10,000 Miles with Our 2026 Mercedes-Benz E450, and the Love Bombing Continues

If you were friends with our long-term Mercedes-Benz E450, and it was in a relationship with someone like us, you’d be no doubt cautioning your friend about our love bombing. The logbook is stuffed, page after page, with over-the-top praise. Here’s a smattering of some recent musings: “Arguably the most comfortable long-termer we’ve ever had,” says managing news editor Eric Stafford. Senior news editor Caleb Miller added, “The E450 just feels so effortless and relaxing that I feel like I could drive across the country in one day in this thing.” And Miller also gave a shoutout to the 21-speaker Burmester sound system. Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga, who is known to sign out the E-class for extended chunks of time, adds, “Makes you feel so relaxed when you drive it—supple ride, glorious seats, rich interior, plus summer-tire grip.” But Buyer’s Guide director Rich Ceppos may have bestowed the highest praise: “Of the 500-plus models we cover, if I had to pick one car to live with and drive every day, it’d be this one.”

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It’s safe to say we’re smitten with the way the E-class drives, an ideal blend of comfort and liveliness. If we had one nit to pick it would be the slight impact harshness from the 20-inch wheels and tires and their relatively shallow sidewalls. We’d probably like the ride better with the base 18-inch wheel-and-tire package and its additional sidewall, although it’s a major visual downgrade.

The E450 drives so well, and its 375-hp turbo inline-six is so smooth and melodious, that we’d be more than willing to overlook so-so fuel economy. But the E-class continues to impress there, too, with an overall average of 27 mpg, one better than its EPA combined figure. And that’s with a lot of heavy-footed commuting and not all that many road trips. On longer drives, we’ve seen well over 30 mpg.

Fall’s cooler temperatures have us in a warm glow about the E450’s not only heated steering wheel and seats (both pretty common nowadays) but also the heated center and outboard armrests, part of the $2950 Multicontour Seating package—decadent, perhaps, but a lovely way to start your commute on a chilly morning.

Our primary complaints tend to be about anything but the driving, including the touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, the door handles that sometimes don’t power out of the body quick enough, or the fingerprint-prone piano-black interior trim and vast array of three screens across the interior. We’ve also gotten plenty cross with the virtual assistant, which chimes in with obnoxious frequency if left to its automatic setting, interrupting conversations about everything from building developments in the area to the price of an item discussed. We quickly switched it back to having to hear the “Hey, Mercedes” wake phrase before inserting itself.

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You know the honeymoon phase is waning when it comes time to start paying for maintenance. Mercedes specifies service for the E-class every 10,000 miles or 12 months, with the first one a simple oil change and various inspections. We felt the Mercedes markup paying that $478 bill, and our local dealer added another $62 of oil and fuel additives that aren’t called for in the owner’s manual and without asking our approval (we’ve excluded this charge from the service-cost tally).

The only other pause in the enjoyment of our E450 was when a screw found its way into the right-front tire in a spot where it couldn’t be plugged. So, we had to shell out $420 for a new tire from Tire Rack, which was there the next day.

Can the love last? We have another 30,000 miles to find out.

Months in Fleet: 5 months Current Mileage: 11,134 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 17.4 gal Observed Fuel Range: 460 miles
Service: $478 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $420

Introduction

Ever since this long-term 2026 Mercedes-Benz E450 arrived, it has served us daily reminders why we named this excellent luxury sedan to our 10Best list for two years running. Some of that luxury comes from the fact that we could not drive the car in any other way, because it showed up with a mere 20 miles on its odometer and we were driving gently to follow the 1000-mile break-in requirements. Either way, its ride refinement and all-around sophistication have received continuous accolades since day one. Everyone in the office is already gushing over the E-class's ride quality, refinement, and seat comfort.

Of course, once we hit the 1000-mile mark, we picked up the pace. The around-town ride feels almost floaty, so you'd think that hurling it down a back road would take the E450 out of its element, but it remains tied down and settled no matter how hard you push. Skidpad grip of 0.92 g is excellent for the class, as is braking from 70 mph in 157 feet, which is an identical result to the last BMW M5 we tested.

