2023 Mercedes E-Class Will Run TikTok & Angry Birds

Mercedes-Benz published the first interior pictures of the new E-Class, namely the fifth generation that’s internally referred to as W214 for the sedan and S214 for the more practical wagon. Although nobody asked for an E-Class that can run TikTok and Angry Birds, both apps are available in the techiest E-Class there’s ever been.
 

The driver can also use the mid-size luxury model’s built-in selfie camera for Webex and Zoom. Image transmission isn’t available while driving, to avoid driver distraction. Entertainment portal ZYNC is available as well, and the Vivaldi browser also needs to be mentioned. These apps can be accessed in 214-series vehicles equipped with the available Entertainment Package, also known as MBUX Entertainment Plus.
 
Said package includes the necessary hardware to run the aforementioned apps, Mercedes me connect services, as well as an Internet data package from a third party. The communication module uses the 5G standard. As you can tell from the main picture, Mercedes-Benz has a thing for overly distracting interiors. Similarly to the EQS EV, the E-Class can be configured with a passenger display.
 
Why would the front passenger need such a thing when everyone is carrying a mobile phone on them at all times? The display in question is designed primarily for video content from the ZYNC entertainment portal. Don’t know about you, but to me, that seems to be the perfect recipe for motion sickness. Ever tried using a phone or reading a book for more than five minutes inside a moving vehicle? Yeah, that sensation of wooziness.
 
Scheduled to arrive at European dealers this summer and at U.S. dealers in the fall as a 2024 model, the 214 series further sweetens the deal with Active Ambient Lighting with Sound Visualization. By sound visualization, the German automaker refers to ambient lighting changes that follow the rhythm of the song you’re playing. Once again, why is the E-Class such a distracting vehicle?
 
I’m sure you have heard the expression gentlemen club on wheels, but the 214 series appears to take it literally. In defense of the Stuttgart-based automaker, some of the built-in technology is genuinely useful.
 
The “Just Talk” function, for example, is an intelligent voice control system that doesn’t require the “Hey, Mercedes” keywords to execute your command. You can simply tell the E-Class to lower the temperature or change the radio station to whatever you fancy, and that will be that.
 
Most likely the final combustion-engined E-Class, the 214 series will come standard as a 48-volt mild hybrid. Plug-in hybrids are in the offing as well. The bad news? Mercedes-Benz won’t offer a V8 option, or so hearsay suggests.
 
The AMG 63 will reportedly adopt a straight-six turbo plug-in hybrid powertrain to the detriment of the twin-turbo V8 we all know and love from the current generation. The AMG 53 is rumored as a four-cylinder turbo plug-in hybrid. By comparison, the current generation makes use of a mild-hybrid turbo sixer.