From the October 2017 issue

“The good news,” we explained to Mercedes’ tireless public relations man, “is that we can guarantee you a comparo win.”

So there it is, angry letter writers: We do rig these things.

Or at least we did in this apples-to-pears contest, launched with a preconceived notion. It would be a stretch to call it a theory, as that might suggest the application of scientific method. At the onset, though, we hypothesized that pitting an E-class wagon against a similarly sized utility vehicle, the GLE-class, would result in a victory for the former. And it did. But this comparo is not so much about determining a winner as it is about explaining why the wagon won.

Why, indeed? In the hope that we might convince you, the car-buying public (and maybe even the carmaking companies), that station wagons should rightfully account for a greater share of sales against crossovers. Does this qualify as service journalism? Let us answer that. Yes.

View Photos MARC URBANO

We chose to compare Mercedes-Benzes because the all-new 2017 E-class wagon represents the pinnacle of the species, the Benz Mercedes tells us is most favored by those outsize earners in the top tax bracket of 39.6 percent. See? Being rich means you’re smart.

Still, most people shopping for a Benz hauler opt instead for a GLE, which outsells the wagon by a 23-to-1 ratio. The erstwhile M-class, the first Mercedes-Benz SUV offered in the U.S., has since followed the trend in shifting its presentation from off-roader to crossover. While the current iteration has been on the market since the 2012 model year, the name changed from M-class to GLE for 2016 and our AMG GLE43 variant is new for 2017.

View Photos Most of the buying public apparently does not concur, but our staff unanimously agrees that the wagon is the more desirable of the above two vehicles. MARC URBANO

Its marquee feature is the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 that’s been muscling its way between the front fenders of most any Benz that’ll have it. This frat boy makes 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque in the GLE43. It’s also under the hood of the E400 wagon—albeit with a less aggressive tune and no AMG enhancements—where it pledges 33 less horsepower and 30 pound-feet less torque. In both vehicles, torque is routed to all four wheels through a nine-speed transmission.

Base prices are within 8 percent of each other, or less than the cost of their “designo” cosmetic upgrades that help drive the window stickers above $85K. But pricing is beside the point, as the broader idea here is that Mercedes ostensibly used the same rubric in designing and engineering both machines, thus eliminating variables outside of body style. This should help us demonstrate, without any shred of bias, that wagons rule and crossovers drool.

The first thing you notice when climbing aboard the GLE43 is its seating position. Upright doesn’t begin to describe it; the Iron Throne allows for a more relaxed posture. Switching into the GLE43 from the E400 felt so much like climbing onto the back of an elephant that we got out the tape measure. We recorded the height of the same driver’s shoulder in both vehicles with the seat bottom adjusted all the way to the floor and found that behind the wheel of the crossover, you are more than nine inches higher off the pavement than you are in the wagon. Indeed, this puts your line of sight at the wagon’s roof, such that even your vertically challenged author had no difficulty seeing over the E-class when following it.

And follow it we did, because allowing the GLE43 to lead would have held up the wagon while driving through the California canyons north of Los Angeles. There’s a reason the GLE driver’s sun visor says, “Avoid abrupt maneuvers and excessive speed.”

View Photos MARC URBANO

At 5089 pounds—646 more than the E400—the GLE43’s excess weight negates its power advantage, but not nearly as much as its towering height negates its handling. At the test track, the wagon zipped through our slalom 2.0 mph faster than the GLE43, which felt even more disadvantaged out on the road. As reviews editor Josh Jacquot put it, “You can drive this thing fast because it has plenty of grip, but it’s never fun.”

The suspension in the GLE43 is partially to blame for the joy deficit; even in our preferred Comfort mode, it is too stiff, a byproduct of the AMG treatment that demands sporty-ing up the dampers. In this case, it caused lots of head toss and, at times, threatened to bounce the SUV right off the road. While it would have been more comfortable traveling off-road than the wagon was—and the GLE43’s superior ground clearance and giant wheels did help us navigate the sometimes-pockmarked single-lane desert roads without flattening a tire as happened to the E400—these advantages are hardly the sort that we find compelling.

So yeah, the wagon drives better, traffic in Los Angeles sucks, and women and persons of color are underrepresented in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Surprise! When we measured the E400’s center of gravity, we found it 4.5 inches lower than that of the GLE43. But that’s not the entire story, as the narrower wagon is also nimbler, turning in quicker and rotating more easily. Its suspension is softer even in Sport mode (this is by design, as it’s not an AMG model), which not only improves the ride but also provides feedback that helps its driver better pinpoint the wagon’s limits for more confident driving.

That svelte 72.9-inch width also gives the E400 great proportions. While we don’t go for beauty contests, we would be remiss in not pointing out that even though the wagon and the crossover have the same character lines, they just work better on the longer, lower car.

View Photos Would you give up the superior handling, ride quality, fuel economy, and braking perform­ance of the wagon just to sit 9.1 inches higher in the SUV? MARC URBANO

The wagon’s slenderness carries a cost, though. The back seat of the E400, while quite comfortable for two, cannot compare with the roomier GLE43’s. Families with two or more kids will feel the pinch in the wagon, probably quite literally. Putting them in the tiny, rear-facing third row won’t solve the problem—and it seems like the kind of thing that, in today’s parenting climate, might result in a visit from child protective services.

