Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2016-2023) review

This side of a Porsche 911 configurator – or perhaps the main menu of Netflix – it’s tough to think of somewhere you’d find more choice than a Mercedes E-Class brochure. Prices start at a tickle under £40k. In early 2021 we found a previous UK best-seller, the E220d AMG-line, was around £600 per month, while the E300de hybrid was coming in at just £530 a month.

The standard UK trimline is Sport, with apologetic taxi-spec bumpers and castor-like 17-inch aero wheels on pleasingly balloon-ish tyres giving the E-Class all the visual clout of a Marks and Spencer suit. It’s well-stocked with kit though: climate control, cruise control, four-way electric leather seats, keyless go, the MBUX suite of tech and blind-spot nanny are all standard. Each and every E-Class, predictably, uses a nine-speed automatic gearbox. 4Matic all-wheel drive is fitted on the E300d, the E450 and the E53 – you can’t spec it on the lower-powered engines.

Upping an E220d from Sport to AMG-line costs an extra £2,500, but is probably worth it for the bodykit – it makes the E-Class exactly forty per cent less bar-of-soapy to look at. You’re also treated to 18-inch rims, cleverer all-LED lights, tinted glass and tri-zone climate control.

Above that sits AMG-line Premium: another two grand on the sticker price, but marked out by 19-inch rims, keyless entry, 360-view cameras (handy for parking) and an ‘augmented reality’ function which displays nav directions on a real-time exterior view. We tend to find it a bit distracting – you’re better off with a head-up display at a tricky intersection.

The final boss tri level is the preposterously named AMG-line Night Edition Premium Plus. Luckily, there’s no badge to tell anyone that – it’d take up half the bootlid. Instead the ALNEPP announces its presence with 20-inch rims, darkened exterior trim, a stupendous Burmester hi-fi with some of the prettiest speaker grilles we’ve ever seen in any car, and memory-adjustable seats.

The biggest carrot for upgrading all the way to the Silly LongName trim is the optionally available £1,695 assisted driving pack, which adds in everything Mercedes currently knows and is willing to sell when it comes to self-driving cars. It’s a really cleverly integrated system, allowing gentle assistance on motorways and in town but with no pretence of being a self-driving car. Because they don’t exist, whatever Tesla disciples argue.