Compare the2023 Volvo S90VS 2022 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the S90 and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S90 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo S90 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Mercedes doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the E-Class Sedan. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; S90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The S90 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the S90. But it costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

The S90’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the S90 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the S90 and the E-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The S90’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S90 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the E-Class Sedan.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 2 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The S90 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (295 vs. 255) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the E 350 Sedan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The S90 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 93 more horsepower (455 vs. 362) and 154 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 369) than the E 450 4MATIC Sedan’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

On the EPA test cycle the S90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

The S90 T8 can travel with zero emissions for 38 miles. The E-Class Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the S90’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The S90 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the S90’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

The S90 stops much shorter than the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the S90 has larger tires than the E-Class Sedan (255/35R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The S90’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 45 series tires. The S90’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the E 350 Sedan’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S90 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan. The S90’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the E 350 Sedan.

The S90 B6 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on Recharge) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S90’s wheelbase is 4.8 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (120.5 inches vs. 115.7 inches).

The S90 handles at .90 G’s, while the E 450 4MATIC Sedan pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The S90 has 4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the E-Class Sedan (102 vs. 98).

The S90 has .5 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 4.2 inches more rear legroom than the E-Class Sedan.

The S90 has a larger trunk than the E-Class Sedan (13.5 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the S90 easier. The S90’s trunk lift-over height is 26.5 inches, while the E-Class Sedan’s liftover is 27.7 inches.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S90’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Consumer Reports rated the S90’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the E-Class Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S90 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

A power rear sunshade and rear side window sunshades are standard in the S90 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The S90 Ultimate has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The S90 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its February 2017 issue and the Volvo S90 won out over the Mercedes E 350 Sedan.

The S90 was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2017. The E-Class has never been an “All Star.”