Have I mentioned how great a magazine Autoweek is for someone who’s in the market for a new vehicle? It’s just a good magazine to read for all sorts of information on all sorts of cars. The writers are seasoned journalists, but they’re also genuine car enthusiasts. They just tell it how it is. I found this article in the “Daily Drive” newsletter I get each day from Autoweek.com via email. One of their guys took their long term 2011 E350 Wagon on a road trip. Have a look at the article below (and don’t forget, we have a very well equipped 2011 E350 4matic wagon in stock now!):
 

I wanted to go to the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. for a number of reasons.

One, I love Traverse City. It’s a small town with a bigger town feel, and it’s located in a part of Michigan (about 4 hours north of Detroit) where driving out of town in any direction for just 20 minutes will land you on a gorgeous bay, out in the middle of the woods, or climbing a beautiful sand dune.

Two, I’d never been to the seminars before and wanted to check them out.

And three, my wife had gone up earlier in the week and I could pick her up and bring her back home.

So the decision was made to go. Question was, what to drive? I could pick from the usual long-term fleet suspects–Audi S4, Subaru Outback, MazdaSpeed 3, etc. Decisions, decisions. Just then associate publisher Dutch Mandel walked in to the office and said, “This E-class wagon really rocks. You should take it to Traverse City.”

Done deal. Now that I’m back and having thought it about some, I don’t know that I could have picked a better car for the trip.

The E wagon is an interesting car. Whenever the enthusiast media types get in front of an auto exec we yell “more wagons!” Trouble is, the general public pretty much ignores them. At AutoWeek we’re thankful Mercedes is keeping the faith. Mercedes is no doubt thankful too: the E-class wagon is MB’s highest demographic vehicle on average, and one of the highest in the industry. An average Mercedes owner makes about $180,000. But 30 percent of E-class wagon owners earn between $200,000 and $400,000, and 24 percent earn more than half a million bucks. So it’s a car that Mercedes will hopefully build for years to come.

Anyway, the wagon and I made record time on the way up to Traverse. This particular example was an E350, with a 268 hp 3.5-liter V6, all-wheel drive and a seven-speed transmission.

The car looks good, the sheetmetal is sharp–I like the lines and creases. Frankly, I think the E-class looks better as a wagon than it does a sedan. More elegant.

It’s fast, the chassis is rock solid, goes exactly where you point it and is supremely comfortable with a perfect driving position. The engine and transmission are among the smoothest in the biz. I got 25 mpg at a steady … well, never mind how fast I was going.

The cabin is simple but well built with elegant wood, leather and soft-touch materials. The instruments look classy and the ambient lighting lends just the right touch of style. It’s also practical as all get out with its rear view camera, power liftgate, and third row seats if you need ’em (yes, it will seat seven).

As I write this it’s already Aug. 6, so you still have time to get in a late summer vacation/road trip. Though I can highly recommend you take the brilliant Mercedes-Benz E-class wagon, there are lots of other choices. What would you choose?

This article was last updated on: 08/06/10, 10:06 et 

Autoweek.com is always a great place for good, solid car news and reviews, visit their website!