2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a beautiful car inside and out, but after driving the sleek-looking coupe, my admiration for it quickly stopped.

Inside the E350 coupe, I couldn't get comfortable. No amount of seat adjusting and lumbar support helped me find a good driving position. My visibility was impeded by the coupe's squatty greenhouse with its low ceiling and large A-pillars. To make matters worse, the E350 didn't make up for these inconveniences with stellar performance, impressive gas mileage or dazzling features.

With a 268-horsepower V-6, the E350 coupe easily reaches highway cruising speeds in good time. There were no jolts of acceleration and no rushing past fellow drivers screaming, "Ha! Eat my dust!" The E350 is far too refined and mature for such idle amusements. But the brake pedal's slow response and loosey-goosey feel was unnerving.

The 2011 E350 coupe has a starting MSRP of $48,850. My test car had an as-tested price of $59,225.

See also:

Maximum load rating
WARNING Do not overload the tires by exceeding the specified load limit as indicated on the Tire and Loading Information placard on the driver's door B-pillar. Overloading the tires can over ...

Front air bags
The front air bags increase protection for the driver's and front-passenger's head and chest. Driver's air bag 1 deploys in front of the steering wheel; front-passenger front air ba ...

Opening and closing the side trimpanels
You must open the side trim panel in the cargo compartment before you can change the bulbs in the tail lamps. Left-hand side trim panel ► To open: turn release knob 1 90° in the direction ...