The E450's inline-six, which pairs exclusively with all-wheel drive and is a $5900 upgrade over the four-cylinder-powered E350, is not only smooth and sonorous, but also extraordinarily fuel efficient. We measured a whopping 39 mpg in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, which is 6 mpg better than its EPA highway figure. Combined with a decently sized 17.4-gallon fuel tank, that means our E-class can make it nearly 700 miles on a single fill-up. The E450 returns excellent fuel economy beyond purposefully gentle driving too; our current running average of 27 mpg is 1 mpg higher than its EPA combined rating. Considering the straight-line hustle the 375-hp six commands—60 mph in a brisk 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds—that fuel economy is seriously impressive.

But the steering wheel's touch-sensitive controls are despised as much as the car's overall driving demeanor is loved. Everything from the volume control to the cruise set speed requires a swipe on the steering-wheel spokes, which sometimes does nothing, sometimes provides more adjustment than you're looking for, and rarely does exactly what you want.

Our long-term E450 is packed full of options, taking the price up to $95,375 from its $73,650 starting point. There are a few things that the majority of us could do without, including the front passenger screen and selfie camera (part of the $1500 Superscreen package) and the $990 3-D gauge cluster display. But the $3400 Pinnacle trim, which includes a thumpin' 21-speaker Burmester stereo, and the $3200 air springs that bolster ride quality are outlays that we'd spend our own money on. We also thought ahead to winter; tucked into the various option packages are heaters for the front armrests, steering wheel, rear seats, and washer nozzles. There's really only one feature that we wish we had, and that's soft-close doors, which cost an additional $550. We're fans of the Verde Silver Metallic green paint, and the $1950 20-inch AMG multi-spoke wheels are a serious visual upgrade over the base 18s.

The E-class is not at all ostentatious, but it still gets noticed, with many a parking-lot bystander lobbing praise in the E-class's direction. We agree, it's a fantastic luxury sedan, and we look forward to spending a lot more time driving it to see if we're as smitten with the ownership experience.

Months in Fleet: 2 months Current Mileage: 5436 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 17.4 gal Observed Fuel Range: 460 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $0

2026 Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $73,650/$95,375
Options: Pinnacle trim (Burmester stereo, insulated glass, illuminated grille), $3400; Airmatic suspension (air springs, 4.5-degree rear steering), $3200; black nappa leather, $2990; Multicontour Seating package (massaging and ventilated front seats, heated front armrests), $2950; Driver Assistance package (lane-keep assist, active steering assist, adaptive cruise control), $1950; 20-inch AMG wheels, $1950; Superscreen package (includes front passenger display and selfie camera), $1500; Digital Light package, $990; 3-D gauge cluster, $990; heated rear seats, $500; Winter package (heated steering wheel and windshield washers), $450; Leather package (upper dash trim in nappa grain), $350; additional USB ports, $300; locking lug nuts, $170; first-aid kit, $35

ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2999 cm3
Power: 375 hp @ 6100 rpm
Torque: 369 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 14.6-in vented, cross-drilled disc/14.2-in vented disc
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4
F: 245/40R-20 99Y ★ MO
R: 275/35R-20 102Y ★ MO

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.6 in
Length: 194.9 in
Width: 74.0 in
Height: 57.9 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 58/47 ft3
Trunk Volume: 13 ft3
Curb Weight: 4468 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS: NEW
60 mph: 4.5 sec
100 mph: 10.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 12.9 sec @ 109 mph
130 mph: 20.4 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.0 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.5 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 157 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 317 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.92 g

Interior Sound
Idle: 37 dBA/2 sone
Full Throttle: 74 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 68 dBA/22 sone

C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 27 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 39 mpg
75-mph Highway Range: 670 mi
Unscheduled Oil Additions: 0 qt

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 26/23/33 mpg

WARRANTY
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper
4 years/50,000 miles roadside assistance

Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver's vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.

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