2006 Mercedes-Benz E350
Short review of 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350
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Price as tested: CDN$74300
Mercedes has taken the already excellent E320 into another height with the introduction of E350. The E350 shares the same excellent 3.5L V6 with C, CLK, SLK and M-Classes which bumped out 268 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque. There is no shortage of power here. All you feel is a sense of Mercedes sensibilities with top-notch refinement and NVH. Unlike the SLK, the engine note is more muted for E-Class’s executive sedan character. As impressive as the engine, its 7-speed automatic transmission, or what Mercedes called 7-Gronic has done a marvelous job by providing crisp shifts and proper gear ratios. Driven at 100km/h only ticks at 2000 rpm which is amusing for a V6. The gearing on the 7th gear serves as an overdrive for fuel economy while the manumatic mode is responsive enough, when a driver has an urge to aggressively driven this car.
Except for the heart transplant, E-Class continues its tradition by providing 1st-class comfort, perfect handling/ride compromise with Airmatic DC. In the lowest setting of Airmatic, it rides as softly sprung as a landyatch. On the other hand, one can really appreciate the damping aggressiveness when pushing into corner if you set at the stiffest DC setting. The beauty of Airmatic DC is the system has perfected the balance of softness and suppleness between all settings.
Overall rating: 5/5