I find the storage compartment underneath the center armrest in my 2021 E53 sedan to be quite deep. The stuff that I put in there was always a mess. So I went looking for some sort of aftermarket organizer, which was a little more of an adventure than I bargained for. Here's what I learned:

Secret Shelf
I found this post: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ret-shelf.html, which describes a hidden shelf tucked into the front wall of the storage compartment. Here's the photo from that post, which was taken by the owner of 2018 E300:

Secret Shelf


My car doesn't have that secret shelf, and I suspect that's true of all 2021s and probably 2022s as well. Here's what the front wall of my armrest storage compartment looks like:
(You may also note the scratch I put in it, which I only noticed when I looked at the photo, so it's not an issue for me)

No secret shelf here

Looking at those two photos next to each other, I see that the geometry of those two front walls is different is several ways, which probably explains what happened next.

High Flying Organizer from Amazon
I ordered an organizer tray from vendor High Flying on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M9CJ82J. At the time it was labeled compatible with W213 model years 2017-2021. I notice now that it's corrected to 2017-2020 (and not available to boot). I can confirm that it does not in fact fit my 2021 model, though otherwise it's quite nice. I suspect I made the scratch in the front wall of the compartment as I tried to jam it in. Here's a photo of it looking nice but not fitting. Notice that the tabs at the front of the compartment (top of photo) are not sitting flush. The compartment lid would not close.

Tabs at top of photo not flush

For those with an older model considering this tray, I recommend it. Quality is good. The only minus is the pads. While quite nice-feeling, they are loose, with no adhesive holding them in place, and I wonder if they would dislodge from the bumps and shakes of driving the car.

TTCR-II
For my second attempt, I ordered the TTCR-II Center Console Organizer Tray: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B093T57S1S. This one fits great (photos below). My only beef is with the padding, which is very cheap-feeling felt, but that felt was pre-cut and prepped with strips of two-sided tape that hold it in place quite well.

Fits great

Organizes well

Hope this info is helpful to someone else.

-Ron

 

I have the second one too. It fits well, but I had to make the holes for the USBC ports slightly larger so it would fit Kingston USBC flash drives (one for music, one for dashcam).

These are the drives I use that fit with the organizer

 

i have the 2nd one as well : 8 euro on aliexpress
in my previous car i had the 1st "amg" one which can also be found under 10 euros
one of the best accessories to buy for the car!

 

My car has a sort of elastic band on the driver side(inside) that is perfect for holding the phone steady when attached to the usb/apple carplay. Im not seeing this elastic band on any of these pictures? Is the organizer covering this so its not possible to use?

I only keep a wiping cloth in there + storing my phone with apple carplay when driving.

 

elastic band is gone in the 2021/2022

 

In my 2021 sedan, the USB port that allows connection to CarPlay is in the smaller center console compartment in front of the controller/touchpad. The ports in the armrest compartment only charge. I suspect this was a MY 2021 change.

 

yeah and it's a pity.
ii'm thinking of getting one of those wireless carplay adaptors,
but don't want it to be in view in the "ashtray" area .
would have been nice to have it in the armrest

 

I just ordered the first one since my W213 is a 2018 sedan. Expected delivery is March. Gotta love the supply chain issues that exist now.

 

Does that tray flip up so one can get to the stuff underneath?

 

I'm sure the 'secret shelf' would make Doug DeMuro's quirks and features. I never use it (that's my secret shelf photo) and didn't even know it was there until I read the original post. It looks like MB just closed it off with a plastic inert (see attached). I also notice they relocated the USB ports and moved the SD card slot. Where is the SD slot now?

 

you have to lift it out. So not recommenced to have stuff underneath that you regularly need

 

I'm not certain, but I believe that starting with the 2021 models, there is no SD card slot.