Anybody hoping Merc’s ‘bridge mannequin’ technique means the E-Class’s inside stays conventional will probably be disillusioned: our Superscreen-equipped check automotive is wall-to-wall display screen, however the MBUX system is no less than among the finest for usability.

A lot of the interface is identical as in different current Mercedes, so virtually all the pieces is managed by a big display screen, with a row of bodily shortcut buttons that give entry to driving modes and automobile settings.

The superior voice management can activate lesser-used capabilities that will in any other case require a trawl by means of menus, or you may simply say “Hey Mercedes, set temper lighting to yellow” in a single go somewhat than ready for it to acknowledge you.

The place the consumer expertise took a startling step backwards is with the local weather controls. In different Mercedes the temperature and fan controls are completely on the display screen, however right here it’s a must to open a menu first. The format does not save display screen area (not that it must) and is more durable to make use of.

We have criticized some current Mercedes fashions for his or her inside high quality, however this E-Class appears to buck the development, if not utterly reverse it. Most issues really feel solidly constructed and the supplies are nice.

For an ICE-powered saloon, it is also fairly sensible. Having the gear selector on the steering column leaves the lengthy heart console free for storage, and the carpeted door bins are fairly massive.

In a world of EVs, rear legroom in a longitudinally pushed exec saloon might be disappointing. Nonetheless, there may be barely extra right here than within the new 5 Collection, and headroom is plentiful even for tall adults. The trunk is 20 liters bigger than that of the BMW 520i. In case you select one of many plug-in hybrid E-Class variations, nevertheless, you are in for a shock, because the battery eats up 170 liters of area. The ground stays flat, however you lose lots of peak.

We’ll select the property anyway. It will get 50mm extra headroom within the rear seats, and loads of room for the canine. The rear seats fold flat with digital launch however tons within the trunk, and the bags cowl routinely lifts whenever you open the tailgate. Plug-in hybrid variations endure from the identical downside because the saloon, nevertheless it will not be as noticeable. The boot is not fairly as cavernous as Mercedes wagons of yore (in truth, they don’t seem to be as commodious as Skoda’s Octavia or Excellent Estates), however there’s 615 liters of area to play with, stretching to 1830 liters with the rear bench lowered.

Multimedia system

Mercedes’ MBUX interface has been with us for just a few years now. It has at all times distinguished itself with its ‘zero-layer’ idea, which locations navigation, media controls and often used capabilities completely on the house display screen in order that none of them require any menu diving to work.

We seen within the ‘Inside’ part (see reverse) that the local weather controls sadly went rogue and fell again right into a menu, however apart from that the remainder principally works as earlier than.

The navigation is evident and straightforward to program, and whereas the augmented actuality function is not notably helpful, it is no less than simply turned off. Telephone mirroring is effectively built-in and can be utilized wirelessly or wired.

Capabilities are more and more linked to a Mercedes Me account. Our check automotive wasn’t arrange correctly, so we did not expertise the complete performance of the navigation’s visitors data or voice management. This would possibly not be an issue for many homeowners, nevertheless it nonetheless looks like an pointless complication that these capabilities will not work correctly on the ‘visitor’ profile.