Driving for eight hours in one afternoon -- often over tightly winding steep mountain roads with frightening dropoffs -- seems as if it would be a test for sports cars. But journalists made that run in the revised
2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans at a recent media preview of the car.
The automaker's new $50,500 E350 and higher-line $59,000 E550 came through the challenging drive in fine style.
Media members would have been surprised if it hadn't done well because the E-Class has been the backbone of the Mercedes product line. It's the world's most successful luxury car line and has been Mercedes' "top- or second-best-selling'' car for all but one of its years in America, Bernhard Glaser, general product development manager for Mercedes-Benz USA, said at the preview.
Sales of the E-Class through June here totaled 20,720 cars, compared to 22,596 for the lower-cost entry Mercedes C-Class.
The E-Class is sold as a sedan or station wagon and with rear- or all-wheel drive, depending on the model. An entirely new E-Class won't arrive for a few years, and its competition is getting tougher. The current-generation E-Class arrived for 2003, and the 2007 version thus has a restyled V-shaped grille and headlights and a more aggressive front bumper and lower air dam.
Side mirrors are more aerodynamic, contributing to very low wind drag. And there are redesigned taillights and a new rear bumper. A horizontal chrome strip across the trunk visually lowers the car, which has wheels that are more attractive.
The quiet, well-equipped interior has a more organic and elegant design. There's a new four-spoke steering wheel from the racy Mercedes CLS and new shift lever, besides a revised layout for the automatic climate controls. Those might seem like small items, but are among the most used by drivers.
However, the E350 and E550 have an engine start-stop button atop their automatic transmission shift lever with the optional Keyless Go feature that lets the engine start if the ignition key is anywhere in the car. This is an odd location for that button because it's easy to accidentally turn off the engine if the lever isn't grasped by its sides. (The engine won't turn off if the car is moving and the button is accidentally pressed.)
Also, the steering column cruise control stalk can be confused with the nearby turn signal stalk, both on the left side of the steering wheel.
Additional standard equipment for 2007 includes a glass sunroof, six-disc CD changer and harman/kardon Logic 7 420-watt premium audio system. The wagon model gets a new standard power tailgate.
Mercedes is big on safety, and the E-Class now has the automaker's Pre-Safe system. It's the world's first system that can sense and take protective measures before a crash, such as tensioning seatbelts and then doing such things as automatically closing the sunroof and side windows.
The E-Class has the full array of Mercedes safety technology, such as anti-lock brakes with brake assist, traction control and an Electronic Stability Program to keep the car on the road under trying conditions. There's also adaptive restraint systems using eight air bags and active head restraints.
Automakers increasingly offer models with special trim packages because folks want cars with a bit more distinction. The E-Class thus comes in Luxury trim with chrome grille with gray inserts, seven-spoke 17-inch wheels and neutral tinted glass with a black instrument cluster and burl walnut trim.
Also, a Sport version of the E-Class features such items as a chrome grille with black inserts, 10-spoke 18-inch wheels, lowered sport suspension, sport bumper with dual exhausts and cross-drilled front brake discs. It has a white instrument cluster and black maple trim.
Mercedes counts seven generations of E-Class models if you go back to 1953, but the ones most Americans are familiar with arrived here with the 1994 E320 model, which had a 217 horsepower six-cylinder engine. The car was so popular it never suffered a major sales drop, although it took Mercedes a decade to add just four horsepower to that engine.
It helped that I drove most miles during the preview in the E550, which has a new 5.5-liter 382-horsepower V-8 from the top-line Mercedes S-Class sedan. This engine replaces the 2006 E500 5-liter 302-horsepower V-8.
The other E-Class sedan available to test was the E350 with a 3.5-liter, 268-horsepower V6 carried over from 2006. The E350, which also comes as an all-wheel-drive $55,7000 station wagon, is no slouch (0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds). But the E550, which hits 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, has my vote.
With $3-plus gasoline, an interesting E-Class engine is the new turbocharged "Bluetec" 3-liter V-6 diesel, which provides four-cylinder fuel economy with V-8 punch (0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds). This 208-horsepower engine comes in the $51,550 E320 Bluetec, which is due in October and wasn't available for testing. It's the first Mercedes V-6 diesel and replaces an inline Mercedes 201-horsepower six-cylinder diesel with less torque.
Nearly half the cars in Europe have diesel engines, and the Bluetec diesel promises to increase appeal of high-mileage diesels in America.
While the E350 delivers an estimated 19 mpg in the city and 26 on highways and the E550 figures are 15 and 23, the E320 Bluetec delivers 27 city, 37 highway.
The Bluetec depends on use of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, but it becomes available in America this fall. Mercedes officials say they're still dickering to use the new diesel with clean air officials from California and Northeastern states, which have stricter emissions regulations than other states but far too many luxury car buyers to kiss off. Mercedes feels it can meet even more stringent emissions requirements in 2008 with AdBlue injection, a water-based urea solution.
Then we have the hot rod E63 AMG model from Mercedes' racing/high performance operation. This model's 6.3-liter V-8 provides no less than 507 horsepower and propels the E63 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and provides 14 mpg city, 20 highway. The E63 has the first engine developed entirely by AMG and has features derived from AMG's racing efforts. It's even sold as a wagon.
All rear-drive E-Class sedans have responsive seven-speed automatic transmissions, while all-wheel-drive sedans and wagons use a decent five-speed automatic. Even the sizzling E63 AMG can't be had with a manual gearbox, but a Touch Shift features lets a driver downshift the seven-speed automatic by pushing the gear lever to the left and upshift it by moving the lever to the right while in the "drive" selector position.
The new E-Class essentially uses suspension design and technology from the top-line S-Class. All versions have a quicker steering ratio, delivering 2.6 turns lock-to-lock, compared to 3.3 in the previous version. The car also has revised suspensions for better road grip and less body sway when driven quickly through curves and such, but still isn't as nimble as rival BMW 5-Series models.
An Airmatic air suspension is standard on the E550 and E63 AMG and is paired with an Adaptive Damping System to provide simultaneous computer-controlled springing and damping -- offering a combined sports suspension and comfort suspension. The E550 ride is remarkably smooth.
Braking is strong. Thank goodness Mercedes has eliminated the touchy, grabby electrohydraulic brakes of the 2006 E-Class and replaced them with conventional hydraulic brakes borrowed from the S-Class.
Large handles and doors that open wide allow easy entry. Gauges can be easily read, and controls are fairly large and nicely placed. Dual front cupholders are positioned to avoid spills. All doors have pockets, but the glove compartment is just moderately large.
The rear seat area is roomy, but its hard center area isn't suited for a third occupant on longer trips. However, the nicely sized rear center pull-down armrest has convenient pop-out cupholders. Rear windows lower all the way.
The sedan's large trunk has a low, wide opening. Manual lid hinges consume some space but are shielded to avoid cargo damage.
The 2006 E-Class was among the world's best mid-size sedans, so providing upgrades and additional or newer equipment for 2007 with reasonable price increases makes this venerable Mercedes model even more appealing.
2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS
PRICE: $50,550-$59,000
LIKES: Better styling and interior. New V-8. New high-mileage diesel. Sharper handling. More standard items. Safer.
DISLIKES: Starter button atop the gearshift. Manual trunk lid hinges. Cruise control stalk can be confused with turn signal lever.