2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class W214 Is a Last Hurrah for Stuttgart Tradition

Premium quality and features alongside a nice amount of interior and trunk space make it one of the best sold premium sedans not only on the Old Continent but all over the world, and historically has been the most popular Mercedes-Benz model of the entire range.

With that in mind, the current E-Class is trying hard to keep its roots while looking firmly into the future, which by the looks of it is filled with entirely different cars.

First it was the advent of SUVs, with most customers starting to prefer high-bodied vehicles instead of traditional sedans or station wagons, of which the E-Class sold plenty.

Then came the electric car revolution, which is only at the beginning, albeit Mercedes-Benz already prepared by unveiling the EQE as a standalone EV companion of the E-Class instead of another powertrain version.

That said, “emission-free' idiom is becoming more prevalent in discussions about the future of transportation, and Mercedes-Benz has to take that into account when thinking about where the E-Class (and other traditional sedans) is heading.

Despite the upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations expected to come into force around 2025, the sixth generation of the E-Class will not be a total redesign of the current model.

That means that it will continue to feature internal combustion engines, some of which being likely to trigger some EU fines regarding their emissions after 2025.

Internally codenamed W214, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has only recently started being tested in prototype form on public roads, and its official reveal should happen sometime next year.

Since the pre-production prototypes are currently heavily camouflaged, there isn’t much to talk about regarding its design, but judging by the proportions and visible details, it will have a similar look to the recently launched C-Class W206 and the S-Class W223.

This translates into less creases on the side, pop-up door handles, slimmer headlights and triangle-shaped, wider taillights.

That said, its proportions seem to hark back to older E-Class models, with a more butch instead of sleep approach to its overall look, while the engine grille seems to occupy much more real estate than on the current model.

Inside, lower trim levels should have a similar interior design to the latest C-Class and S-Class, including the large center console touchscreen with haptic feedback. Higher trims or as an option, the so-called Hyperscreen from the EQS could make an appearance.

This will all be made easier by the car using a reworked version of the MRA (Modular Rear-wheel-drive Architecture) platform, which also underpins its smaller and bigger sedan brothers in the lineup.

With the C-Class W206 no longer using engines with more than four cylinders, the E-Class W214 will say no to any mill larger than a 3.0-liter inline-six, although the Mercedes-AMG E 63 is expected to still be loyal to the mighty V8, in this case accompanied by at least two electric motors and arriving in a plug-in hybrid configuration to cut back on emissions.

The entire powertrain lineup will be electrified though, primarily via a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, but hybrid and plug-in hybrids with increased EV range are to be available as well.

Diesel versions aren’t dead either, with the recent modular inline-four and inline-six engines having been developed with future emission regulations in mind, so they should be easily modified to comply.

The model will also get a T-Modell (station wagon), although it is likely the last time such a version will be offered considering how global sales for wagons are going currently.

Speaking of which, the entire sixth-generation E-Class is expected to be the last of its kind, with the future still being foggy about where the nameplate is heading. There is also a distinct possibility that the EQE and the E-Class might merge into a single model after 2030, but until and if that happens, the W214 will be a familiar entry in its segment.