ShareThisIn the milieu of sweeping pronouncements, it would be hard to beat the Mercedes-Benz description of its 2010 E-Class sedan and coupe.
"This is the most advanced automobile we've ever created," said Bernhard Glaser, the Mercedes product manager. "Everything we know and everything we are went into it."
Given the fact that the original Mercedes came out more than 100 years ago, that's an impressive testimonial. But Glaser and his colleagues can be forgiven a touch of hyperbole because the new E350 and E550 sedans and coupes are state-of-the-art 21st-century automobiles replete with an unprecedented array of safety and other innovations.
However, at a time of rising public sensitivity to environmental issues, they don't do much to advance a green agenda. A small nod to that comes later with a more economical diesel-engine model, though that will be offset by the ultra high-performance, fuel-gobbling E63 AMG version.
As it is, the new E350 and E550, though about as good as they can be given their class, design and performance, are not exactly paragons of natural-resource preservation.
The E350, with its 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine, has a city/highway government fuel economy rating of 18/25 miles to the gallon, while the 382-horsepower, 5.5-liter E550 V8 gets 14/20.
In sum, the 2010 E-Class follows in the tradition it has established over nine generations, dating back to 1953. It is the Mercedes middle -- a mid-sized sedan aimed at buyers not overly concerned with economy and willing to pay a premium price for the Benz brand of engineering, innovation and luxury.
The tighter-handling coupe is an addition, to be joined by a convertible and an all-wheel drive station wagon to give potential customers a full line of E-Class choices. In the family, the new coupe and convertible replace the CLK models.
Because it likely will account for the bulk of E-Class sales, the focus here is on the E350 four-door sedan. It has a starting price of $49,475, which certainly takes it out of mainstream family sedan territory.
But that is $4,600 less than the 2009 model and, with the addition of new standard safety and other equipment, Mercedes claims that 2010 customers gain a 20 percent price benefit over the previous car.
The safety innovations are impressive, especially the optional driver assist package. It consists of the Mercedes Distronic Plus cruise control with so-called pre-safe braking. The cruise control automatically maintains a distance from the car ahead, right down to a stop.
The same sensors operate the brake assist plus, which detects a rapid closing with a barrier or a car ahead, as if that car braked suddenly in heavy traffic. It sounds an alarm and applies the brakes if the driver does not. The system won't prevent a rear-end collision but will mitigate the severity.
Another component shakes the steering wheel if the car wanders into an adjacent lane, as if the driver became drowsy. There's a blind-spot warning system, unnecessary if the outside mirrors are adjusted properly but likely useful for people who have never learned how to adjust them. Also available is a system that automatically adapts the headlight low and high beams to the surroundings.
Standard safety equipment includes nine air bags, including a driver's knee bag and pelvis bags for the driver and front passenger; stability and traction control; antilock brakes with brake assist; a rollover sensor; active head restraints, and tire-pressure monitoring. If you want to spend a bit more, you can order the $1,650 night view assist, which detects pedestrians you might not be able to see. All in all, it's a comprehensive peace-of-mind setup.
Of course, there are plenty of comfort and convenience options, including the $790 Parktronic, which eyeballs a parking space and then delivers detailed instructions to the driver on how to park the car. It does not automatically park the car the way Lexus and the new Toyota Prius do.
With driver assist, a panoramic glass sun roof and other options, the tested E350 sedan had a bottom-line sticker price of $61,845. One clever low-tech feature is a slide-out cargo organizer in the trunk.
There's so much stuff on the new E-Class cars that they rival the flagship S-Class models, which now have an edge only in a few more luxury touches, slightly more interior room and bragging rights. No doubt the next S-Class will leapfrog this E.
On the road, the new E350 exhibits the characteristics its disciples have come to expect, with competent handling and a supple ride. The V6 engine moves the 3,891-pound sedan to 60 miles an hour in slightly more than six seconds. It is linked to the increasingly ubiquitous Mercedes seven-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted manually but likely won't be because it's efficient and unobtrusive.
Criticisms fall at the margins. Instead of a solid, opaque shade for the panoramic glass sunroof, a cheesy cloth has been substituted, which doesn't entirely block intense sunlight. And the sun visors on several test cars practically needed a pry bar to pop them from the grip of their locking clip.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. For more columns, go to scrippsnews.com)
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