I got bored watching the Detroit Lions get beaten to a sad, bloody pulp on Thanksgiving by the Green Bay Packers, so I decided to go take something for a drive.  Thanks to a close friend of my uncle, I obtained the keys to his personal Mercedes E350 4Matic, a car that’s quite successful around my hometown in northern New Jersey.  So, in the interest of asking why people love these cars so much, I took half an hour out of Turkey Day and had myself a drive of this black Benz.

First off, the E-Class has a lot of history behind it.  It’s one of M-B’s most profitable model lines, and is used often as a German taxicab all over the world.  But, in the USA, the E-Class is strictly a luxury car, and the E350 is the base engine model, using a 286hp 3.5L V6 engine, with this one coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission and Mercedes-Benz’s proven 4Matic AWD system.  In the basic black color, this car looks very sharp, although not as sleek as the F10 BMW 5-Series or as technical as the new Audi A6.  It’s far from ugly, but it does look too much like the old E-Class in its basic theme.  That said, the old one wasn’t exactly hideous.   Build quality is bank-vault tough, with clinical shutlines and impressive paint quality.  On the inside, the big Mercedes is very impressive and imposing, with a nicely crafted leather steering wheel, soft upholstery, classy wood trim, and a nicely styled set of lines.  The center stack is full of scary-looking buttons but after a few minutes, I mastered them.  Strangely, the parking brake is a dash-mounted lever and the clock is mounted right in the instrument panel (a large analog unit, which is very easy to read).  The navigation screen is excellent (better than Cadillac’s) and doesn’t wash out in low sunlight.

There’s plenty of room, too, both in the front and in the back.  For my driving position, the rear can handle anyone up to 6 feet without much issue.  The trunk can fit plenty of golf bags or suitcases, a certain prerequisite in this segment.  The seats are comfortable, covered in soft leather seats, and have full power adjustment.  The intrument panel is easy to read, with full normal instrumentation plus a large analog clock to the left of the speedo, a nice touch.  The Sports Package, included on this E350, includes paddle shifters, a body kit, special rims, and circular fog lights.  So, with all this equipment, a 2012 model isn’t cheap.  With all that in mind, I turned the key and took it for a drive.

Off the line, the V6-powered base E-Class is jumpy, and definitely feels like it’s been tuned for the autobahn. The chassis feels composed at speeds as high as 85mph, a testament to the car’s stability.  While no V8, the car accelerates briskly for its power output and the transmission feels well-matched.  That said, upshifts could be more willing. The manual mode is better than others, and the paddle shifters are surprisingly well-engineered–they feel solid in the hand and mechanically sufficient.  It moves down the road without a lot of unnecessary noise, although the low-profile tires do give a bit of roar on bad surfaces.  The steering is a little light but feels accurate and doesn’t give any indications that it should be clearly improved.  Mercedes has been using 4MATIC for years on the E-Class and this version keeps the big cruiser on the tarmac without any drama.  Like any other standard Benz, this one rides like a dream, and even in Sport mode, makes cracks and holes in the NJ pavement nonexistent.  Visibility is great, and from all areas, it’s clear that the E-Class can be either a taxi, a luxury sedan, or even a beastly muscle car (in the AMG line).  The brakes feel nicely balanced, with some nosedive up front but not enough to make anyone wince.  It’s no sports sedan, but the E350 4MATIC clearly covers the bases well for any buyer in this market.

-Albert S. Davis