LIKES
- Great tech
- Updated looks
- Off-road wagon, finally
- Great inline-6 powertrain
- Many, many options...
DISLIKES
- ...and none of them are cheap
- How long will the plug-in hybrid go?
- Synthetic leather in a $60,000 car?
- Not much is new outside
BUYING TIP
Made as a sedan, wagon, coupe, and convertible with four different powertrains, the 2021 Mercedes E-Class has wide appeal.
What kind of vehicle is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class? What does it compare to?
A better question might be, “What isn’t the E-Class?” It is not a crossover SUV. Refreshed for 2021, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes as a coupe, convertible, mid-size sedan, and finally in the U.S., the All-Terrain wagon. It compares to the Volvo S90 sedan and V90 wagon, the Audi A6 sedan and Allroad wagon or A7 hatchback, and the BMW 5-Series or, more aspirationally, the Porsche Panamera.
Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class a good car?
Yes. Based on the sedan’s classic style, improved performance and efficiency, excellent safety scorecard, overall comfort, and cutting-edge technology, the E-Class represents one of our top tier ratings with a TCC Rating of 7.8 out of 10.That it can be had in so many different ways only adds to its appeal.
What's new for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
A modestly refreshed exterior with new light signatures and different bumpers underscore the big changes happening under the hood. The E450 and AMG E53 use a turbo inline-6 with a mild-hybrid system that simultaneously boosts power and increases efficiency to 26 mpg combined, in most models. The All-Terrain wagon has finally arrived in the U.S. as the prescription for all the crossover woes.
Inside, a wall of screens including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen highlight the interior upgrades. The touchpad is still there, and the steering wheel gets new capacitive touch controls that aren’t as accurate as the outgoing model’s thumb pads. Accessing all the vehicle info in either screen is made easy with excellent natural voice commands, or by using the touchscreen, touchpad, or steering wheel controls. One of the coolest options amid all the tech upgrades is augmented video for navigation that is far better than the Google maps that can be accessed with standard smartphone compatibility.
The E-Class is as quick as it is comfy, with 0-60 mph times ranging from 6.0 seconds to nearly half that in the AMG E63. The coupe looks the best, the cabriolet rewards buyers with open-air freedom, the wagon offers all the versatility of an SUV with none of the driving dullness, and the sedan epitomizes all that’s good about Mercedes-Benz.
A wealth of standard safety and convenience features make the E-Class a luxury value, but options ranging from massaging seats to a rocking Burmester sound system elevate the E-Class to the top of the class.
How much does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cost?
The price spectrum stretches over many styles and several powertrains. We did deeper in the performance section, but the E350 sedan starts at $55,300 and the AMG E63 sedan tops the E-Class at $108,550. We like the E450 with standard all-wheel drive and an efficiently powerful 362-horsepower 3.0-liter inline turbo-6.
Where is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class made?
The sedan and wagon are made in Sindelfinger, Germany. The coupe and cabriolet are made in Bremen, Germany.
Styling
The 2021 Mercedes E-Class is a class act in any body style.
Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class a good-looking car?
It’s a good-looking coupe, convertible, sedan, and wagon, but it really shines on the inside. It’s an 8.
The easiest area to spot the changes in the 2021 model is at the rear, where slimmer taillights oversee a new bumper and deck lid. The lower front bumper is also modified with blockier air intakes, and new standard LED headlight design. The front grille has a single bar crossing that forms a crosshair with the big tri-star. The chrome pins that make up the rest of the grille on the sedan, coupe, and cabriolet almost looks like it's moving, or at least evocative of movement.
Inside the twin 12.3-inch screens form one continuous stretch of glass across the cabin. The hallmark circular vents below it can be embedded in dash trim of gray ash or walnut wood. Black, carbon fiber, and metallic elements trim the AMG models, but the synthetic leather upholstery in the E350 and E450 eschews dark for creamier tones.
Few automakers do interiors as nicely and comfortably as Mercedes. The only misstep is the insistence on gloss black plastic all over the center console.
Performance
With four models and four powertrains, the E-Class can be had any way you want it.
