 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. This brutal quantity of energy comes from a twin-turbo V-8 that transforms this luxurious automobile right into a beast that has been road-tested, hitting 60 MPH in simply 3.0 seconds whereas clawing out a high pace of 186 MPH.

For 2024, Mercedes has not but confirmed any AMG E-Class specs, however there may be little doubt there ought to doubtless be an E-Class AMG, and efficiency can be greater. The massive query is whether or not it is going to be powered by a hybrid inline-six, or the twin-turbo V-8 from the 2023 mannequin. It’s unlikely Mercedes will come out with a slower AMG mannequin in 2024.

At the highest of the S-Class for 2024 is the AMG S63 with 791 horsepower and an insane 1055 pound-feet of torque. All this fury comes from a twin-turbo V-8 that propels the automobile to 60 MPH in 2.8 seconds and a high pace of 155 MPH. The current-gen S-Class is essentially the most potent S-Class of all time, but it surely’s not the good – the W140 S-Class from the 90s is way cooler.

Specifications Comparison

(Specs: Mercedes)

So when you lust for pace and your pockets is fats sufficient, the AMG E-Class and AMG S-Class Mercedes are nearly in a useless warmth with the 2023 AMG E-Class surprisingly popping out of the gate slightly sooner in some street assessments, and the 2024 mannequin could also be sooner nonetheless!

The E-Class Has A More Advanced Infotainment System

Mercedes has not forgotten concerning the excessive tech expertise in terms of the E-Class. While the 2024 S-Class has a normal instrument cluster and touchscreen, the E-Class one-ups its dearer sibling with a major upgrade for 2024, the E-Class SuperScreen. Despite eliciting some negative reviews, the E-Class’s mammoth infotainment system screens are fairly a formidable sight.

This huge touchscreen visually merges a big 14.5-inch central touchscreen with a second 12.3-inch touchscreen for the passenger whereas leaving the instrument cluster as a discrete 12.3-inch show. This provides the E-Class with its SuperScreen a whopping 217.9 sq. inches of display screen house. Almost all controls within the cabin have been changed with the SuperScreen. By distinction, the S-Class has lower than half as a lot lively touchscreen house and no passenger touchscreen in any respect.

A V-8 Powertrain May Make The E-Class More Desirable Than The S-Class

At the second, the confirmed 2024 E-Class powertrains are a turbocharged inline-four and a turbocharged inline-six. Should the AMG E-Class options an inline-six as rumored, it’s going to imply that the E-class lineup in all probability will not characteristic a V-8-powerel. The excellent news is Mercedes may reintroduce the M177 V-8 because the new-gen E-Class ages.

The E-Class V-8s Will Likely Feature Hybrid Technology

Low-displacement engines have confirmed to be simply as efficient in energy manufacturing as high-displacement mills. For occasion, the brand new technology of E-Class autos will characteristic low-displacement, turbocharged engines. The shift has angered ICE diehards of the motoring world, who need automakers to maintain producing loud V-8 engines. Mercedes has signaled that it’ll respond to the pleas of its OG fans by releasing a V-8 powertrain for the E-Class starting with the 2026 model year.

The transfer would improve the E-Class’s fame as a child S-Class, as Merc offers a 4.0-liter V-8 with the larger sedan. The E-Class V-8 powertrain will doubtless characteristic hybrid tech, like many trendy Mercedes-Benz energy models. By providing the E-Class with a V-8, Mercedes could entice prospects nonetheless enamored by massive, loud, high-performance engines.

The 2024 E-Class Is Truly The More Affordable Baby S-Class

Whether you buy a normal E-Class or an AMG model, you might be shopping for a car that in nearly each manner equals the S-Class aside from dimension and exclusivity. Features like air suspension and rear-axle steering, as soon as reserved for the flagship S-Class, may also be had on the brand new E-Class. Starting at $63,200 for the base E-250, you might be additionally saving anyplace from $60,000 to $90,000. This means you may nearly purchase two E-Class Mercedes as a substitute of 1 S-Class.

Price: Mercedes E-Class Vs. S-Class

(Source: Mercedes)

The average new car price within the United States is round $48,000. So, whereas neither the S-Class nor E-Class will be thought of cheap, Mercedes has given beginning to a brand new child S-Class that way more folks can afford to carry dwelling.