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Cars

Mercedes ups price, power

The V6-powered Mercedes-Benz mid-size luxury car doesn't just get a new name this model year.

The 2006 Mercedes E350 comes with a new, 3.5-liter engine with considerably more power than its E320 predecessor, bigger brakes and the largest standard wheels and tires ever on an entry, gasoline-powered E-Class.

Price also rises, resulting in every E-Class for the first time carrying a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of more than $50,000.

Specifically, this car with a V6 and seven-speed automatic transmission starts at $50,825, notably more than many mid-size luxury sedans with six-cylinder power.

For example, the 2006 BMW 5-Series starts at $43,195 for a base 525i sedan with inline, six-cylinder engine and manual transmission. The 2006 Jaguar S-Type starts at $45,995 with V6 and six-speed automatic.

Built in Germany, the E-Class is Mercedes' middle car positioned between the S-Class flagship sedan and the smaller C-Class.

The E-Class is something of an all-purpose luxury car at showrooms because its seven models - including sedan and station wagon body styles, V6 and V8 gasoline engines as well as a diesel six cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive as well as performance AMG models - make it the most encompassing of any Mercedes.

Annual U.S. sales of some 50,000 E-Class cars this decade reflect its wide range of offerings and its midpoint status. Since 2001, the E-Class has been the second most popular Mercedes nameplate among Americans, trailing the more affordable C-Class. The E-Class usually outsells BMW's 5-Series in this country.

But in the first nine months of this year, the 5-Series leads with 32,124 sales vs. 30,951 for the E-Class.

Mercedes officials have to hope, though, that the new V6 in the E-Class will pump up sales.

Horsepower is increased to 268 from last year's 221. But fuel economy is down a bit with the higher-powered engine and now is rated at 19 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway.

My driving experience wasn't too far from the rating. I actually got 26.3 mpg on a highway run in the E350.

Even with the automatic shifting, I noticed just how much "oomph" the E350 had at low engine revs. During some startups, my head pressed into the head restraint as the car surged forward.

Too bad, though, there was an intermittent noisy "whooo" sound when the car started with the engine cold. The sound continued for a couple of minutes and brought stares from pedestrians nearby.

The E-Class has long had a reputation for superlative handling, and the 2006 E-Class is no exception. The test E350 admirably kept harsh road shocks from passengers yet managed to make the driver feel well-connected to the road. The ride was never floaty or out of touch with the pavement, and there were none of the tiring, incessant vibrations that can come with a spirited-handling car.

The more than 3,700-pound E350 did have a heaviness about it that conveyed a sense of stability and safety on the road. There also was little wind noise, but road noise from the new, 17-inch tires was noticeable.

Also noticeable were a few quality issues.

When I closed the front doors of the test car with the windows down a bit, for example, the window glass rattled like it was in a cheap car.

Then there was the disturbing vibration that agitated my foot when I pressed the brake pedal.

To be sure, the electrohydraulic brakes worked capably to slow and stop the car. But the vibrating brake pedal would have prompted a visit to a service technician if I owned this test E350.

I also noted that in the past 15 months there have been two safety recalls of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 E-Class for problems with the Sensotronic brake control system that could cause the brakes to revert to hydraulic mode alone.

Everyone - save perhaps the middle person in back who must deal with a hump in the middle of the rear-seat floor - has a good resting spot in the E350. Indeed, front seats with their 10-way adjustable power were among the most comfortable I've experienced. They cradled my body and let me sink in a bit, too.

But it's disappointing to see that someone paying the $50,000 base price for this sedan gets only leather seat inserts. Full leather seats on the test car cost an optional $1,500.

The 2006 E-Class sedan received four out of five stars for protecting front-seat passengers in frontal crash testing, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It received five out of five stars for front- and rear-seat occupant protection in side crash testing, and five out of five stars for its rollover-resistance rating.

Mercedes officials have said they're working to improve vehicle quality and are aware that the E-Class reliability has been rated "poor" by Consumer Reports magazine.

Next car reviews, in this order: 2006 Honda Civic, 2006 Pontiac Solstice, 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab, 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

[Last modified October 20, 2005, 09:03:09]