From more than 15 feet away, only diehard M-B fans will be able to tell the 11th gen apart from its predecessors. Seemingly effortless lines flow from the revamped grille up front, which features tri-point logos, then aerodynamically over the long hood and side panels all the way to a narrow light bar at the tail.
Pulling open the textural door handles — which, as on the EQE electric sedan, automatically pop out and retract — reveals a calm and coherent interior replete with quilted leather, exposed wood trim, and patterned aluminum. A few details, including the seashell pattern of the upholstery, lean towards the more nautical theme of the EQ lineup, but overall the aesthetic builds on design cues that made the GLC SUV so sumptuous.
The seats themselves live right up to Mercedes levels of comfort, though as new on the firmer side, may need some time to break in and soften up, including the fore and aft-adjustable headrests. Throughout, plenty of headroom, legroom, and even the often-overlooked volume for elbows to spread out onto armrests make the E-Class easy to relax within. And the trunk only loses a few cubic feet of volume versus the outgoing gen, despite all the additional accouterments.
