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We hand over the Mercedes E450 2021 across Dubai, brought to your door, and you settle up on delivery however suits you: card, cash, or a wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay. This is the inline-six E-Class, the one that keeps the limousine hush of a standard E and adds real pace under your right foot. The question this page answers is simple. Is the extra muscle worth it over a four-cylinder E350, or should you spend the difference elsewhere? If you want luxury that also pulls hard onto Sheikh Zayed Road, the E450 earns its keep.

What you're actually renting

The 450 badge means a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six with EQ Boost, Mercedes' mild-hybrid setup. It makes 367 hp, sends it through a nine-speed automatic to all four wheels, and reaches 100 km/h in around 4.7 seconds. That figure matters less than how it feels. The six pulls cleanly from low revs, the EQ Boost smooths off the stop-start hesitation you get in lesser hybrids, and the gearbox rarely hunts. On the E11 you flatten the throttle, the car gathers itself, and you're past the lorry before you've finished the thought.

It's a full-size saloon with a quiet, well-damped ride, and it's a comfort car first. Fast, yes, but it leans in corners and the steering tells you little. Nobody buys an E450 to chase apexes, and you shouldn't rent one expecting an AMG.

Specs at a glance

Running it through a Dubai week

With an 80-litre tank and a combined figure around 9.2 L/100km, the official maths gives you well over 700 km between fills. Real Dubai driving rarely matches the sticker. Stack the AC on full against 45-degree heat, sit in school-run and Marina traffic, and lean on that six the way it tempts you to, and you'll see closer to 11 or 12 in town. Plan on a fill-up once or maybe twice across a normal week, more if you're doing daily highway runs.

The cabin cools fast, which is the part that actually matters in July. Park it in the sun, climb back in, and the climate system pulls the temperature down quickly through strong front vents, with rear outlets for passengers in the back. It's a far cry from a budget car gasping to catch up. For airport runs to DXB or the longer haul out to DWC, two adults up front stay properly comfortable.

A quick word on the running costs that land on you. Salik tolls go on the renter's account, and any RTA speeding fine or camera flash passes straight to you, so watch the limits, especially with this much pace on tap. Belts are mandatory in every seat.

Boot, space and parking

The boot holds around 540 litres, which is genuinely useful for a saloon. Two large suitcases and a couple of soft bags slot in without a fight, so a family of four landing at the airport is covered. The 4-seat layout keeps four passengers in real comfort rather than squeezing in a fifth.

Parking is where the size shows. At 4940 mm long it's a proper full-size car, and tight multi-storey bays and Marina ramps need a bit of care. The cameras and sensors do most of the work, but you feel the length on a three-point turn. Ground clearance is modest, as you'd expect from a low executive saloon, so take the steeper mall ramps and aggressive speed bumps slowly. Nose it over at an angle and you'll be fine.

The E450 against the E350, and against an SUV

Here's the honest call. The E350 gives you the same cabin, the same hush, the same screens, and it costs less to rent and drinks less fuel. If your week is errands, dinners, and the odd airport run, the 350 does everything you need and you won't miss the extra power.

The E450 is the pick when the highway is a real part of your trip. Long blasts up to Abu Dhabi, regular overtaking on the E11, the simple pleasure of effortless pace in a quiet car. That's what the six buys you, and it's a noticeable upgrade, not a badge.

If you've got more than four people or a serious load, this isn't your car. Look at a GLE or a similar luxury SUV for the extra seats, the height, and the easier view over Dubai traffic. And if outright sport is the point, the E450 will leave you wanting; it's a cruiser with muscle, not a corner-carver.

So: rent the E450 if you want the smoothest, quickest version of a classic executive saloon and you'll use the speed. Save the money with an E350 if you won't. Size up to an SUV the moment passengers or luggage outgrow a four-seat boot.