2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review by Kelsey Mays
America's fickle regard for station wagons hasn't meant much to most luxury automakers, who've continued to offer a steady stream of wagons and wagonlike cars. The latest example is the Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic wagon, based on an E-Class that was redesigned a little over a year ago. Its arrival was all but certain: Of the nameplate's eight prior generations, four have included a wagon. I predict Wagon Five won't go down as a particularly memorable edition.
The E350 wagon brings some useful innovations, but its undersized cargo area and puzzling driving dynamics diminish the appeal.
As its name suggests, the E-Class wagon comes with a V-6 engine and all-wheel drive, in Sport or Luxury editions. Rear-wheel drive, a V-8 and a diesel V-6 — all available in other E-Class cars — weren't offered in the wagon as of publication. Click here to see the E-Class lineup compared, or here to compare 2011 and 2010 versions. I'll focus primarily on the E350 Sport wagon we evaluated. You can also check out our reviews of the coupe, sedan and convertible.
See also:
Vehicle equipment
This Operator's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment of
your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences ar ...
Socket in the front-compartment center console
To open: slide cover 1 forwards until it engages.
Lift up the cover of socket 2.
To close: press cover 1 briefly at the front. The cover moves back.
...
Safety & Reliability
As of this writing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not yet
crash-tested the GL-Class. Eight standard airbags include three-row side curtain
airbags and seat-mounted side-impact air ...