2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic.
What would you be left with if you ripped out the wiring for most of this Mercedes' Aegis-cruiser-like array of electronic early warning and battle (think a Toronto commute) management systems?
Well, while the electronics in the E-350 4Matic are amazing in their complexity and capability, they're not what the basic core of this car is fortunately still all about. It's still one of the best engineered and enjoyable-to-drive vehicles money can buy, something that tends to get lost in the high-tech hype.
Mercedes-Benz marketing types had a rich lexicon of 21st-century jargon to draw from to describe this latest E-Class's wealth of features: Infotainment, Bluetooth, Surround Sound, satellite radio, Linguatronic, media interface, Comand, stability control, traction control, hill control, Thermatic climate control, 4Matic AWD, Airmatic and adaptive damping control, ABS, Brake Assist and Pre-Safe brakes, Neck-Pro head restraints, TeleAid emergency response, Attention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Night Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Distronic, Parktronic - and that just makes a start on the list.
It's interesting to contrast all this with the best MB's hypesters could come up with in 1977, when the then-new W123 generation was introduced. They zeroed in on "Einspritz," which is German for fuel injection, and added an "E" to the numerical designation 280 as a little techy touch (the "E" came to represent the E-Class range in 1994).
Which isn't to say the 280E wasn't an up-to-the-minute motor car for its day, although more than three decades later its specification seems remarkably simple.
Adding fuel injection to its 2.7-litre inline-six raised output to 142 hp, it came with a four-speed automatic transmission and had independent suspension, power steering and disc brakes. Standard inside was a quartz clock, central locking, tinted glass, heated rear window, climate control, power windows, cruise control and an AM/FM radio. You could upgrade to a "stereo" radio with tape player, heated seats, a sunroof and leather or velour upholstery to replace the industrial grade synthetic that came standard.
A Road & Track magazine road test mentions optional $50 bristle brush floor mats "that made us want to wipe our feet before we sat down" and opined the mats should have incorporated the word "Wilkommen." But the magazine also had high praise for the car's basic values, its steering, handling and braking capability and overall feel.
And that's what I've discovered hasn't really changed after driving the V-6-engined $62,900 E350 4Matic. The test car came with almost $8,000 of options, popping the price up to $70,825. There's also a V-8-engined E550 4Matic starting at $73,000 and the $106,900 high-performance E63 AMG.
The modern systems described above require far more computing power than was available for early trips to the moon, but eliminate most of them - except for the nowadays essential electronic controls integrated into the mechanical systems - and you'll still be impressed by the E350.
The 2010 redesign's body structure provides the vault-like but - thanks to plenty of aluminum and high-strength steel - not vault-heavy "feel" that's so much part of this car's character. It's much stiffer, which improves handling, yet absorbs crash energies better.
It's wrapped in high-style sheet metal outside and is superbly comfortable, richly finished (in black and light grey on the test car) and lavishly equipped inside, where there's quiet and comfortable seating for four. The 354 litres of trunk space comes up a bit short of key rivals, though.
The independent suspension has been revised, with a longer wheelbase and wider track front and rear and standard adaptive shock absorbers. These adjust their damping to suit driving conditions, producing a smoothly firm ride over most surfaces but hardening up to deal with cornering forces or in emergency manoeuvring.
Steering is by a variable-assist rack-and-pinion system which points the 225/45R17 tires with a degree of feel that connects you to what they're doing. Brake pedal feel is much the same, making you feel like you're in control of the car - at least up to the point you're not any more, and those electronics come to your aid.
The E350's 3.5-litre smooth V-6 engine is all you'd expect from modern mechanical engineering, rated at 268 hp at 6,000 rpm and producing 258 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,400 to 5,000 rpm. The transmission is a seven-speed automatic that you can shift manually, which sends power to the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.
Electronics provide control of engine, transmission and AWD functions, but the interface with the driver is seamless. Toe the throttle and response is immediate and linear. The transmission always seeming to know what gear it should be in and the 4Matic system distributes power accordingly.
The E350 4Matic can accelerate to 100 km/h (according to Automobile Journalists Association of Canada test numbers) in 7.4 seconds; the factory claims it's quicker. The 1977 280E required about 12 seconds. And the 2010 model can brake to zero from that speed with reassuring authority.
The E350 4Matic is clearly an electronic marvel, and in this day and age that's just what it should be.
But it should be reassuring to those not fully onside with electronic systems that can distract while usurping the pleasure of controlling a fine piece of machinery, that Mercedes-Benz still builds cars people will simply enjoy driving.
globedrive@globeandmail.com
2010 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC
Type: Luxury sedan
Base Price: $62,900; as tested, $70,825
Engine: 3.5-litre, DOHC, V-6
Horsepower/torque: 268 hp/258 lb-ft
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Drive: All-wheel-drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.4 city/8.4 highway; premium gas
Alternatives: Audi A6, Acura RL, BMW 5-Series, Cadillac STS, Infiniti M45, Lexus GS, Volvo S-80