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz starts with a potent turbo-4 with rear-wheel drive then climbs the performance ladder up to the AMG V-8 champ. The sedan comes as an E350, E450, AMG E53, or AMG E63. The wagon and coupe come as an E450, while the cabriolet can be an E450 or an E53. Variable drive modes and an optional air suspension balance prodigious power with refined comfort. It’s an 8 for its sublime handling and the base E350’s quickness. If rated separately, AMG models would get a 9.
Is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4WD?
Initially, no, but mostly, yes. The base E350 sedan and E450 coupe and cabriolet start with rear-wheel drive but can be optioned with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system for $2,500 more. All AMG models and the All Terrain E450 wagon come standard with all-wheel drive. A quick-shifting 9-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted paddle shifters shuttles the power regardless of engine, but the AMG E63 has a wet multi-plate clutch for even more responsiveness and a double-clutch feature when downshifting.
Even the E350 and its 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 and all-wheel drive can go 0-60 mph in 6.0 seconds, according to Mercedes. If that doesn’t cut it, the E450 for $5,250 more should do the job.
At $63,050 it hits the sweet spot for us with performance and features, and is the model we’d recommend. The coupe is $65,000; the convertible $73,000. We fancy the wagon’s versatile functionality, too, despite the additional $5,600. The extra weight and boxy rear take 0.2 seconds longer to reach 60 mph than the sedan and coupe, which do it in 4.9 seconds.
Both the E450 and AMG 53 use a 3.0-liter inline turbo-6 with a mild-hybrid motor system called EQ boost that actually helps with propulsion off the line, not just as a larger battery to take the electrical load off the engine. Mercedes says it adds up to 21 hp and 184 pound-feet of torque for 362 hp and 369 lb-ft of total output in the E450, and 429 hp and 384 lb-ft in the AMG E53. For $74,950, the E53 hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, but it’s not the quickest E-Class. The 603-hp AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the AMG E63 rockets to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. We look forward to testing that $108,550 beauty when it arrives late in 2020.
The wagon rides an inch higher and weighs about 300 pounds more than the sedan, and has a 5.8-inch ground clearance compared to less than 4 inches in the sedan. It’s understandably not as agile, but the available power is thoroughly satisfying.
The sedan has precise steering and sharp handling courtesy of an independent suspension with adaptive dampers on all but the E350. An air suspension available on the E350 and E450 and standard on the wagon, convertible, and AMG models softens the ride while cruising but firms up for more spirited driving to reduce body roll.
The power of the AMG E53 comes on so smoothly that it doesn’t feel as quick as it is. It’s track-capable but doesn’t have the upgraded brakes and cooling to make it as reliable as the E63.
Comfort & Quality
The E-Class fits four in posh comfort.
The E-Class is spacious as a sedan, with decent trunk space upgradable to SUV-like cargo volume in the All-Terrain wagon. The coupe and cabriolet have rear seats that could fit a young family of four, but the front seats provide plenty of room for heads, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
It’s an 8 based on the E350. The cargo storage in the All-Terrain would bump it to a 9. The coupe and cab would be a 7.
The steering column on the E-Class feels like it’s a tad off center to the right, but it feels normal after a few drives. The power-adjustable heated front seats with memory have significant side bolsters and long bottoms for max comfort, but leather only comes standard on the cabriolet and AMG E63. An available hot massager breaks up long road trips, and an adaptive driver’s seat can be programmed by entering in the driver’s height, then the system sets the ideal position and the driver can tweak the inputs. The sedan and wagon can fit three in back with more than 36 inches of leg room, though two rear passengers will be less likely to bicker.
The wagon’s jump seat is a good approximation of the rear seats in the cabriolet. It has 34.1 inches of leg room, and more than eight inches less shoulder room than the sedan. The trunk only holds 9.5 cubic feet; the coupe holds only half a foot more stuff, good for that extra shoebox.
The coupe’s a bit more reasonable for four for a jaunt around town. Leg room is only a tad tighter than the sedan at 35.9 inches, but there’s about a half-foot less shoulder room and more than an inch less head room.
Safety
Perfect crash-test scores and excellent standard safety features protect the E-Class.
How safe is the E-Class?
E-Class safety is as good as it gets. Last year, the IIHS awarded the sedan a Top Safety Pick, and the NHTSA gave it a five-star rating. A full suite of standard safety features complement an extensive options list, and the outward vision is good in the sedan, and great in the All-Terrain wagon. Not so much for the coupe and only with the top down in the convertible. For the sedan, it’s a 10.
