Mercedes E350 2005 Review

Not when the V6 in question puts out almost as much power and torque as much larger eight cylinder engines.

What's more, it's so smooth.

This is the same engine that has been finding its way into other Benz models as they have been upgraded, notably the super slick SLK 350.

The 3.5-litre V6 supersedes the previous 160kW 3.2-litre power plant, taking the car to an entirely new plain.

The new aluminium engine puts out 21 per cent more power and 11 per cent more torque, at 200kW and 350Nm.

Maximum torque is available from a low 2400rpm and 87 per cent of kicks in from 1500rpm, providing plenty of oomph for overtaking.

As a result the car can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds.

Equally amazing is the E350's outstanding fuel economy which in our test car averaged 11.3 litres per 100km.

With the trip computer showing 530km and distance to empty at 250km, this gives the car a range of close to 800km.

That's impressive, particularly for a car of this size.

Transmission is a tipshift style seven-speed auto, with comfort and sport settings.

That's two more cogs (count them) than the previous model.

We had a play with he tip shift which is useful for retarding the car's speed on long downhills.

But really, with this many gears and an engine of this calibre it is just easy and almost as satisfying to leave the tranny in D.

While we're on the subject of the trans- mission, we do have one gripe.

With the car parked at the top of an embankment, reverse gear was very slow to take up, forcing us to hit the brakes to prevent the car from rolling over the edge and down the hill.

Definitely not a good look.

We tried a second time with the same result, eventually having to gun the engine and nearly running into a car behind us in the process.

Inside and out the finish is first rate, with simple easy to read dials.

We particularly liked the dash setting which gave a constant readout the car's direction and name of the street, without the need to make reference to the satellite navigation.

About the only thing we found disappointing about the car (at least Mrs Riley did) was the lack of heated front seats.

The cheaper Volkswagen that we gave up for the big Benz had them.

Would have liked more storage up front too. Finding places for everything from the VeeDubb was a challenge.

The E350's standard equipment is extensive and includes climate air and leather upholstery, and driver and front passenger electrically adjustable seats, with three memory positions (driver's side incorporates steering wheel, mirrors and seat).

Safety gear includes six airbags, ABS, Brake Assist and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and the car scores a five-star safety rating.

COMAND (cockpit management and data) system is also standard and includes DVD navigation and DVD player.

The Mercedes-Benz E350 is priced form $124,500.