2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Also unlike the BMW, the Mercedes E350 doesn't wow reviewers with its performance. Its 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine isn't as responsive as the BMW's 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6, tests show. Reviewers also say the Mercedes wagon handles well, but not quite as well as the Bimmer. The E350 comes with a five-speed automatic transmission and delivers 18 mpg overall (16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway) -- again, slightly less than the all-wheel-drive version of the BMW. As for luxury, reviewers say every wagon in this price range comes with a full complement of upscale features. However, reviewers are able to find some fit-and-finish flaws with the Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, which they don't find with the BMW 535xi wagon and the similarly priced 2009 Audi A6 Avant (*est. $53,310).

For $30,000 more, you can get the ultra-high-performance Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (*est. $88,500), the most powerful -- and expensive -- station wagon you can buy. Its major addition is a hand-built, 507-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine that testers say will allow you to sprint from zero to 60 in 4.3 seconds. However, despite its coming from Mercedes' in-house factory tuning arm, reviews still have nothing special to say about the Mercedes E63 AMG wagon's handling, unlike the much-loved BMW wagons. Critics do note that you'll pay a $2,100 gas-guzzler tax on the E63 AMG, which gets the worst gas mileage of any station wagon (13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway, 15 mpg combined), according to EPA estimates. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG wagon is rear-wheel drive only and features a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Safety ratings are inconsistent for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon. Although its scores in government crash tests are excellent, the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds some problems in side-crash tests. IIHS simulated a T-bone crash, with a pickup or SUV hitting an E-Class sedan at 31 mph (IIHS says the results cover the wagon, as well). The E-Class did only a "marginal" job protecting the driver's torso: "Rib fractures and a fracture of the pelvis would be possible in a crash of this severity," IIHS concludes. In this price range, we found the best safety ratings for the Audi A6 Avant.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon gets good reliability ratings from owners in J.D. Power and Associates' latest survey, but other experts are reserving judgment since the E-Series had a redesign in 2007. The E-Class wagon is covered by a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty.

The Truth About Cars does the best job sizing up the major competitors in the luxury wagon category in its four-car comparison test. Reviews at Edmunds.com and ConsumerGuide.com also draw comparisons between the E-Class and its competitors, but they concentrate more on the E-Class sedans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are the best sources for safety and fuel-economy ratings. J.D. Power and Associates rates the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon in several areas, based on owner surveys.