New front and rear bumpers shouldn’t impact the structural integrity of the E-Class, so we’re not expecting the 2021 to get crash tested again.
Optional features include just about everything, from a surround-view camera system to a Driver Assistance package that bundles adaptive cruise control that can slow and speed up based on curves, junctions, toll booths and other map data; an active stop-and-go system that can stop in heavy traffic then restart and go up to 35 mph as well as keep the car centered in the lane without driver intervention; a front cross-traffic braking system to avoid getting T-boned or hitting cyclists or pedestrians coming out of a blindspot; and hands-free driving for up to one minute, if all the conditions are right.
Features
Loaded with standard features, the E-Class isn’t that expensive without AMG models or all the options.
Either the E-Class keeps getting better equipped or other luxury cars keep getting more expensive. Make no mistake, Mercedes charges plenty for the E-Class, but with all the features and refinements, it’s worth it. At least before the temptation of options and AMG variants.
Every E-Class comes with 18-inch wheels, twin 12.3-inch screens, smartphone compatibility software, keyless start and entry, heated power front seats with synthetic leather upholstery, and ambient lighting for about $56,000 to start with the E350.
A new generation of natural voice controls awakened by “Hey Mercedes” helps search and navigation, as well as in-car functions.
It gets an 8, with a point each for good standard features, good infotainment, and a wealth of options. Its 4-year/50,000-mile warranty just misses another point for not including any scheduled maintenance, unlike some other luxury makes.
Which E-Class should I buy?
Whichever way you want it.
But, for the interior space of a crossover SUV with the performance of a sedan, the All-Terrain wagon has all the features of the E450 plus the space. It costs $68,650.
In the other direction, the coupe and cabriolet also come standard as an E450 with available all-wheel drive for $2,500 more. They and the E53 and E63 come with an upgraded flat-bottom steering wheel with a sensor mat wrapped around the inside so when the adaptive cruise is activated the driver need only tap the wheel to let the system know all is well.
Aside from a power retractable soft-top roof that can go up or down in 20 seconds at speeds of up to 30 mph, the $73,000 cabriolet comes with a wind deflector between the rear headrests that limits wind buffeting and turbulence, as well as an “Airscarf” heater at neck level for front riders.This would be a welcome feature for solid roofs, too. The available sun-reflecting leather with a special coating that Mercedes says stays 55 degrees cooler than untreated leather.
Options are too plentiful to list, from massaging seats to the AMG carbon-fiber package. The augmented video for navigation is noteworthy. Pull up to a stoplight and the front camera projects onto the 12.3-inch screen. With navigation set, it will show a direction arrow over the intersection as well as the name of the street. It even shows the addresses of houses and buildings. It’s really helpful at night.
How much is a fully loaded 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
The 2021 AMG E63 S Sedan tops the lineup at $108,550 with its 603-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, air suspension, electronic limited-slip differential, and more. Tack on a Burmester sound system ($4,550), an AMG carbon ceramic braking system ($8,950) and it can easily eclipse $130,000.
Fuel Economy
The many variants of the E-Class average about 25 mpg combined.
Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class good on gas?
Yes. In an odd reversal, the 450 with the larger turbo-6 engine with the mild-hybrid system and standard all-wheel drive is slightly more efficient than the turbo-4 in the 350 with rear-wheel drive. The 2021 E450 gets an EPA-rated 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 26 combined. That’s 3 mpg combined better than last year’s E450. It’s a 5 in this category.
The E450 coupe tops the E-Class efficiency scale at 23/31/26 mpg; all-wheel drive loses 1 mpg highway and combined, same as the 23/30/25-mpg rating for the E450 cabriolet.
The AMG E53 sedan with all-wheel drive nets 22/29/25 mpg, but the coupe loses 1 mpg and the convertible loses 1 mpg more as the least efficient of all the E-Classes at 21/27/23 mpg.
The E450 All-Terrain wagon with the turbo-6 and all-wheel drive outdoes crossover SUVs with a 22/28/24-mpg rating.
We don’t have figures yet for the E63 S sedan and wagon, but it won’t be more efficient than any of these.
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