Rants and Raves
ERIK JOHNSON
Boy, this thing feels heavy, and the all-wheel-drive system drags enough when you're at the small end of the speedo in first or second that it almost seems as if it's got a low range. The V-6 is adequate around town, but you feel its overall lack of power on the freeway. The Sport pack is a nice add-on in terms of looks—it gets rid of the tiny wheels and adds the dual exhausts—but didn't seem to add a whole lot of actual sportiness. There is still a bunch of body roll, the transmission was a little tardy with the shifts, and the throttle isn't particularly enthused to convey aggressive stomps to the engine room. This is a comfy luxocruiser for folks who don't particularly care for cars.
ALISA PRIDDLE
This is a particularly pretty E350, with the black and chocolate leather interior that I've been told is tough to come by in the real-buyer's world. For me, the E350 is a Goldilocks luxury sedan: not too big, not too small; not too plain, not too fussy; not too slow, not crazy performance that makes you stay up all night driving.
I do have some pet peeves, though. I'm not a fan of the placement of the thin stalk for cruise control. It is easy to mistake for the turn signal stalk, and it is not as accessible and intrinsic as commands on the steering wheel for people like me who toggle the speed up and down to match traffic. But the seats and the ride are comfortable, so even when I couldn't find the clock, you could say time flew as I was having fun behind the wheel.
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