'26 E450 just turned 2K miles. First time MB owner. Enjoying the car overall. Keeping the revs below 3K until break in is over. Anxious to see how the car performs in the higher rev ranges.

A few nit-picks/questions:

Brakes: Once at highway speeds a car changed lanes right in front of me causing a harder than normal brake application. The brakes felt (and I believe this is the technical term) weird. They certainly didn't inspire confidence. I'm not sure if the pads need time to bed-in or what, but the feel was a bit squishy at best. Under normal conditions, the brakes seem fine, but still lack communication. I'm coming from more performance orientated cars (Audi S4/Porsche 911) so perhaps It's just me. I've seen a few reviews that mentioned this too. Has anyone felt this get better with use/harder brake applications?

Interior rear view mirror: The lack of a trim piece around the outside of the interior rear view mirror is driving me nuts. At night I keep noticing the glare coming off of the edges of the mirror. Amazon sells interior mirror frame trims, but the only options I see are for Tesla which also must have this frameless design. If anyone could point me to a fix I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'm about ready to get out some black electrical tape and have at it.

Touch controls: Boy, would I pay a decent chunk of change for an actual volume knob and a switch to change radio stations. I thought I would get used to the swipey swipey, but nopey nope. I see the new S-Class is going to buttons. How about a retrofit for us E-Class folks? I do find myself adjusting volume with the actual buttons at the bottom of the center console, but it's a bit awkward and would be so much nicer if there were just a knob. Reminds me of my 911 that doesn't have a physical home link button for the garage door. Every time I leave I have to wait in my driveway until the UX spools up so I can access the digital garage door button. Hard to believe that a UX team spending 1 day in the car wouldn't have figured these issues out, but here we are.

Zero Layer: Why is the default a huge map? 90% of my drives are places that I don't need a map for, why can't we have something else as the background for the zero layer. Going back to the "classic" non zero layer look is better for the background image, but much worse in terms of user experience to access everything else.

Overall the E450 is performing well and I realize a lot of this is me being new to MB. Just expressing my nit-picks. Appreciate any comments or help.

Thanks!
Kevin

 

Brakes: I haven't noticed the weird brakes as much as other people have. In the E53 when regeneration is in auto mode, you never know what regeneration setting the car is going to pick when you lift off the accelerator. I was wondering if this inconsistency in regeneration was making people feel the brakes are weird. This wouldn't apply to the E450 though. I had an experience where the E53 started autonomous braking. I took over the braking manually and the car started braking less than the autonomous braking. I had to add brake pedal to get it to slow down at my intended rate. I found that pretty weird and hair raising for 0.02 seconds. Previous Mercedes didn't have the issue transferring from autonomous to manual braking. In the E53, the brakes feel less "connected" to me than in other cars, but aside from regeneration and the issue of manually taking over from autonomous braking the brakes have been predictable. My description of the brakes being not "connected" might be the same as your feeling of them being "squishy." I feel that the brakes are less "connected" all the time, not just in certain scenarios. Having the brakes being less connected doesn't bother me, but I would prefer a more direct brake feel. The brakes feel more like a luxury car than a sports car even if they stop like a sports car.

If I'm driving in electric mode in the E53, I switch to manually controlling the regenerative braking so I can predict what the car will do. Strangely, selecting regen mode is not available in comfort mode, so if the car switches to "C" you have no idea what the car is going to do as you lift off the accelerator. When driving in C mode you always have to feather off the accelerator if you want to drive smoothly.

There is also a possibility that there is some weirdness in the brakes due to some particular braking computer calculation that I haven't experienced yet, or maybe I just don't sense the weirdness that other people do.

Touch controls: We all want to have physical buttons back on the steering wheel and the controls below the main screen. I have yet to hear anyone say that it was an improvement to go to capacitive touch controls.

