Mercedes E-Class (2016-2023) review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

The E-Class is a full five-seater, and although the transmission tunnel restricts room in the middle slightly, the E-Class still offers enough space for five fully grown adults on shorter journeys. That’s thanks to the comfortable seats and, for the driver and front passenger, plenty of adjustment.

A softer chassis setup compared to rivals means the E-Class focuses on comfort more than sportiness, floating nicely over rippled roads. However, the big body and chunky C-pillars mean rear visibility over the shoulder isn’t the best – but with features like blind spot assist available, there’s enough safety tech to help out here.

That enlarged body means there’s lots of room inside, so the E-Class offers good storage. A deep central cubby between the front seats gives lots of space to stow items, while a large trinket tray in front of the multimedia controller gives a place to put mobile phones – in fact, this is where the wireless charging option is located if specified.

Decent sized door bins that run the length of the doors and a large glovebox give some extra storage, too.

Size

As mentioned, the E-Class has grown compared to its predecessor, so this new model is now 43mm longer than before at 4.9m.

Despite the space inside this fifth-generation E-Class is actually now narrower and shorter too, showing how Mercedes has cleverly optimised the layout inside to maximise passenger room and comfort.

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It’s a similar length to all of its main rivals, with the Jaguar XF, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 also all hovering around the 4.9m mark, but with a reversing camera as standard and an optional 360-degree monitor available, the E-Class should be easy to manoeuvre.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

The E-Class’ wheelbase has grown by 65mm, meaning more room between the axles for passengers – and you can feel this inside.

Legroom is good, and the practical roofline means even taller adults won’t suffer when it comes to headroom in the rear. Three big adults in the rear might feel a little tight, but it’s fine for shorter journeys.

Boot

A 540-litre boot puts the E-Class on a par with the Jaguar XF, making it the joint class leader. This is also 10 litres more than an A6 and 5 Series, while the square shape means you can make the most of the E-Class’ load bay.

Saloons aren’t normally the most practical models when it comes to swallowing luggage, as large hatchbacks generally offer a bigger opening.

However, the E-Class’ boot lid rises high out of the way and reveals a big aperture, so although there is a small loading lip to contend with, the Mercedes still offers enough flexibility.

It’s worth noting that the battery pack in the E 300 e and E 300 de does eat into boot space compared to the conventionally-powered models. Around 150-litres is lost overall, which is a sizeable chunk.

The rear seats split-fold in a 40:20:40 configuration for extra practicality when carrying longer loads, while this also increases overall luggage volume.

Towing

All E-Class models have a 2,100kg maximum braked towing capacity, with the exception of the E 200 petrol version which has a 1,900kg restriction.