Wagons may be an endangered species in the United States, but the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon is here to stay. It offers a compelling combination of stately luxury, all-weather capability and capacious practicality while also providing better gas mileage and handling than most of the SUVs and crossovers many buyers favor over wagons.
The E-Class wagon is available as a single model, the E350, which comes equipped with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system as standard. For the latest model year, the car has been updated with a new engine, a powerful 3.5-liter V6 that produces 302 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a smart-shifting seven-speed automatic transmission, the engine helps the E350 wagon return 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
The E350 wagon’s biggest asset is its expansive interior space, which makes the vehicle perfect for carrying passengers in comfort or hauling sizable amounts of cargo. The car’s five-seat configuration can easily expand to seven seats by unfolding a standard third-row rear-facing seat from the luggage compartment floor, while a 60-40 fold-down second-row seat allows for a cavernous and flexible cargo area. Mercedes states that the E350 wagon can carry a grandfather clock and still accommodate three occupants, or it can manage a load of lumber along with four people aboard.
Standard and Optional Features: The Nitty-Gritty Details
In time-honored Mercedes-Benz fashion, leather and wood abound throughout the cabin, and fit and finish is top-notch. Notable standard luxury features include a power sunroof, 10-way power adjustable front seats, an eight-speaker sound system and a COMMAND infotainment system with a 7-inch display screen.
The Premium One Package nets a navigation system, a Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 surround-sound audio system, heated seats, an iPod/MP3 media interface, a power rear sunshade, a rear-view Camera, SIRIUS satellite radio with real-time traffic service, ZAGAT Survey restaurant guide and Gracenote media database
The Premium Two Package includes all of the Premium One features but adds Adaptive Highbeam Assist, bi-xenon headlamps with active curve illumination, an electronic trunk closer, a headlamp washing system, KEYLESS GO and LED daytime Running Lamps.
Other options include AMG wheels, a panoramic sunroof and upgraded interior leather.
Safety Systems
In addition to ABS and ESP stability control, the E350 wagon boasts nine supplemental restraints including two-stage front air bags, a knee air bag for the driver and pelvic air bags which work together with curtain and side air bags to provide extra protection for front occupants in dangerous side-impact collisions.
Also standard is an “ATTENTION ASSIST” system that can alert the driver to the first signs of drowsiness, a factor that causes more than 100,000 accidents a year in the U.S.A steering sensor is coupled to smart software that uses 70 parameters to establish a unique driver profile during the first 20 minutes of driving. Between 50 and 112 mph, the system identifies the erratic steering corrections drivers make as they begin to get drowsy and triggers an audible warning and a "Time for a Rest?" message with a coffee cup icon in the instrument cluster.
Optional safety equipment includes the Lane Keeping Assist system, which alerts the driver by simulating a rumble strip vibration in the steering wheel if the car drifts from its lane without the turn signals on. Part of the Lane Tracking Package, it operates at speeds above 37 mph via a system that recognizes lane markings, thanks to a small camera in the windshield and a computer that analyzes the video images.
The Lane Tracking Package also includes Blind Spot Assist, which monitors both blind spots behind and to the side of the vehicle. Whenever a turn signal is activated with a vehicle in the blind spot, the driver gets visual and audible warnings.
Key competitors
With wagons slow to move from dealer lots in any form in the U.S., the E-Class Wagon doesn't have much to deal with in terms of competitors - just the Cadillac CTS Wagon, Lincoln MKT crossover and the Volvo XC90 crossover.