Teresa’s View
Driving a Mercedes-Benz is like spending the day at a spa. If the E350 tester in my driveway could talk, it would say, “How can I be of service?”
Properly appointed, the E-Class Benz bathes its occupants in lush leather seats that are just the right blend of comfort and support. From the hand-polished burl walnut wood trim on the dash to the chrome instrument clusters, every surface is suitably sumptuous. The E350 even smells better than most other cars!
In the M-B family, the E-Class cars are bigger and more luxurious than the C-Class, but not as swank as the S-Class. This middle child is also the most popular, representing about one-quarter of Mercedes’ total U.S sales.
Visually, not much has changed on the E-Class for 2006 – the last major redesign in 2003 completely revised the sedan and wagon inside and out. The big news this year is under the hood. Direct from the SLK roadster comes a new-generation 3.5-liter V-6 power plant. The engine produces 268 horsepower – a 20 percent increase over the previous 3.2-liter engine – and necessitated a name change, from E320 to E350.
The new engine is mated to the world’s first seven-speed automatic transmission. With seven gears to choose from, the engine is almost always in the optimal gear, providing improved acceleration and smoother shifts compared to the previous five-speed transmission. Combined with the incredibly quiet interior, it’s easy to forget the car is shifting at all.
The exterior styling is M-B understated, but if you feel the need to bling your machine, check out the sports and appearance packages.
What Is It?: The E350 is a four-door, rear-wheel drive, midsize luxury sedan and wagon from the people who practically invented luxury, Mercedes-Benz. The rest of the E-Class lineup includes the E320 CDI diesel sedan, the V-8-powered E500 sedan and wagon, and the limited-production E55 AMG.
Gadget Rating: Whatever. Now, I’m all about the luxury and I’m not a technophobe, but why do the controls on luxury cars like the E350 require an advanced engineering degree? The steepness of the learning curve appears to be in direct proportion to the cost. Is that supposed to make me feel like I’m getting my money’s worth or is this an opportunity for me to feel smugly superior because I can whip through the complicated operations of the Modular COMAND Cockpit Management and Data system? I’m sure I’ll look as smooth as James Bond just as soon as I figure it out. In the meantime, I just want to listen to the dang radio. Demerits for everyone.
E-class Trivia: The 1996 redesign of the E-class included the industry’s first front-door-mounted side airbags.
So, Where Are Ya From?: Final assembly for the E350 is Sindelfingen, Germany.
Recommended Fuel: Premium, natch.