Interior rear-view mirror: It hasn't bothered me. It may be your eye location in relation to the mirror edge is different than mine. I know of no pre-made fix. Some type of matte black application to the mirror, like the electric tape you suggest, sounds like an option.

Zero Layer: I immediately go into CarPlay before driving off, so I never notice the large map unless I decide to use the Mercedes navigation instead of the CarPlay navigation. But having an alternative background choice would be a nice enhancement.

My nit-picks are:

1. I'll start off by saying that the E class is one of the nicest cars available even including cars that cost more. It is an awesome car. I'm really happy with it so far. That said, there is room for improvement on the E53.
2. I can't see the turn signal indicators or the engine warm indicator in my preferred driving position since they are behind the steering wheel. I have figured out that if I put the seat all the way down, recline the seat a bit more than I prefer, and I extend the steering wheel as close as it can go to me, which I would never choose to do otherwise, I can see the edge of the turn signals if I lean back and look down. This could easily be solved by moving the indicators into the center of the driver display. The decision by Mercedes to hide the turn signal indicators is one of the dumbest automotive design choices in Mercedes 140 year history. Why Mercedes? Why? I also can't see all the numbers on the tach, nor all the numbers on the analog speedometer. I would allow the steering wheel to raise up another inch unless the current limitation is due to air bag safety.
3. No spare tire. All PHEV's and EV's seem to be stricken with this affliction.
4. I have set my home GPS location to select the "home" EV charging program. When i enter my driveway, the car pops up an option "Would you like to change to the home charging program?" No. I'd rather look where I'm driving instead answering a notification on the screen. So more than 50% of the time, the car doesn't change to the home charging program even though it knows that I'm at home and I've told it to use the home charging program when I'm at home.
5. Sometimes the dash cam doesn't start recording automatically. I think that it doesn't always recognize the drive is connected. When I eject the drive and re-connect it, maybe it turns off the automatic dash cam start. Anyway, the dashcam doesn't start 100% reliably. It starts maybe 90% by itself.
6. The interior is excellent overall. The driver and passenger door panels look a bit plain. I'd add some Dynamica/Alcantara or leather/MB-TEX and some stitching to the door panels. That is a nit-pick because the interior design is still an A+.
7. In the PHEV, I'd add a second set of paddles for changing regeneration by splitting the current paddle shifters in two at the center. Having an "Auto" regeneration mode where the car will potentially pick a different mode at every lift off the accelerator is a poor design choice.
8. I wouldn't have the easy exit function move me closer to the steering wheel.
9. I'd lose the AMG brake squeal in the E53
10. I would add real buttons to the steering wheel and below the center screen.
11. I'd replace the extending door handles with traditional Mercedes door handles. But I do have to say that the recessed handles look cool, and I have started to adjust to them where I don't mind them.
12. The Mercedes ordering system dropped my selection of heated rear seats, dash cam and something else. I didn't notice that the heated rear seats dropped, so they are missing on my car.
13. The price on the Mercedes website is different than the prices on the dealer ordering site. The incentives that are marketed on the webpage including lease rates, finance rates and AAA discounts that were publicly marketed were not available at the dealership when purchasing the car. If my local grocery store had an advertisement for 10 cents off apples and I went into the store and they said that it didn't apply in the store, my state attorney general would have a problem with it. Yet Mercedes can publicly market $500 or $7,500 of incentives on their web page, but then when you go to buy the car tell you that the discounts that are still on their website are not real.
14. On the PHEV, the gas tank needs to vent before it can open the filler door Sometimes it can't vent. It gives no error message. It just doesn't open the door. You have to know to drive 500 meters and then try to open the gas filler door again.
15. Bring back the classic Iridium silver. Cirrus silver has a bluish grey tone depending upon lighting. It's cool that the paint changes color depending on the lighting, but I like the pure metallic silver of Iridium silver.
16. On the Dynamics package, cover the entire steering wheel in Dyamica. It feels great to the touch and is very grippy.
17. Add Apple spatial/ATMOS music via CarPlay. Apple already supports spatial in CarPlay and the E53 supports spatial music. Yet the CarPlay in the E53 doesn't support spatial music.
18. In the Mercedes app, in the pre-condition area in the PHEV and EV's I'd show the interior temperature of the car to know if I want to use battery to pre-condition or not.
19. I'd add a 19 inch wheel option to the E53 for less risk of stranding due to pothole strikes.
20. I'd add a rubber trunk mat option to the E53 wagon
21. I'd add the option to get the Chinese market floor mats. I did get the high pile mats and the winter mats. Both sets are nice.
22. Mercedes tend to go to low beam with automatic headlights too frequently. Stay on high beams at low speeds and at intersections. Default to high beams unless a car is driving towards you. If the lights were not tricked by people having lights at the end of their driveway that would be a nice improvement.
23. Give a rear camera to the dash cam AND keep the retracting backup camera so it stays clean.
24. Make the window ventilation position an option in the Mercedes app
25. Instead of selecting a single hotspot for the car, allow a primary and secondary hotspot so when the car's 5G modem can't reach a tower, it switches to the cell phone 5G
26. Automatically charge the 12V battery from traction battery when the car alerts that the 12V battery is low on charge.
27. Make the same car as the E53 but all EV with 500 miles of range

