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The 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is heir to a long tradition of quality and
innovation. Indeed, the incarnation of the modern E-Class in the 1996 model year
gave the world its first front door mounted airbags. There are a number of
would-be challengers in the midsize luxury class, including Acura RL, BMW
5-Series, Jaguar XJ Series, Audi A6, Lexus GS and Cadillac CTS. But throughout
the world perhaps only the name Rolls-Royce compares with the recognition of
Mercedes-Benz.
The last exterior refresh for the E-Class was the 2007 model year, but there are
a number of new developments for 2009. New wheels, all-wheel drive, in-dash
CD/DVD changer and a Bluetooth hands free cell phone system lead this list.
The engine you get with the E-Class depends on the trim, and there are no
options. Four different engines are used, including a 3.0 liter, 210 horsepower
V6, a 3.5 liter, 268 horsepower V6, a 5.5 liter, 382 horsepower V8 and a 6.2
Liter, 507 horsepower V8. As with the engines, the transmission you get depends
on the trim you buy and there are no substitutions. It will be either a
five-speed with overdrive or a seven-speed with overdrive.
Of course, the engine/transmission combination greatly affects your fuel
efficiency. Most trims get the seven-speed transmission. With the 3.0 V6 it gets
a noteworthy 23 miles per gallon city and 32 miles per gallon highway. On the
opposite end is the big 6.2 V8, which gets only 12 miles per gallon in the city
and 19 miles per gallon on the highway.
For this year the Mercedes E-Class offers seven trims, which are E350 4MATIC
Sedan, E350 Luxury Sedan, E320 BlueTEC Sedan, E350 4MATIC Wagon, E550 Sport
Sedan, E550 4MATIC Sedan and E63 AMG Sedan in ascending order of cost and
amenities.
It would be a surprise if a Mercedes didn't get good safety ratings, and the
E-Class is no surprise this year. The front end crash test ratings are four-star
and everything else is five-star. As for other safety equipment, depending on
model, the E-Class offers antilock brakes with electronic braking assistance,
traction and stability control, automatic load leveling and limited slip
differential, as well as complete airbags and other common safety features.
It's hard to get a fix on just where the E-Class does and does not perform
better than average for its class because there is such a spread in engine size,
performance and body style. To generalize, the smaller engines get better than
average mileage, the wagon gets good headroom and cargo room and the bigger
engines get excellent horsepower and power to weight ratios.
One surprising area where the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is ahead of the curve
is price. Starting at just $53,200, the 350 4MATIC and Luxury sedans are a
veritable steal. Only the top end E63 has a starting price at $87,700 that is
above the class average. |
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