Car and Driver - USA (2020-05)

(Antfer) #1

66 PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO ~ MAY 2020 ~ CAR AND DRIVER


A love story. by Joey Capparella


Mercedes-Benz


E450 wagon


Around these parts—okay, in our
heads—modern wagons park on the
same pedestal as proper exotics. We
hardly think twice when a Mercedes-Benz E-class
sedan pulls up next to us at a stoplight. But an
E-class wagon? That evokes pangs of envy and
longing. In our mind’s eye, this wagon’s long-roof
shape is the ultimate symbol of inconspicuous
automotive consumption.
AUNa :R_PRQR` UN` ]R_`V`aRQ V[ \ßR_V[T N
wagon version of its mid-size luxury car in the
U.S. this long is admirable. In this niche, though,
`ZNYY `NYR`c\YbZR` N_R \ß`RaOfaUR _VPU QRZ\-

graphics of its buyers. Mercedes says that, in the
U.S., the E-class-wagon owner has among the
highest average household income of all its cus-
tomers, rivaled only by that of G-wagen buyers.
And other automakers are catching on. Entrants
S_\ZC\Yc\.bQVN[QRcR[7NTbN_UNcR¼YYRQaUR
luxury-wagon segment to the point that we were
able to conduct a three-car comparison test in
201 8, which the Mercedes won. The six-cylinder
variants of the E-class lineup also earned a spot
on our 2018 and 2019 10 Best lists. A 40 , 000 -mile
long-term relationship would test the depths of
our love for the E wagon.

— 2019 —


Departure
February 2020

Arrival
September 2018
Free download pdf