 

Mercurccio, regarding Number 22 on your list, I saw the same behavior with the auto-high beam feature on my Wagon. Having my car coded for ILS+ mostly solved the problem of house lights fooling the High beams. I highly recommend the coding for ILS+; seeing it in action on my own car is amazing.

 

Just placed an order for an E53 sedan and now you guys have me worried!
Giving up an Audi S5 with ideal user interface controls (not the new one) although still quirky software, and also have a 911 with very quirky controls and software which I tolerate it since it's not a DD.
It's a shame we'll see the steering wheel volume scroll wheel show up, maybe even before the refresh, but one "feature" I've read about here has me concerned the most:
Is it true I can't add SiriusXM channels to a Favorites list and scroll through them on the steering wheel? The 911 won't do this either but I can at least display a "starting" channel on the touchscreen and sequentially move to the next (or previous) channels using steering wheel buttons.
Also does the steering wheel volume control slider have distinct + or - adjustments or do you always have to do a small swipe and hope you arrived at the setting you want?
I think I can learn to live with the other issues in exchange for a vehicle which is giving me every feature I've ever wanted without busting through a hundred grand!

 

My vehicle excluded home link due to supply chain issues however I do have a garage door opener that is on WiFi and myQ app can be worked by speaking commands. So “hey Mercedes, open garage door” works fine and you don’t necessarily have to be close to the house since it is a internet trigger

 

10, 17, 20 and 23...spot on!!!

14 - thanks for this info!!!

 

Brakes on my 2023 E450 require a firm foot, but have good feel. Pads are soft. Use felt tape around the mirror. I have glare from the hud at times. You get used to the capacitive touch. There is a learning curve, but it is difficult to exert precise control. My pet peeve is the weak charging system. Tired of hooking up a trickle charger after doing a few short drives. Also seems that the car is slow to warm in the winter. There is a weird whirling sound at times under the hood. Have not tried to trace it yet. Do not believe it is cooling fan. As it seems to come on without regard to temperature. There should be a standard dipstick. Had to buy a spare and switch to non runflat to improve the ride. My mods so far are black decals over the annoying warning stickers on the sunshade, and chrome looking pieces over the fake black airdams on the front bumper. And, they couldn't extend the exhaust to the diffuser??!! But overall great car. A bit too smooth in the engine compartment, stearing feel is lacking somewhat, and the seats too firm for me, but otherwise what a ride!!

