What the Tech?

IT’S NO COMPLAINT TO SAY that given the slow visual evolution of the Mercedes-Benz E-class, many wouldn’t notice that the stately three-box sedan has entered a new generation this year.

- Dave VanderWerp

Mercedes-Benz E350 HIGHS: Dynamically sophisticated, airy ride quality, plenty quick, luxurious through and through.

LOWS: Pointless gadgetry, elevated price, a few cheesy details.

The only gauche elements that might have a design referee reaching for a flag are the numerous three-pointed-star logos crammed into the grille and taillights. Otherwise, the E’s silhouette carries forward as much as its dynamic sophistication, and the latter is precisely what landed the previous E-class on our 10Best Cars list two years in a row.

By the numbers, it’s much the same. The wheelbase grows by 0.9 inch, and rear-seat space is adult luxurious. A 255-hp turbo 2.0-liter four powers the E350, and a 375-hp turbo inline-six motivates the E450. The base price is up by $5450, although newly standard all-wheel drive accounts for part of that leap.

Sure, we’d prefer the sound of the six, but the E350’s four-cylinder is extremely refined and refuses to get unruly, even as it strains to run to 60 mph in a plenty-quick 5.8 seconds. It also delivered 35 mpg on our 75-mph highway fueleconomy loop (equating to 600 miles of range).

Only when you’re outside the car does its idle sound diesel-like thanks to its high-pressure direct-injection fuel system.