Here’s the interior for the next-gen 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The new E-Class Sedan is scheduled to arrive in dealerships later this year, but today we get a preview of the new interior and dash design.
At first glance, this interior design is somewhat familiar, with the vast expanse of screens in a single module, but it’s not the Hyperscreen. Instead, Mercedes-Benz is calling it the Superscreen. Funny. It’s not the “Hyperscreen” because the big infotainment screen and passenger screen apparatus don’t also include the instrument cluster. Instead, the digital cluster is alone and freestanding vertically, unlike the angled other screens.
This triple-screen interior is not the only layout being made available for the new E-Class, though. It’s the optional upgrade setup, and the standard dash layout will include a free-standing screen in the center (with no passenger screen) that Mercedes says will appear “to float” above the trim laid below it. We don’t have any photos of it now, but wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up looking similar to what the S-Class’ dash looks like.
A small smattering of buttons is positioned below the Superscreen in photos, but say goodbye to all the tactile toggle switches and roller knobs present in the current E-Class. This new E is going digital. Like any all-new Mercedes-Benz product, this one is brimming with new digital toys to play with, too.
The big upgrade Mercedes is bragging about today is a new “Active Ambient Lighting” system. Mercedes developed software that will coordinate the ambient lighting in the cabin with the music being played over the audio system. For example, Mercedes says “fast sequences of beats can cause rapid light changes, while flowing rhythms can create softly merging lighting moods.” Of course, it can be turned off if you’d rather not be distracted by a literal disco party happening in the car. But hey, now you can leave the club and feel like you never really left on the drive home.
In addition to the active lighting, Mercedes says its Burmester 4D surround sound system will come in the new E-Class. This uses sound transducers in the seat backrests to literally vibrate you with the beat of the music. So in addition to the Dolby Atmos surround sound, you can both physically feel the beat and see it in light form. There’s definitely no more immersive audio experience out there today.
The E-Class will be capable of running third-party apps on its infotainment system at launch, and the group available initially include TikTok, Angry Birds, Webex by Cisco, Zoom and the Vivaldi web browser. How will Zoom and Webex work, you ask? Mercedes has added a selfie video camera to the interior that can transmit a feed over the vehicle’s built-in 5G network, assuming you pay for a data package from a third-party supplier. More apps will become available as time goes on, Mercedes says.
Another new tech on display today is a “visual shield” for the passenger screen, which sounds similar to what Jeep does with its passenger screen to keep the driver from being distracted by it. Mercedes uses something it calls “dual light control” tech to ensure the driver can’t see the screen with their peripheral vision. If the camera in the vehicle still detects the driver’s eyes trying to see the screen, it will further dim it to make doubly sure they can’t watch whatever movie or video the passenger is enjoying.
We’ll need to wait until later this year for the new E-Class to be fully revealed, but expect the debut to come soon if Mercedes intends on having them at dealers by the end of 2023
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