 

The issue with the brakes is largely due to the cars you are coming from. Regular Mercedes-Benz generally have soft, squishy and long travel brakes. I drive an AMG and I have the same issue every time I bring it in for service and drive off in a regular MB loaner. I've almost rear ended other cars a few times, because the brake pedals have such a long travel before anything meaningful happens and after that it's terribly lifeless. I have to adjust my driving style every time, otherwise the brakes are not confidence inspiring. They are meant to feel luxuries and not upset the passengers when you have to slow down. Much different story with AMGs, but I haven't driven the E53. The issue there is that the brakes are no longer 100% physical. The initial part is recuperation, before it transitions to the physical pads. However, I've driven other electric AMGs such as the AMG EQE and AMG EQS. Both have much better brake feel than the standard EQS and EQE. The standard EQ models have some of the worst brake feel.

 

This.
It also doesn't help that newer MB models have a mild hybrid system and there is regen going on.

 

I'd love to have ILS+. Knowing that ILS+ mostly solves the problem of house and driveway lights fooling the high beams just makes me want ILS+ more.

 

I just purchased a CLE 53 and on Sunday I discovered my garage opener brand via the app (had to change the garage door opener to new wi fi provider) had Mercedes as a partner and can close the garage door via voice...might be my favorite feature about the car.

 

With a regard to the garage door feature on MyQ, has anyone figured out how to deal with multiple doors? When I say “open garage door”, it opens both doors. Ditto for closing. I want to just control one door.

 

That's not supported. It's a very simplistic integration.

 

Three words. "Buy the E53."

The list above was a list of things I would change about the car. I can't think of a car I'd rather have as a daily driver than an E53 wagon. Think of the E53 like this: It shares most of the interior with one of the top-rated luxury cars available today, but adds a more sporty interior.. The wagon form gives a trunk like an SUV, but it handles like a car. If you are coming from an S5 and 911, I think you will find the suspension nearly perfect. Unlike some AMG suspensions which can be bone jarring, the E53 is similar to an active Audi suspension. In comfort mode the suspension is comfortable, There is no body lean in the corners. It is both a comfortable and a sporty suspension at the same time. In my opinion, all sports car active suspensions should be like this.

You can drive the E53 around town in electric mode without polluting. Before owning the car, I thought of the E53 as an ICE car with electric boost. Now I think of it as an electric car with gas boost. Electric mode is quiet and smooth with instant torque. It is perfect for driving around town. It accelerates 0-60 in under 4 seconds and thanks to the electric motor goes 5-60 faster than turbo V-8 wagons. Stopping distance and cornering G-Forces are commendable for a "family wagon."

I just did a 208 mile round trip when the car had about 100 miles on it. The outbound 104 miles was scheduled to take 2 hours. I wanted to get some ICE use during the break-in period, so it seemed like a good time to take a trip. There was an accident on the highway. We spent extra hour in traffic. After the daily usable hybrid battery state of charge went to 0%, the car did all the stop and go driving for an hour getting past the accident in electric mode on 0% SOC.

I didn't charge the battery for the return 104 miles. On the return trip, the temperature outside started with rain at 34 degrees F and then it dropped to 30 degrees. With 0% SOC for the daily use battery, the car got 27 MPG combined on the return trip. 72% of the miles were highway miles. 28% of the miles were local miles. The last 18 local miles were climbing up a hill from sea level. I expect the car to get better mileage when it is warmer, has some SOC in the battery, is past the break-in period and is not doing a trip up hill. A 577 horsepower car that gets 27 MPG in a 72% highway, 28% local drive is impressive by itself.

Car and Driver just put the E-Class on the 10 Best list for 2026. They are giving the E450 a 10 out of 10 score. They give the E53 a 9.5 out of 10 score. Any car rated 8.5 or above by Car and Driver is a very nice car. The E450 is now their highest rated wagon. The E53 is their second highest rated wagon.

How many other luxury 5 seat family wagons are there that do 0-60 in under 4 seconds, corner like a sports car at 0.94g, get 27 MPG, have over 400 miles of range and drive around town with instant torque in non-polluting, quiet electric mode?

