In-Depth Photos of Our Long-Term 2019 Mercedes-Benz E450 4Matic Wagon

When we received the ­first of our long-term Mercedes-Benz E-class wagons, we said that it "may just be the most well-rounded new car on the market." But not long after our 2018 E400 4Matic wagon arrived at C/D HQ, Mercedes-Benz announced an even better version: the 2019 E450 4Matic wagon, which brought a few welcome tweaks including a more powerful V-6 engine.

So maybe fate was at work when a moving truck took our E400 out of commission in the parking lot of a Buffalo Wild Wings. That loss was assuaged when Mercedes-Benz showed up with a shiny new 2019 E450 wagon as a replacement. And we're now so enamored with the new wagon that we've almost forgotten what happened to its predecessor.

Quicker and better equipped, this particular E450 is an evolutionary improvement over an already excellent E-class wagon that didn't need much improving.

Oh, and did we mention that the E450 wagon is a lot more expensive? After conservatively optioning our E400, we threw caution to the wind this time and embraced the E-class's luxurious nature.

The 33 extra horsepower and 15 additional lb-ft of torque from the E450's twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 help hustle it to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and a through the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds, each an improvement of 0.2 second over the E400.

It's not easy to come up with negative things to say about our E450 wagon, but it can be done.

We're really hoping that this E-class wagon goes the 40,000-mile distance-and we'll make sure to keep this lovely vehicle far away from any Buffalo Wild Wings parking lots.

At $89,175, the as-tested price is nearly $12,000 higher.

$65,195

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This is our favorite car smell of all: the heady aroma of richly tanned leather that that comes in a new automobile. Of course, this particular scent is a little more expensive than the other fragrances on this list because it comes wrapped in a 2019 Mercedes-Benz E450 station wagon, the very one we have for a one-year, 40,000-mile long-term test. Its base price is a not insignificant $65,195, which buys about 50 lifetimes' worth of car air fresheners. Our heavily loaded, $89,175 test car includes the $4900 Designo interior option, which slathers almost every surface in beautifully stitched macchiato-beige and saddle-brown nappa leathers. No one who has driven it has complained about the cabin's leathery aroma, either. Even if they did, they could turn on the Merc's Air Balance cabin air fragrance and filtration system-its onboard aromatherapy diffuser-and enjoy Freeside Mood, the fragrance that's currently in the system. Mercedes describes Freeside Mood as "an unobtrusive but present citrus scent, very rounded, without any rough edges."

It's not easy to come up with negative things to say about our E450 wagon, but it can be done.

A set of $198 winter floor mats from WeatherTech is already in place to protect the light-colored carpets.

The E-class wagon's climate controls feel premium.

Use this to control the center infotainment screen.

Who needs an SUV when you have this much space?

The E450 also surpasses the E400 in cornering grip (at 0.91 g) and braking (stopping from 70 mph in 152 feet), thanks to a staggered set of Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 summer tires versus the other car's square set of all-seasons.

We've since swapped out the E450's Dunlops for a $1230 set of Mercedes-spec Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires for the cold-weather season.

We're really hoping that this E-class wagon goes the 40,000-mile distance-and we'll make sure to keep this lovely vehicle far away from any Buffalo Wild Wings parking lots.