2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Proves Some Things Shouldn’t Be Messed With

Some things are best left untouched. Heinz Ketchup. Hellmann’s mayonnaise. McDonald’s cheeseburger. You just know what to expect from these names. Doesn’t it feel great to know that each time you flock back towards them, they always taste the same? Sure, there are copies. And those copies are sometimes rather great. But nothing beats the original. You just can’t reinvent a good recipe.

The Mercedes E-Class is one such object that can’t be messed with. By definition, an E-Class should be comfortable, luxurious – but not too much – spacious, quiet, smooth, technologically sophisticated, but also athletic, and always respectfully quick.

Yet, in recent years, it feels like Mercedes has somewhat lost its way in the art of building the quintessential midsize luxury sedan. By not staying true to its roots in an attempt to reinvent itself, the previous generation had become stale, clumsy, overly complex and, well, not all that luxurious. Obviously, someone in Stuttgart noticed and ordered a return to form. Because the latest E-Class has finally recaptured the magic of its ancestors. And the E450 is the one to get.

The E450 pictured here is a press unit that belongs to the Mercedes-Benz Canada press office. The vehicle was picked up clean and with a full tank of gas. For detailed insight into testing procedures and data collection, please review our methodology policy.

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Exterior: Elegant, Understated And Purposeful

The untrained eye might think that the new E-Class is unchanged, but that’s precisely what defines a great Mercedes-Benz: it evolves rather than reinventing itself. In that respect, the new car is definitely a continuation of its predecessors. The car’s dimensions are only slightly different, with a wheelbase that’s just under an inch longer, which improves rear legroom, the carmaker says. Visually, it’s the classy and understated look we’ve come to appreciate from this nameplate, although I’m still not sold on its schnoz. From some angles, the big prominent grille, which sticks out of the otherwise clean front fascia, reminds me of a pig’s nose.

Verde Silver Metallic, the name of my tester’s paint color, is absolutely gorgeous, giving the E450 a clean, young, and refreshing presence. It also contrasts beautifully with the optional, 20-inch AMG multispoke wheels. The taillights have this neat triangular design element in their LED illumination, adding to the car’s more modern presence. But I personally dislike the large, fake exhaust tips. I do believe that the E450 would have at least deserved a muffler-less rear end, no? Overall, though, the E450 is beautiful.

Exterior Dimensions

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

On both sides of the border, Mercedes sells essentially the same E-Class, except Canada doesn’t get the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive E350. All E-Classes sold north of the border come standard with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, which effectively deletes that model. For the E450, however, it’s very much identical for each market, with the same number of available colors. But the U.S. gets ten choices of wheels, while Canada only gets six. American cars also offer more options and packages.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown (model tested in bold)

Driving Impressions And Performance: Smooth And Comfortable, Yet Also Quick And Dynamic

You know, it’s rare that I put a Mercedes ahead of a BMW in terms of driving dynamics, but with the E450, Mercedes may have just beaten BMW at its own game. There’s a level of substance in the way this car drives that makes it feel like a highly sophisticated machine. It’s so well sorted out, that it actually makes you feel better after a long drive. This is precisely what we should expect from an E-Class.

There are several minute details that allow the E450 to truly shine brighter than BMW’s latest 5 Series, at least, dynamically. For starters, the seating position is downright perfect. In an era where most new cars are fitted with hefty, complicated dashboards that hinder forward visibility, the E-Class’ disappears underneath you as you always have a commanding view of the road.

The car also always feels light on its feet and easy to drive. There’s a sense of fluidity in the way it behaves, the way it glides over beaten roads. Yet, the E450 is also tremendously agile. I had it during a hefty snowstorm and the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system never failed to provide grip on the slippery stuff. Point the E450 where you need it to go on a fresh batch of the white stuff, and it gracefully kicks out the rear and instantly lurches forward with absolute precision. It’s never intimidating but, rather, always engaging. The steering wheel is perfectly weighted. Direct, quick-reacting. And the entire chassis appears to have been tuned by the handling Gods themselves.

But it’s the E450’s engine that acts as the centerpiece of its greatness. It’s a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six mated to 48-volt mild hybrid technology. It’s good for a stout 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Horsepower is identical to a 540i, actually, but the BMW puts down 29 more lb-ft. It also weighs about 200 pounds more. Yet, on paper, the E450 is a tad slower than its main rival to 60 MPH, completing the stint in 4.4 seconds versus four seconds flat for the BMW.