In my opinion you will be doing yourself a disservice by listening to SiriusXM in the car. Sirius XM just doesn't have the resolution that lossless Apple music, Amazon music, or the other streaming services have. XM transmits by satellite. Streaming is over 5G cellular. One reviewer of the E53 said the car is a sound system on wheels. It's a really good sound system. Every time I startup SiriusXM in the car, I find myself switching to Apple music for the same song. It's just way better. Yesterday I learned from MBWorld that Amazon Music in the E53 is available in spatial audio. The E53 is capable of Atmos/spatial music, so I want to explore that more. I believe you can store SiriusXM favorites, but once you experience streaming music in the car, you won't want to listen to XM, FM or AM in the car.

Yes, the steering wheel and center console volume controls have distinct + and + adjustments in addition to sliding. Likewise, the cruise control has the traditional move up or down by 5 MPH or 1 MPH. The capacitive touch area that you use to set the HUD settings is atrocious. You will get used to other touch areas for entertainment volume, cruise control, etc fairly quickly.

We live in a world where a $30,000 Toyota, Mazda or Subaru is a very nice car. As cars get more expensive there are diminishing returns. For me, the E53 is worth a hundred grand. A car has to be very good to be worth the price of three Toyotas.

 

Correction: I just checked the steering wheel on the E53. It does not have distinct + and - adjustments on the steering wheel. The steering wheel volume control is slider or mute. The center console has step increase (+), step decrease (-), slider and mute.

 

This is correct.

I just drove the E53 and paid attention to the brakes. I could modulate them easily and tell what they were doing. They do have long travel. When you get into the braking, they don't bite as quickly. The "disconnected" feeling isn't one of not feeling the brakes. It is more that there is longer travel and not much resistance compared with an S4, Porsche or BMW. The E53 brakes feel more like a luxury car than a sport car. When going under 1 MPH, the long travel and lower resistance make it more difficult to finesse the brakes. I don't have an issue with the E53 mechanical brakes, but they do feel different than a shorter travel, heavier resistance brake pedal.

 

The E53 wagon takes about 2 minutes to warm up the cabin and four minutes to get to desired temperature in 9 degree F weather. It's one advantage of having a PHEV with battery powered electric heater. If I want to preheat the car, I turn on pre-conditioning two minutes before going to the car. In the winter, fast interior heating is nice to have.

I swapped to the alcantara sun visors without the warning stickers. (The warning stickers are an additional part.) The car must come with the airbag warning stickers, but the owner is allowed to remove them.

 

Wonder if going with stainless steel brake lines would result in any noticable difference. I'm guessing no, but has anyone tried it?

 

The '25/26 E53 will charge the 12V battery when the charger for the hybrid battery is plugged into the car. This helps reduced the need to trickle charge on the E53.

The E53 alerted me on the app that the 12V battery was low when the EV charger wasn't connected to the car. When I checked the app later in the evening it said the 12V battery was Ok. The next morning, when I connected the trickle charger, it said the 12V battery was low. My CTEK CS Free trickle charger wasn't charging the E53 12V battery past 2 of 5 bars.. I thought the 12V battery was dead. I plugged the EV charger into the car. The next morning the CS Free trickle charger showed a full charge on the 12V battery.

I'm pretty sure the hybrid battery charged the 12V battery when the EV charger was plugged in to the car. This agrees with the owner's manual.
I'm not sure if the hybrid battery will charge the 12V battery when the car sends an alert to the Mercedes app that the 12V battery is low and the EV charger is not plugged into the car. I suspect that when the car is in the off state, the 12V battery is only charged if the EV charger is plugged into the car.

I would add "Charge the 12V battery from the hybrid battery whenever the car realizes that the 12V battery is in a low state of charge" to my E53 improvement request list above.

 

zero layer can be turned off by holding the home button and selecting classic view.