2022 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Hands-On Test Drive

Driven by Carter MacLeod

• Trim Tested: E 450 4Matic All-Terrain

• Price as Tested: $76,250 (including destination charge)

How It Drives & Handles

There aren’t many station wagons left on the American market. Most are like the E 450 All-Terrain – designed to look more like SUVs, with raised suspensions and black body cladding. I’d rather Mercedes just let a wagon be a wagon and leave the rugged stuff to the many SUVs in their lineup – shoppers can get the much larger GLE SUV for $13,000 less, so it’s hard to recommend the E-Class Wagon from a practical standpoint. The E 450 wagon also commands a $6,000 premium over the E 450 sedan.

Still, the E-Class wagon has everything that makes the sedan great: a beautiful, high-tech cabin, smooth ride, and solid build quality. That means that, despite its questionable value, it is an appealing vehicle. I drove one for a week and these are my impressions.

The E-Class wagon is only available in one trim: the E 450 4Matic All-Terrain. Let’s break that name down:

• 450: Mercedes’ 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6-cylinder engine with a mild hybrid system. This is a stellar, powerful, high-tech engine found in many of Mercedes’ vehicles. It can shut off at low speeds to save fuel.

• 4Matic: All-wheel drive

• All-Terrain: Raised suspension and black plastic cladding, for slightly improved performance off-road – emphasis on slightly.

The E 450 wagon’s increased ride height and heft mean it isn’t as agile as the E-Class sedan (which isn’t a performance vehicle to begin with). However, the ride is quiet and smooth; it has a luxurious, hefty feel; and it corners better than the large-and-in-charge GLE SUV, making it a nice compromise between performance and cargo space.

Comfort, Quality & Usability

Over the last 5 years, Mercedes has developed some of the nicest interiors on the market. The E-Class wagon shares its interior with the beautiful sedan. Every compartment and switch has a smooth, premium feel, and the design is flowing and simple, in contrast to the busyness of BMWs or sharp angles of Audis.

Seat space is generous in front and good in back. An extremely tall back-seat passenger would run out of headroom, but a run-of-the-mill 6-footer has room to spare.

The Mercedes E-Class wagon also has nifty, unique rear-facing third-row seats.

The E-Class wagon has a tremendous cargo advantage over the E-Class sedan, but it can’t match the cargo space or cabin storage compartments of the GLE SUV – another reason it’s hard to recommend it over the SUV.

Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system can be overwhelming at first. It uses two screens (one in front of the driver and one in the center of the dash), each with its own set of steering wheel controls. The center screen also has a touchpad (like you’d find on a laptop) and touchscreen controls. Once I learned the ins and outs of the system, I enjoyed the beautiful graphics and the sheer number of functions the system has. Important controls like temperature and volume get their own buttons outside of the touchscreen.

Editor’s Note: Review is based on test driving the 2023 model.

Carfax vehicle reviews let shoppers compare a vehicle’s specs against its competitors’. However, some aspects of a vehicle – performance, comfort, usability – can only be evaluated through actual driving. That’s why we evaluate as many vehicles as we can, so you’ll know what to expect.

© 2023 CARFAX. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished without written permission. To reprint or license this article, submit requests here.