The Mercedes E320 is tremendously frustrating, because it’s almost perfect.

Almost.

On the surface, Mercedes has gotten everything right.  The E-Class, Mercedes’ entry into the busy center of the luxury sedan market, has a pleasant blend of sportiness and luxury that walks the middle ground without being boring.  The solid structure and expensive materials make it immediately obvious why Mercedes cars cost so much.  There’s a specialness about a Mercedes (hinted at in the company’s commercials) that makes it seem like more than a car.  Such anthropomorphic feelings are most often reserved for exclusive, unobtainable exotics and equally rare classic cars, but the E320 has that feeling right off the showroom floor.  The starting price of over $48,000 may be expensive, but in a Mercedes you rarely wonder why.

It’s not the steering or the brakes, either.  The E320 sets an example we wish the rest of the industry would follow.  The safety of the car is exemplary.  Door-mounted side airbags and head curtain bags are standard equipment, as is the crush-friendly structure you’ve probably seen in television commercials.  To help avoid such an accident, every E320 features Mercedes’ Electronic Stability Program (ESP) stability control system and traction control.  ESP rears its head only when a slide starts, and brakes individual wheels to correct the car’s path  These helpers are nearly invisible, undetectable in their work.  The result is a stable, confident ride even in a blinding downpour or on slippery new-fallen snow.  It’s even available with all-wheel drive.

Do we have a problem with the power?  Not at all.  The 3.2 liter V6 is strong and nearly silent.  Power delivery is excellent from a stop thanks to a dual-path intake system which improves torque at low revs.  The accelerator pedal controls 221 horsepower, but when driving the E320 you hardly even think about power–it’s like the wheels are connected directly to your brain, and the car goes just as fast as you want it to, when you want it to.  The five-speed automatic transmission goes about its business with equal transparency.  Highway travel is second nature to the E320.

The design is as familiarly opulent as a Rolex watch, of course.  The sleepy-lidded oval headlights and traditional Mercedes grille (with hood ornament perched atop) ensure that the upright sedan with the single windshield wiper needs no further introduction.  The E320 is the last of the Mercedes line to carry this bricklike styling and contradictory curvaceous hood.  Smaller and larger Benzes are now slicker and swoopier, but we like the E320′s retro look.

And now we come to that one little tiny flaw in the otherwise perfect E320.  Mercedes just cannot seem to get the human interface right, in any of their products.  As in other Mercedes products we’ve tested, the radio is inscrutable, controlled by a multitude of featureless buttons and a strange joystick/button.  The climate control is equally mysterious–there’s no off-switch should one want to switch the AC off and enjoy a summer day.  There are instructions on the operation of the various amenities in the owner’s manual of course, but we can’t think of another car that’s so complicated that it forces new drivers to read the directions.

Ergonomics aside, there’s a lot to like about the E320′s interior.  The dual-zone climate control can recirculate warm air in the winter to keep the car warm while it’s parked.  That difficult radio uses fiber-optic technology and incorporates controls for a hands-free phone, if the car is so equipped.  Mercedes’ infrared SmartKey is an effective anti-theft tool, and Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance comes with every new Benz built.  A dash-mounted information display is linked to the E320′s Flexible Service System (FSS), which monitors oil life and informs the driver of when an oil change is necessary.  Unlike most automotive computers which use a set time or mileage schedule, the FSS takes the individual driver’s habits into account as well, and can allow up to 20,000 miles between oil changes for gentle drivers.

The E320 is just the base E-Class model.  Mercedes offers this same sedan with larger 4.3 liter and 5.5 liter V8 engines, and as a (very pricey) station wagon as well.  Our test car was an E320 with the optional heated seats, rain sensing windshield wiper, glass sunroof and BOSE sound system.  It stickered for $54,095.  A steep price perhaps, but it buys what is, arguably, the best all-around luxury sedan made today.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Mercedes E320, which we tested.
Length:     189.4 in.
Width:        70.8 in
Height:        56.7 in.
Wheelbase:    111.5 in.
Curb weight:    3624 lb.
Cargo space:    15.3 cu.ft.
Base price:        $48,450
Price as tested:     $54,095
Engine:     3.2 liter 18-valve V6
Drivetrain:     five-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower:     221 @ 5500
Torque:     232 @ 3000-4000
Fuel capacity:        21.1 gal.
Est. mileage:        20/28

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