Big, solid, superbly engineered and finely crafted, those are thoughts that the sight of a Mercedes-Benz readily brings to mind. But passionate? Passion is a word we might associate with
Jaguar. Yet passion is an emotion Mercedes is laboring to claim for itself as it rolls out a wave
of new models-all backed by a joyously addictive TV commercial featuring Marlene Dietrich crooning
"Falling in Love Again."
But does the image fit the product?
When the E-Class sedans were redesigned several years ago, Mercedes stylists gave this mainstay
luxury sedan a personality infusion. The chic, asymmetric headlights, aggressive rake, and modern,
streamlined grille provided a facelift to the traditional, boxy styling of the E-Class. The Mercedes
tri-star was still there on the hood, but the car instantly became more contemporary, more hip. It
was also more fun to drive. The E-Class is the best-selling Mercedes ever, and sales continue to grow.
For 1998, Mercedes has instilled its newfound passion into a new E-Class wagon. The entire E-line
gets a pair of new engines that deliver better performance and increased fuel economy. And a raft of