Cargo space swings the other way, however, as the luggage area in the E400 is 5.5 inches deeper and 2.5 inches wider than in the GLE43. Although the E400’s cargo cover is an inch closer to the load floor than in the GLE43, there’s more room for stuff in the wagon because the wheel wells intrude less and the space is oriented more horizontally so you can load more without impeding rearward visibility.

The wagon is also quicker, gets better fuel economy, and stops shorter. It is the all-around better vehicle. Perhaps the only serious criticism we can levy against the E400 is that there’s no real base version. Its $63,225 starting price is over $10,000 more than the least-expensive GLE, which certainly doesn’t help make the wagon attractive to young families. But that’s a function of the market, which is crazy for crossovers. Or maybe just crazy, period.

2017 Mercedes-Benz E400 Wagon 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLE43 Vehicle Price as Tested $89,065 $85,875 Base Price $63,225 $68,075 Dimensions Length 194.2 in 189.6 in Width 72.9 in 78.7 in Height 58.1 in 69.3 in Wheelbase 115.7 in 114.8 in Front Track 62.7 in 65.1 in Rear Track 63.0 in 65.9 in Interior Volume F: 52 cu ft

R: 47 cu ft F: 53 cu ft

R: 50 cu ft Cargo Behind F: 64 cu ft

R: 35 cu ft F: 80 cu ft

R: 38 cu ft Powertrain Engine twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6

183 cu in (2996 cc) twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6

183 cu in (2996 cc) Power HP @ RPM 329 @ 6000 362 @ 6000 Torque LB-FT @ RPM 354 @ 1600 384 @ 2000 Redline / Fuel Cutoff 6300/6400 rpm 6300/6000 rpm LB Per HP 13.5 14.1 Driveline Transmission 9-speed automatic 9-speed automatic Driven Wheels all all Gear Ratio:1/

MPH Per 1000 RPM/

Max MPH 1 5.35/5.1/33

2 3.24/8.4/54

3 2.25/12.1/77

4 1.64/16.5/106

5 1.21/22.4/130

6 1.00/27.1/130

7 0.86/31.6/130

8 0.72/37.7/130

9 0.60/45.2/130 1 5.35/4.5/27

2 3.24/7.5/45

3 2.25/10.8/65

4 1.64/14.8/89

5 1.21/20.1/121

6 1.00/24.3/130

7 0.86/28.3/130

8 0.72/33.8/130

9 0.60/40.5/130 Final Drive Ratio:1 2.82 3.47 Chassis Suspension F: multilink, air springs, anti-roll bar

R: multilink, air springs, anti-roll bar F: control arms, air springs, anti-roll bar

R: multilink, air springs, anti-roll bar Brakes F: 14.2-inch vented, cross-drilled disc

R: 14.2-inch disc F: 14.8-inch vented, cross-drilled disc

R: 13.6-inch vented disc Stability Control partially defeatable partially defeatable Tires Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2

F: 245/45R-18 100Y

R: 275/40R-18 103Y Continental CrossContact UHP

265/40R-21 105Y C/D Test Results Acceleration 0–30 MPH 1.9 sec 1.9 sec 0–60 MPH 5.3 sec 5.4 sec 0–100 MPH 13.4 sec 14.7 sec 0–120 MPH 20.6 sec 23.0 sec ¼-Mile @ MPH 13.9 sec @ 101 14.1 sec @ 98 Rolling Start, 5–60 MPH 6.5 sec 6.5 sec Top Gear, 30–50 MPH 3.2 sec 3.4 sec Top Gear, 50–70 MPH 3.7 sec 4.4 sec Top Speed 130 mph (gov ltd, mfr’s claim) 130 mph (gov ltd, mfr’s claim) Chassis Braking 70–0 MPH 160 ft 172 ft Roadholding,

300-ft-dia Skidpad 0.85 g* 0.77 g* 610-ft Slalom 43.7 mph* 41.7 mph* Weight Curb 4443 lb 5089 lb %Front/%Rear 51.7/48.3 52.6/47.4 CG Height 22.5 in 27.0 in Fuel Tank 21.1 gal 24.6 gal Rating 91 octane 91 octane EPA Combined/City/Hwy 21/19/25 mpg 20/17/23 mpg C/D 300-Mile Trip 18 mpg 15 mpg Sound Level Idle 37 dBA 38 dBA Full Throttle 71 dBA 76 dBA 70-MPH Cruise 64 dBA 66 dBA

*stability-control-inhibited Tested by Josh Jacquot in California City, CA

Final Results Max Pts. Available 2017 Mercedes-Benz E400 Wagon 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLE43 Rank 1 2 Vehicle Driver Comfort 10 9 7 Ergonomics 10 8 7 Rear-seat Comfort 5 3 4 Rear-seat Space* 5 4 5 Cargo Space* 5 4 5 Features/Amenities* 10 7 10 Fit and Finish 10 9 8 Interior Styling 10 8 7 Exterior Styling 10 10 7 Rebates/Extras* 5 0 0 As-tested Price* 20 19 20 Subtotal 100 81 80 Powertrain 1/4-mile Acceleration* 20 20 19 Flexibility* 5 2 2 Fuel Economy* 10 10 7 Engine NVH 10 7 8 Transmission 10 8 8 Subtotal 55 47 44 Chassis Performance* 20 20 16 Steering Feel 10 8 6 Brake Feel 10 7 8 Handling 10 9 6 Ride 10 10 6 Subtotal 60 54 42 Experience Fun to Drive 25 20 12 Grand Total 240 202 178

* These objective scores are calculated from the vehicle's dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.

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