I've had an opportunity to look through some german car magazines on the newsstand and they tested E 320 in their latest issues.
A couple of them did a comparison test with 530i and A6 3.0.
In one E 320 came on top with a good lead in points, Audi second and BMW third. In the other it was exactly the other way around, BMW first, Audi second and Mercedes third. I was intrigued and looked closer, there were several categories of tests (comfort, safety, performance, handling, costs, etc). In all of them Mercedes was as good as BMW and Audi or better, but in the end it scored very poorly in costs section and that's the only reason it came third. They said that extras were expensive and the base price was too high compared to rivals. I believe it was kinda unfair, they should have looked better, because for example E 320 comes with an automatic as standard, whereas in 530i it is an expensive option. Hence when you consider everything and bring the level of BMW's equipment to Merc's, 530i will cost the same as E 320. What I remembered in particular that E class scored 5 out of 5 in safety and comfort tests, higher than Audi and BMW.
Well, it is the newest of them, that's how it should be.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, new E has 30 (!) years anti-corrosion (rust) warranty

 

April issue of Car (edit: british publication) reviews the E500. while the reviewer had a lot of praise for the car it was done in a very cool attitude. his main point being that he felt the electro-gizmery of the car rendered the driver as more of a passenger. the car looks hot though, very sleek.

 

Thirty year rust warranty?? That's interesting, especially when you consider that many of these cars will end up in snow-laden parts of the world where salt is fundamental in keeping roads free of snow and ice...

 

30 yr. rust warranty: April FOOOOOLS!

 

I thought that sounded excessive...

 

It wasn't supposed to be April fools joke actually. It does say 30 years in the test published in german magazine Auto Motor und Sport.
Hence unless it's a misprint, which I don't think it is, it is 30 years, at least in Germany.

 

If it is true, it would be interesting to see what they are using to coat the under-carriage, fenders, etc. Also, there is the paint issue. After several years, if the paint starts to chip or peal, that in turn would lead to rust. Hard to see how they could offer such a warranty without some type of maintenance clause (which it may very well have). If it is true, that's an aggressive warranty and very impressive -- most mfg's don't even expect their cars to run that long, much less be rust free!

 

Vectra, you have to admit that 30 year rust warranty doesn't imply anything about how long the vehicle itself will last :p That's the catch I guess.

 

This is true!

 

uk Magazine titled Mercedes available in Borders has great review of E500 class and really good pictures including panarama roof