In keeping with E350's stunning exterior, the well-appointed interior was equally gorgeous. It stuns with bright chrome accents on the instrument cluster and center stack and an optional burl walnut wood trim so shellacked it shimmered even on cloudy days.

Despite all its elegance, I couldn't get comfortable in the E350. My primary obstacle was the super-long seat bottom that was extended too far for my short legs. No amount of manipulation of the 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat made up for the fact that what I really needed to do was chop about 4 to 6 inches off of the driver's seat cushion. That said, passengers with long legs might enjoy the added support and be better able to appreciate this perch.

We gave the E350's navigation system a whirl more than once and found it could be redundant at times. When I wanted to select a street name, I had to first spin the dial to select the first letters of the name, which prompted the system to provide a list of options. I found the street on the list and selected it. Then, for whatever reason, another list of options popped up. I selected my desired street once again and then it finally worked.

For families, a two-door vehicle is a known challenge. With the E350's power seats, my kids grew impatient waiting to jump in and out of the backseat. They had to wait for the driver or front passenger seat to power forward and back each time.

This second row has two bucket seats. In between the seats are two cupholders and a cubby that was perfect for Yu-Gi-Oh cards. An optional power sunshade on the rear window helped shade my boys' delicate eyes from the sun, while the standard panoramic sunroof provided amusement no matter the weather.

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Galore