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AWDReport.com - A Buyer's Guide to All Wheel Drive Cars, Wagons and Crossovers
Under $20,000 | $19 - $21,000 | $20 - $23,000 | $22 - $25,000 | $24 - $27,000 | $26 - $29,000 |
      $28 - $30,000 | $29 - $31,000 | $30 - $33,000 | $31 - $34,000 | $32 - $35,000 | $34 - $38,000 |
           $36 - $40,000 | $39 - $42,000 | $41 - $44,000 | $42 - $45,000 | $44 - $47,000 | $45 - $48,000 |
               $46 - $51,000 | $49 - $53,000 | $51 - $57,000 | $55 - $60,000 | $60 - $69,000 |
                        $66 - $73,000 | $69 - $79,000 | $78 - $92,000 | $88 - $125,000 | More than $120,000 |

  All Wheel Drive Report

AWD Report's Preferred Dealer
2009 Mercedes E Class

Mercedes

Mercedes Benz continues their tradition of web excellence for a third year in a row. I have no idea why all other manufacturers fail to provide the search button option for AWD vehicles that MB does. But I suppose if they did, this site wouldn't be necessary.... Hmmmmnnnn... Never mind, MB's site is terrible; don't anyone ever copy it! Bad , BAD Mercedes Benz.. But alas, the hated FLASH remains, undoing all that good will as the tedium returns to browsing...

Mercedes desribes their 4Matic system this way, "This permanent all-wheel-drive system provides optimum traction - even in slippery conditions - thanks to our advanced 4-wheel Electronic Traction System (4-ETS). 4-ETS can get you going even when only one wheel has grip. If one or more wheels start to slip, 4-ETS brakes those wheels individually and ensures that power is delivered to the wheel or wheels with traction, keeping you cruising along. "

Mercedes designates models by including the engine size as part of the model name. That way, it looks like they have 30 vehicles to offer instead of about 10. Were GM to do this, they could probably explode their inventory 4 fold. But its the traditional Mercedes way of doing things, so no big deal. I just wanted you to know why I limit my references to the "Class" designations, and report only on the lowest cost version of each class with an All Wheel Drive option.

Mind numbing techie fact: The BlueTEC diesels use a NOx storage converter in combination with an SCR catalytic converter and AdBlue injection to lower NOx emissions.  The AdBlue system injects an aqueous carbamide solution into the exhaust flow, which releases ammonia (NH3), reducing nitrogen oxides to harmless nitrogen and water in the downstream SCR converter. Just the right amount of AdBlue for a given engine load and speed is injected to get the greatest reduction of nitrogen oxides.  On average, only a quart of AdBlue is needed for every 600 miles driven.
Which boils down to: Its tank needs to be refilled every 10,000 miles during normal maintenance.

Mercedes AWD Choices

2009 C Class C300 Sport The Mercedes C Class is the lowest priced of the available Mercedes platforms. The C300 Sport and Luxury models are available with the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Pricing at this AWD entry level (C300 Sport Sedan w/4Matic) starts at a surprisingly modest
$36,450
2009 Mercedes E Class w/4Matic The Mercedes E Class 4Matic AWD sedan is a personal luxury touring car. This is still a rather large car, (112.4" wheelbase) and is powered by the 268hp 3.5 liter aluminum V6 motor. For 2008, the E class also offers 4Matic on the E350 Wagon as well as the enthusiast oriented E550, with its 382 ponies pushing a modest (by Mercedes standards) 3,885 lbs. This allows the E550 4Matic to rocket to 60mph in only 5.4 seconds. AutoWeek really liked their E350 Wagon saying this " Sure, you wouldn't want to put five people in this for a long ride, but four could go for days without complaint". The more sedate E350 4Matic starts at
$52,700.
2009 Mercedes S Class

The luxurious Mercedes S Class sedans have been added to the growing stable of AWD equipped vehicles. Powered by an aluminum 382hp V8, the flagship S550 sedan is a superb mix of performance, comfort, agility and engineering. The v12 equipped S600 is not available with 4Matic, so resign yourself to the S550 and ONLY having to spend
$89,700

2009 Mercedes ML350 SUV The Mercedes M Class is ONLY available with AWD. It comes in 4 flavors for 2008, ranging from the base 268 hp ML350, to the ML320 turbo diesel, the powerful ML550 V8, to the insane ML63 AMG, which pushes 503 hand built hp through a 7 speed automatic transmission. Yippie kayeyee! You can play Roy Rodgers in the ML350 for $44,000.
2009 R Class The Mercedes R Class crossover is called a Sport Tourer by Mercedes. It can seat 6 adults. The R-Class crossover boasts a strong unibody platform and four-wheel independent suspension with double control arms in the front and four-link air suspension at the rear.   Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering delivers on-road driving performance and comfort, and braking is provided by large four-wheel disc brakes, with vented discs and double-piston calipers up front. Along with the M-Class and GL-Class, the R-Class sport utility vehicle is produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
09 GL class The powerful Mercedes GL Class SUV is the only full-sized luxury SUV with a unibody platform. That makes it a crossover. So it rides less like a truck and more like a car, despite its size. The GL can be had with a turbo diesel V6; the GL320 CDI, a 335hp 4.6 liter V8; the GL450 or the anti-social 382hp 5.5 liter V8.The 2008 GL320 CDI SUV does not meet the emissions requirements of California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or Vermont and is not available in these states.  Car and Driver named the GL one of the 5 Best Trucks for 2008, commenting on its posh 7 passenger comfort despite being lower shorter and narrower than its competition. The GL320 CDI Diesel will set you back
$53,400, while the GL450 gas engined version goes for $55,900.

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