But numbers don’t tell the E450’s full story. The power is still relentless, immensely refined, and flexible, while the nine-speed automatic transmission quietly shuffles gears in the background. It’s so discrete, that you’d swear it was a one-speed unit. When combining this overachieving powerplant with the exquisite chassis, you end up with a luxury sedan that’s more than the sum of its parts. The E450 has substance. It moves with grace, picks itself up with minimal lag, and will embarrass some high-performance sports cars in the process.

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Technical Specifications

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Fuel Consumption

The EPA rates the E450 4MATIC at 25 MPG combined. What’s particularly interesting about that number is that it’s only two MPG less than the four-cylinder E350 4MATIC, a car that pumps out a full 120 horsepower less. Furthermore, even if I was driving the E450 in frigid cold winter weather, I recorded an impressive 24.5 MPG combined after a full week of driving.

EPA And As Tested Fuel Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort: Gracefully Comfortable, Spacious, And Well Appointed

A good E-Class should be comfortable and luxurious, but should also flex these muscles with absolute discretion. The E450 definitely looks great inside, and its thick leather seats are supportive, and comfortable, and hold you firmly in place when pushing the car to its limits. It’s also built like a rock, consistently feeling hyper solid at every crack in the road. It’s quiet, too, isolating you from unwanted road noise.

More importantly, its cabin is absent of unwanted bling or excess. I continue to believe that Mercedes should roll back to premium-looking, well-crafted analog gauges instead of a screen-intensive dashboard. I personally find it looks tacky and cheap (more on the screens later), and that it won’t age well. But the layout of the love-it-or-hate-it Hyperscreen setup is well integrated into the E-Class’ otherwise lovely dashboard design. There’s a neat wood surface on the center console that evokes a vintage speed boat, while the Burmeister speaker grilles continuously remind you that you’re sitting inside something expensive.

The rear seating area is not bad either. The seatbacks themselves have this neat curve inside them to further improve comfort. Rear leg and headroom are perfect for adults. Even the retractable cupholders look and feel of exquisite quality from the way they elegantly click open.

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use: Several New (And Questionable) Gimmicks, And An All-Seeing Camera

The new E-Class tries to reinvent itself from a technological standpoint, but doesn’t exactly succeed. Actually, Mercedes crammed the MBUX infotainment system with toys and gimmicks, as well as social media apps like TikTok to keep the kids happy. But it rather comes through as a bit useless. There’s also a camera that sticks out of the dashboard like a wart. Mercedes says it’s there to monitor driver fatigue as well as other essential facial parameters related to autonomous driving. Mercedes took advantage of this camera to go a step further by offering the ability to take photos of you and your passengers, as well as add filters for fun. I mean, sure. But, why?

The rest of the technology is Mercedes’ familiar MBUX system, which, in this case, thanks to the fact that Hyperscreen surfaces the entire dashboard, is composed of no less than three screens. There’s one in the center for the infotainment system. One to the right, in front of the front passenger, allows them to manipulate some of the car’s vital functions like audio. And another one that acts as a digital instrument cluster for the driver. Each screen can be independently operated and customized, but their main display settings are adjusted via the main central screen.

Generally speaking, MBUX is fluid, quick to respond, and attractive to look at. You can navigate it using either classic touch controls haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel. But their effectiveness is still a hit-or-miss affair. You can also talk to your car using the “Hey Mercedes” voice prompt, but that too is never all that reliable. All in all, the E450’s technology is user-friendly, but the added toys are all but superficial.

Cargo And Storage Space: Could Be Better

While the E-Class offers more than enough passenger room inside, it’s not exactly a cargo space champion. Its trunk is considerably smaller than both a BMW 5 Series (18.4 cu-ft) and an Audi A6 (13.7 cu-ft). As a matter of fact, even a Honda Civic (14.8 cu-ft) offers more cargo space than this E-Class.

2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 Cargo Space

It’s So Good

I’ve rarely gotten out of a car feeling better about myself after a long drive, but the 2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 is such a car. It’s just a lovely luxury sedan, and the embodiment of what the German luxury brands do best. This really proves that, sometimes, it’s best to not fiddle with a winning formula.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Mercedes focused on non-negotiables for its latest midsizer. And it paid off. The E450 is wonderfully well put together. It’s quick off the line. It rides like a magic carpet at highway speeds, yet carves its way through an apex with ease. And its voluptuous interior is as inviting as a Scandinavian spa. Like biting through a sandwich smothered with real mayonnaise, it feels fantastic to drive an E-Class that feels like a true Benz again.