2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E 350 Convertible (Driver Assist Package) $26,990

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class epitomizes the modern midsize luxury car with its elegant furnishings, exacting workmanship and huge selection of engines and features. If you're shopping in this class, it's not to be missed. The current-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been one of our favorites since it debuted back in 2010. This car impresses us time and again with its trifecta of refinement, performance and cutting-edge technology. But the 2014 version's improvements are quite compelling, starting with that sleek new shape, which ditches the previous E's blocky front end in favor of a streamlined flow from nose to tail. The sedan and wagon have also lost their prominent rear fender flares, leaving the coupe and convertible to carry this torch. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is available as a midsize sedan, coupe, convertible (Cabriolet) or wagon. Each body style offers various trim levels: turbodiesel E250 Bluetec (sedan only), V6-powered E350 (all body styles), gas-electric E400 Hybrid (sedan only), V8-powered E550 (all except the wagon) and V8-powered E63 AMG (sedan and wagon only). A simplified options structure splits the E250 and E350 four-doors into two basic types: Luxury and Sport. Luxury models come with 17-inch alloy wheels and a traditional grille with a separate hood ornament, while Sport models switch to 18-inch wheels, a two-bar grille with an integrated three-pointed star, and a sport-tuned suspension. Inside, the Sport boasts subtle white-faced gauges and a three-spoke steering wheel in place of the Luxury's four-spoke design. As an option, you can get the three-spoke wheel with a flat bottom, which comes packaged with 18-inch AMG alloys. Both Luxury and Sport offer standard niceties such as automatic LED headlights, LED taillight accents, adaptive suspension dampers, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, a center-mounted analog clock, a choice of three wood trims, 14-way power front seats with memory functions, MB-Tex synthetic upholstery, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, auto-dimming mirrors, the COMAND electronics interface, Bluetooth, and an eight-speaker sound system with a six-CD changer and an iPod/USB audio interface. The E350 wagon also includes a power liftgate, a rearview camera and a rear-facing third-row seat. The E-Class coupe and convertible come standard with most of the sedan's Sport accoutrements, including 18-inch alloys, and they add heated leather sport seats to the mix. The E550 coupes and convertibles also have an adaptive suspension to go with their standard 18-inch AMG wheels. All convertibles receive a power-folding soft top, a rear center pass-through and a pop-up air deflector. A few packages are optional on the E250, E350, E550 and E400 models. The Premium 1 package adds a rearview camera (standard on the wagon), COMAND with navigation and digital music storage, satellite radio, a 14-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound audio system and a power rear window sunshade (except on the convertible, which gets the AirScarf neck-warming system instead), as well as active ventilated front seats for the E550 sedan and heated front seats for the other sedans.