2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Before the launch of the gorgeous CLS sedan/coupe, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was widely considered to be the most successful design among the company's current sedans. For 2007, a slightly increased overall length and wider front and rear tracks does nothing to dispel the car's suave look.

The four-headlight theme introduced on the previous-generation E-Class is now the company standard, but it has been refined further in the mid-life freshening of the 2007 car. Up front, the bumper and radiator grille now have a pronounced V-shape, the spoiler is lower, and, for a striking effect, the twin headlamps sport transparent louvers over their top sections. A finishing touch is the white LEDs used for the parking lights.

The front end's new look for 2007 is carried to the rear along deeper side skirts to a new rear bumper and taillight configuration. Along with the new, more aerodynamically shaped single-strut rearview mirrors, the changes keep the E-Class looking fresh and youthful, yet elegant.

The current E-Class design introduced many innovations not necessarily apparent to the eye. This was the first Mercedes sedan to use aluminum body components extensively, starting with the hood, front fenders, trunk lid, front crossmember and front subframe. Aluminum is lighter and stronger but more expensive than steel. Aluminum amounts to 10 percent of the body's weight. About 37 percent of the total is modern high-strength steel alloys.

From the aerodynamic perspective, the E-Class is one of the slipperiest sedans extant. Its 0.27 coefficient of drag, identical to the 2006 model, is a benchmark for sedans and helps minimize wind noise and maximize fuel economy.

The E-Class wagon, this year available only in E350 and E63 AMG versions, will never be mistaken for anything but a wagon. Nonetheless, it is impressively sleek, and some critics find the tear-drop taper of the rear roof more aesthetically pleasing than the trunk deck on the sedans. The exterior revisions on the sedan apply to the wagon. The wagon has been fitted with a larger center brake light. The wagon's added cargo-passenger flexibility is welcome. If the E350 wagon is too stodgy for your taste, there's always the new E63 AMG wagon.

The E63 AMG sedan and wagon look meaner than the other E-Class cars. With their lower body cladding and 18-inch wheels, the E63s look racy and aggressive. As is often the case, the body add-ons add slightly more drag, if you can call a super slippery 0.28 Cd more drag. The aerodynamic aids are for downforce, to improve grip in fast corners.

Interior Features

We really enjoy the Mercedes E-Class interior. Like its exterior styling, we consider the E-Class cabin to be some of the marque's best design work, with a successful mix of attributes. The E-Class sedan delivers plenty of passenger space, yet it maintains some level of intimacy. It's luxurious, yet functional, and loaded with features without being excessive. The E-Class has all the traditional Mercedes interior cues, starting with its standard dark stained burl walnut trim. The cabin is conservative in some respects, daring in others, and impressively executed throughout.

New for 2007 is a more elegant look, distinguished by sweeping curves, soft surfaces and effective use of chrome trim. A handsome four-spoke steering wheel with elliptical thumb-operated buttons is new, along with revised controls for the automatic climate system and additional interior color choices.

The dashboard sweeps from each side and blends into the doors and center console. The wood trim is complemented by splashes of chrome. Plastic panels are generally rich in appearance and have a soft-touch finish. All are sprayed with a polyurethane coating that delivers impressively consistent color.

The instrument cluster uses black script on white gauges with LED lighting. There's a big speedometer in the middle, with a menu-operated display for diagnostics, feature selection, ambient temperature, date and other information in its center. To the left sits a large analog clock, to the right the tachometer. On either end of the cluster are neat bar gauges that resemble thermometers, displaying fuel level and coolant temperature.

A cluster of switches between the visors on the headliner controls cabin lighting and the Tele-Aid SOS call button. The panel also includes a switch to operate the sunroof. HomeLink buttons are located on the bottom of the rearview mirror and can be programmed to control garage doors, house lighting, gates, etc. Redundant controls on the steering wheel hub operate the phone, radio and information display.

A single row of switches at the bottom of the center stack operates door locks, flashers and seat heaters. The main audio, telephone and navigation controls are located in a Comand module, spread around a 16:9 ratio LCD display screen. The system is a big improvement over Mercedes' previous control center, and while it still requires some learning, it probably takes less time to master than the menu/joystick system in many E-Class competitors.

The new CD changer is located behind a flip-up switch panel in the center of the dash panel, which, at the touch of a button, opens for access to the changer. It can play audio CDs and MP3s, and an auxiliary input plug in the glove box allows personal audio devices to be played through the 12-speaker sound system. An optional kit connects the Apple iPod to the audio system and provides information in the center display while allowing control via the multi-function steering wheel.

Mercedes is learning that people who drive cars carry stuff with them, at least Americans do. This E-Class has less storage space than some of its competitors, but acres more than any Mercedes did five years ago. The center console has a funky pop-up cupholder and a large storage bin (two bins if you don't order the telephone package). Storage bins are also located in each door along with map pockets on the front seatbacks.

The 10-way adjustable front bucket seats are firm enough for good support when driving fast, but not hard on the back when cruising. They grip bodies of various sizes nicely, and there's more than enough adjustment via Mercedes' patented door-mounted seat controls to accommodate just about everyone. The sport seats have enough bolstering to keep a bronze bust in place. But if you don't dive into corners like Stirling Moss, you probably don't need them. They make getting in and out a little more difficult. We especially enjoy the Active Ventilated seats in the E550 and E63 AMG models on hot days, when they provide a welcome measure of comfort.

Gripes? We didn't like the previous model's outside mirrors, which were too small, no doubt in deference to sharp styling and good aerodynamics, but the mirrors on the 2007 models are shaped better for viewing to the rear, and they're even more slippery in the wind. More significant is the cruise control. Mercedes' system still is managed with a stalk on the left side of the steering column, above the turn signals. At some point, no matter how long you've driven the car, you are going to hit the cruise control when you intend to turn on the blinker. Mercedes engineers insist that theirs is the most effective cruise-control operation going. We've yet to meet anyone who prefers it.

The E-Class was one of the first cars to feature ambient cabin lighting. These strips of soft, low-level lighting in the headliner remain on during darkness, like a fancy nightlight in the bathroom. It's disconcerting while driving at night, at least initially, because we're used to nothing but the instrument lights. The distraction goes away as you become accustomed, but we're not sure the benefit of being able to see around the cabin outweighs the perceived loss of night vision and focus on the road. Ambient lighting is convenient for passengers who want to be able to see inside the cabin, however.

A power glass moonroof that tilts and slides comes standard, but the Panorama roof can be ordered that offers twice the glass surface area. It features continuous glass that slides along the top of the body from the windshield to the rear window.

The back seat has all the comforts of home. Separate air vents for both sides, a fan-speed switch and separate temperature adjustments help keep rear passengers comfortable. A 12-volt power point, reading lamps, and a wide, fold-down center armrest with cupholders and divided storage are provided. Headrests are provided for all three rear seating positions, yet the driver can retract them with the press of a button when there's no one riding in back for a greater range of rearward vision. The optional split/folding rear seat adds utility; get it if you haul stuff.

The trunk is one of the largest in the class, with nearly 16 cubic feet of space. The trunk floor is as long as it is wide, with load height just above the bumper.

The E-Class wagon offers 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row seats and 69 cubic feet with all the seats folded down. That's nearly as much volume as the Mercedes M-Class, and with its lower load height, the space in the E-Class wagon is much easier to reach than it is in an SUV. The folding third-row seat will accommodate pre-teens without complaint, but most adults won't like it back there.