Review: Mercedes-Benz E350 Sedan - does it get any better?

Mercedes E350

By all accounts, I am a Mercedes fan. I love the grille and hood emblem and the prestige that the brand represents. Last weekend I treated myself and rented an E350. My expectations were fully met; click through for my impressions.

Mercedes E350

My particular E-Class rental was in white, which looked especially regal and stood out from other cars on the road. I probably wouldn't get a white car, but have to admit that it looked great. The E-Class is, in my opinion, one of the best looking sedans on the market today, more aggressive looking than the BMW 5-Series, more striking than Audi A6, and lightyears ahead of the Japanese competition (Infiniti M and Lexus ES). Whereas I think Mercedes may have gone a little too far on the new CLS design, the E is perfection. The headlights and LED DLR lights are menacing, the side profile is angled perfectly with large rear fenders, and the taillights are elegant and restrained. Some people are put off by the regality of the E Class and don't like the hood ornament; I think that is all part of the car's greatness.

Mercedes E350

The E-Class' interior is fantastic; maybe not as technologically dazzling as the Audi A6's or as slick as the BMW 5-Series', but it rather exudes luxury and taste. The little details make the E-Class' interior so special: the powered rear sunshade, the little button to automatically lower rear headrests for better visibility, and the cool yellow ambient lighting throughout the cabin. The COMAND system, while not as visually pleasing as BMW's iDrive system, is very easy to use. By the end of my 2-day rental, I was an old pro at navigating the little silver button in the center console. The Harmon/Kardon speaker system was top-notch and the air-conditioning unit was easy to use.

The seats were extremely comfortable. The electronic lumbar support buttons on the side of the seat cushion were a nice surprise, as was the electronically controlled head rest. The voice-activated controls were surprisingly accurate, and especially convenient for entering coordinates in the GPS while driving.

Mercedes E350

The 302 horsepower, 3.5L V6 in the E350 is by no means as fast as the CLS and C 63 AMG models that I drove last year, but it sounded great and had ample power to maneuver on highways. I wish there was a little more power in the lower RPMs, but I guess that's what the 550 and 63 AMG are for? Suspension was very nice and the tires were quite grippy; the car satisfyingly sunk into each turn, and bumps were hardly noticeable.

In short, I would buy this car in a heartbeat (of course, preferably the 63 AMG). Mercedes has to be careful in the next redesign...please don't mess with perfection.

2012 Nissan Quest: I just don't get it...

Nissan Quest

Much to my dismay, the rental company was out of full-sized cars and gave me a minivan (horrifying, I know). A Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, or Toyota Sienna would have been passable, but instead I was given a Nissan Quest. I'm completely baffled by this car, and cannot understand what Nissan was going for in their design. Click through for my thoughts.

Nissan Quest

The front end of the Quest looks like a weird spaceship. Its concavity reminds me of the new Lexus RX. Unfortunately, the front end is probably the least offensive part of the Quest, and that's not saying much. The end is too boxy and the taillights look like eyes; seriously uncool. The side profile of the Quest is probably its worst angle, as it looks like a breadbox ready to tip over. It's too narrow and boxy in the wrong places. The downward crease on the doors would have been attractive if the front end wasn't so high up. If the hood were to be reshaped at a similar downward angle, the entire design could have been salvaged, but I realize that the engine takes up space and that Nissan is cognizant of the rules and regulations regarding the height of the hood in case of pedestrian collisions. The result is an oddly shaped disaster.

Nissan Quest

I was unfortunately driving the base model, so a couple things differed from the picture you see above. First, there were hardly any controls on the steering wheel, so I had to adjust the radio manually. If I had kids, I would want to minimize as many distractions as possible, and it seems like a low-cost no-brainer for Nissan to stick some controls on the wheel, even on the base model. For a car that starts at $25k, this is unacceptable.

The navigation screen you see above was replaced with a plain jane radio - the same one you can get on the Sentra. It was boring and didn't look very good nestled in that weirdly shaped center console.

I didn't like the shifter mounted in the center console. Although it is probably better than the alternative - a steering wheel stalk - I still didn't like it. Then again, I'd never buy a minivan, so perhaps I'm a bit biased.

The fake wood didn't look very good, and the interior seemed chintsy. On the other hand, I did like the pop-out cupholders in the center console, which reminded me of Saabs.

Nissan Quest

There is plenty of space in the Quest. No gripes there.

The Quest's 260hp V6 engine was very responsive at low RPMs, but lacked power at higher speeds. I would give the engine experience a B+; I would definitely not characterize the Quest as "fun to drive", but I was expecting much worse for a minivan.

Overall, I'm completely baffled by the Quest. The styling, inside and out, is incoherent and in many case downright ugly. Who would buy the Quest over the other award-winning choices (Odyssey, Town & Country, Sienna)? At first I thought the Quest would appeal to the upper-class crowd, but the competitors are just as well-appointed, if not better. So, I leave thoroughly confused...someone please help me understand!