The Mercedes-Benz E-Class gets a giant touchscreen, TikTok, and a selfie camera

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the cabin of the 2024 E-Class, and while its cabin isn’t a drastic departure in design from current Benz cars, the new E-Class is packed with exciting and advanced features that will influence the rest of the range – such as a selfie camera and built-in apps for TikTok and Zoom.

One of the major improvements in the E-Class for 2024 is the Superscreen, which combines a large central touch screen with a second display in front of the passenger. (Unlike the EQS’ Hyperscreen, the digital instrument panel remains a self-contained screen.) It looks nice, with slim air vents that curve around the top of the screen and a row of capacitive touch buttons below the center screen.

Typically, high-end Mercedes-Benz models such as the S-Class and EQS showcase the brand’s latest technology. But as the brand’s best-selling model range, the relatively modest E-Class is arguably more important, the next generation arriving later this year.

The rest of the cabin is much like what we’ve seen from other new Mercedes models, with a large center console, floating armrests on the door panels, and tons of ambient lighting, including a long strip that frames the entire dashboard. There are new leather and wood color options, such as open-pore wood in the backlit Mercedes star pattern, and even base models have higher-quality surfaces.

Powering the Super Screen and its MBUX infotainment system is a single-processor mainframe computer, whereas previous models used multiple processors for different functions. Mercedes says its new software-focused architecture allows for much faster data flows and more advanced updates. An available Entertainment Plus package adds 5G connectivity and other connected services. Icon and menu designs have been simplified to look like smartphone tiles, and users can customize more screen functions.

The 2024 E-Class will come standard with a 17-speaker Burmester 4D surround sound system with front-seat audio transducers, featuring Dolby Atmos technology as well as Spatial Audio support through Apple Music. The sound experience is further amplified by the optional acoustic visualization of active ambient lighting, which was developed in-house by Mercedes. Interior light strips pulse and change to the beat of whatever music you’re listening to, with software that analyzes bass, mid-tones and treble without delay.

Streaming video content is available on the passenger display and, depending on the regulations, may be allowed on the center display in the future when the Mercedes’ Level 3 Drive Pilot system is activated. What will be available at launch on the new E-Class are third-party apps that do not require smartphone mirroring through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Depending on the vehicle’s equipment, a selfie and video camera is installed either in the gauge display or above the dash, and the E-class will offer Zoom, Webex by Cisco video conferencing, Vivaldi’s web browser, and even TikTok. The Zync portal is also part of the E-Class tech suite at launch, which includes more than 30 different streaming services that include live sports, news, games, and other content.

Touch screens are becoming more common in new cars, and they’ve proven to be more distracting than traditional buttons. a A recent Swedish study It found that drivers of modern cars take up to four times longer to perform normal tasks than a 17-year-old Volvo.

Mercedes has installed multiple protections to ensure that E-Class drivers are not distracted by the passenger screen. The screen’s touch function is only activated if sensors in the passenger seat detect an occupant; Otherwise, it acts as a screensaver. Dual light control technology acts as a ‘visual shield’, making the passenger screen invisible to the driver, depending on the type of content displayed. This selfie camera tracks the driver’s eye movements, taking into account how often and for how long the driver looks towards the passenger’s screen. The car can also automatically dim the passenger display to make it less distracting to the driver while still visible to the passenger.

An enhanced AI assistant also helps reduce distractions caused by huge screens and complex features. MBUX no longer requires you to say “Hey Mercedes” before issuing any voice commands – instead, the new “Just Talk” feature is indicated by a red microphone icon on the screen, allowing drivers to give commands to things like more intuitive navigation and climate control. Multiple commands can now be linked together by saying “and”. Owners can create new routines for the car, such as turning on seat heating, changing the color of the ambient lighting to orange if the cabin temperature is below 50 degrees, or automatically lowering the driver’s window when you arrive at work at the same time each day.

The E-Class will have a number of specific templates as well, such as a “date night” model that plays romantic music and turns the lighting pink, and in the future, the E-Class will automatically be able to create its own routines for regularly used tasks using AI as the car learns your habits.

The new E-Class will be one of the last gas-powered Mercedes cars the brand is slated to be EV-only by 2030. It will ride on a modified version of the platform used by the C-Class and S-Class, with a combination of four- and six-cylinder hybrid engines and It is likely to be fully electric. The exterior design will be evolutionary, and while the wagon will live on, the E-Class coupe and cabriolet will be dropped in favor of a new two-door model, likely called the CLE. Expect the full 2024 E-Class to be revealed in a few months.