Instrumented Test
With the exception of the Cadillac CTS wagon, the Mercedes E-class wagon has no competition. Audi and BMW stopped selling their mid-size A6 and 5-series wagons here with the introduction of their current-generation sedans, though the rest of the world can still buy them. Instead, we get SUVs and off-putting rhombus-shaped vehicles—we’re talking to you, BMW 5-series GT—from those German brands. Why do we like wagons so much? Aside from their obvious dynamic benefits over SUVs—adding practicality without sacrificing much performance or handling—wagons, once the bloated, wood-paneled barges of family road-trip nightmares, now carry a perfumed whiff of exoticism, of oddball elitism, of nonconformity. Crossover SUVs may claim to be car-based, but wagons are actually cars.
Consequently, an E350 wagon feels just like an E350 sedan, only cooler. It’s solid, laid-back, and quiet. From the chunky, low-set turn-signal switch to the elastic ride, the wagon provides a satisfying old-school Mercedes-Benz experience. With the exception of the quick and responsive steering (2.6 turns lock-to-lock), old-school Benz also means that the wagon’s dynamic reflexes are a bit Xanax-dulled. The transmission takes its time moving from park into gear, the throttle snoozes through the first few inches of travel, the transmission is slow to kick down to a lower gear, and the brake pedal has a mushy, unresponsive stroke.
But hit the freeway, and the wagon’s loafer attitude becomes relaxing and secure. Should you find yourself too relaxed and wander from your lane, the optional Lane Tracking package ($850) vibrates the steering wheel. Should you doze off entirely, Mercedes’ standard Attention Assist system, which monitors steering inputs to guess if you’re falling asleep, will beep to rouse you.
Two things made us think this wagon would be a bit sportier. First, it arrived with the Sport package (a no-cost option), which lowers the car over the wheels and includes a body kit, and 18-inch AMG wheels ($760). Second, it has Mercedes’ new 60-degree, direct-injection, 302-hp 3.5-liter V-6 under the hood. The new engine pulls smoothly to its 6800-rpm redline, and the wagon hits 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. The quarter-mile rolls by in a decent 14.6 seconds at 97 mph. Should you want to go faster, Mercedes also offers a 518-hp (or 550) E63 AMG wagon. But even in E350 guise, the wagon is quick enough to embarrass most crossovers and SUVs. Our observed fuel economy of 22 mpg is also better than most SUVs can muster in our hands (the EPA estimates 19 mpg city and 27 highway). The E350 most closely mirrors an SUV with its standard all-wheel drive and hefty 4379-pound curb weight.
Utility shoppers also may be interested in the Benz’s third-row seats. As in wagons of yesteryear, those seats face rearward so your children can make faces and obscene gestures at other drivers. Adults won’t fit comfortably in the third row, but adults don’t fit in most crossovers’ third rows, either.
At $58,025, the wagon commands $4160 more than an E350 4MATIC sedan and $8160 more than an ML350. Our optioned-up wagon came in at a sobering $68,965, or about the price of a 556-hp CTS-V wagon. It’s unlikely that an E350 wagon customer wants anything other than a Benz wagon, but we’d suggest at least driving the CTS-V before spending $69,000.
