New Car Review of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E Class Mid-Size Luxury Sedan and Wagon

Description: Mid-Size Luxury Sedan and Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $48,500 - $82,500
Invoice Price Range: $46,106 - $76,725
Where built: Germany

Mid-Size luxury cars from Mercedes include four-door sedans and five-door wagons with powertrains extending to a high-performance V8 and the new diesel.

E320 CDI is the diesel-powered sedan for 2005, available in 45 of the 50 United States. It totes a 3.2-liter in-line-six with common-rail direct injection (CDI) and turbo-charging. The plant produces 201-hp plus substantial torque, and fuel economy scores run well above 30 mpg for highway cruising. 4Matic AWD equipment is available on E320 sedan and wagon or E500 sedan but it's the standard traction mode this year on E500 wagon.

The performance sports sedan is E55 AMG. It packs a 5.5-liter V8 by AMG with supercharger and inter-cooler on tap. Power soars to 469-hp with a 5-speed Mercedes automatic featuring the manual TouchShift mode. E320 as a sedan with rear-wheel-drive (RWD) traction is the volume model for the E Class. It draws from a naturally-aspirated 3.2-liter V6 that delivers 221-hp. E500 sedan and wagon get a 5.0-liter V8 rated at 302-hp with the seven-speed 7G-tronic automatic.