Mercedes-Benz E350 Car of the Month

The auto industry is full of great taglines. Whether it’s BMW’s The Ultimate Driving Machine, Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom or Chevrolet’s Like a Rock, a company’s tagline is the one catch phrase that is designed to resonate with consumers. In some cases, companies like Ford Motor Company have more than one tagline, from Built Ford Tough to Ford. Drive One. There are two that really stick out the most and they come from my childhood: Have you Driven a Ford Lately and Toyota’s Oh What a Feeling…(you can finish the rest).

As our team took receipt of the 2010 Mercedes Benz E350, the timeless exterior design and smooth lines of the car enamored us. With all vehicle reviews, we usually spend our first 30 minutes simply talking about the car. As we walked around this beautiful vehicle, we couldn’t remember what Mercedes-Benz’s tagline was. We all agreed that luxury or unsurpassed craftsmanship had to be tied in to this car in some capacity, but we simply couldn’t come up with the tagline.

After getting back to the office and doing some quick research, we learned that Mercedes-Benz’s tagline was Like No Other, but the usage was discontinued in 2006. There might be a new tagline for Mercedes, but it simply doesn’t roll off the tongue like The Ultimate Driving Machine. However, and this is a big however, we all quickly agreed that Mercedes is one of only a few brands that simply doesn’t need a tagline. Their product line-up speaks volumes about the quality and sophistication of their company. Who needs a catchy tagline when the entire product line-up truly defines the brand and speaks for itself?

So, in selecting our 2009 Car of the Month for October, it was an easy choice. With no tagline, no catchy phrases, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 needs no overwhelming introduction other than, this car is really Like No Other.



Overall Experience
The Mercedes-Benz E350 embodies everything that is representative of luxury and is simply one of the most refined vehicles on the road. The performance attributes are surprisingly underestimated as the interior creature comforts engage the passengers with the integration of the world’s best technological features. On the open road the E350 is the preeminent luxury sedan. With the right mix of sportiness and horsepower, matched perfectly with the most luxurious interior package available today, the E350 is a class leader.

Interior
As stated above, Mercedes-Benz is known for being the auto industry’s most luxurious brand. Other automakers strive to achieve this unsurpassed recognition, but it’s the years of continued engineering and refinement that make a Mercedes a Mercedes. The interior of the E350 is highlighted by leather attributes from the leather-wrapped dashboard and steering wheel, to the soft and supple leather seats. And, the seats aren’t just normal leather seats. The Premium package E350 integrates heating and cooling on the front seats, as well as a full back massage system for the driver. The hand polished wood trim and aluminum instrument cluster truly make the entire feel of the E350 timeless and sophisticated.



The navigation system uses a 7-inch high-mounted display giving the driver exceptional visibility. The nav system also comes with a new real-time traffic feature that is updated via GPS along the driving route. The harman/kardon LOGIC7 Surround Sound System with Dolby Digital 5.1 pumps out great audio to seven perfectly positioned speakers. Sirius Satellite Radio and an iPod/MP3 Media Interface round out the entertainment system. Bluetooth is becoming more commonplace with each state adopting new hands-free laws and the Mercedes is no different. The Bluetooth provides clear and hands-free use and more importantly it’s extremely easy to pair and use.

The one minor feature that Mercedes might want to consider adjusting in the future is the cruise control switch. It sits at approximately 10 o’clock on the left side of the steering column and you find yourself clicking the cruise control switch instead of the turn signal, which is also located on the left side of the steering column at 7 o’clock.

Performance
The Mercedes-Benz E350 has a 3.5-liter, 24-Valve Aluminum V6 engine that produces 268 horsepower at 6,000 RPM. The 258 lb-ft of torque is quite docile in the normal automatic transmission mode, but when switched over to sport the E350 comes alive. With a 0-60 of 6.5 seconds, the 7-speed manual transmission is perfectly mated to the engine package for smooth driving. Although 0-60 performance isn’t likely the first thing that comes to mind when purchasing a Mercedes, the development of the 3.5-liter motor, combined with the 7-speed transmission, packs enough horsepower punch to compete with any of its luxury competitors, including BMW, Audi, Lexus and Jaguar.



Keeping the E350 firmly planted to the pavement are 245/40 R18 front and 265/35 R18 rear Continental all-season tires. The sport suspension also gives the E350 an aggressive stance and allows for greater performance while cornering. Mercedes uses a 3-link independent strut-type with stabilizer bar for the front and a 5-link independent with stabilizer bar for the rear.
The exterior styling rounds out the E350 with sport body styling, aggressive and pronounced front grille, lower front bumper-mounted headlights and dual exhaust on the rear. But it’s back inside the cockpit where the sportiness continues with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Safety
Volvo has positioned itself as one of the auto industry’s premier safety leaders and for good reason; however, Mercedes has been a global leader in bringing the newest safety innovations to market since its inception. In addition to a steel reinforced cabin with front and rear crumple zones, the E350 has more airbags than we could count on both hands. There were front and rear side window airbags, front side airbags, front dual stage airbags, driver and front passenger pelvic airbags, a driver-knee airbag and Mercedes’ NECK-PRO active head restraints.
Tire pressure monitoring is also a great safety feature to have on any car. Knowing your tires’ pressure levels can prevent a potential blowout situation before it happens by ensuring your wheels are at normal pressure levels. 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock and brake assist, combined with roll-over sensor give the driver and passengers piece of mind they are driving in a vehicle that is safer than most.

Reverse back-up camera and sensors, along with Mercedes’ ATTENTION ASSIST Drowsiness Monitor are also special safety features of this E350.



The starting price of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 is $48,600 and to our surprise we thought that was very reasonable. When you think of Mercedes, you think of much higher price points, so this really sweetened the review. The vehicle we tested did have both the Premium and Sport Packages, which really loaded the car up with a host of great bonus features. The price with destination and delivery, along with the must-have massage seat for the driver was priced at $56,385. The 4-year/50,000 mile warranty is the industry standard, but Mercedes also includes 24-hour roadside assistance and Mercedes-Benz’s unparalleled maintenance program.