We're inching ever so close to the Top Spin of the year. The full list can be found in the Dec/Jan issue on stands now.
#4 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
Plenty of cars hope to be all things
to all people, but most of them turn out to be
unexceptional, middling compromises. Not so with
the E55 AMG Wagon. It's got the first-class comfort
of a luxury car, the flexible utility of a minivan, and
most importantly, the mind-bending speed of a
supercar. And it even manages to look like
something that goes fast, no small feat for a station
wagon. In fact, the E55 doesn't merely overcome
possible charges of wagon-as-suburban-dorkmobile
so much as it shifts the burden of proof
onto SUVs, minivans, and sedans.
Let's run through the numbers: 469 horses,
516 pound-feet of torque, zero to 60 in 4.3 seconds,
155-mph top speed,68.9 cubic feet of storage space
(with the second row seats folded), $83,320. Okay,
that last number is not so great, but what do you
expect for all that ability, a blue-light special?
Think of it as two cars for the price of two.
As the SUV's dominance continues to crumble,
the sport wagon is in the proverbial catbird seat,
poised and ready to take over. And unlike SUVs,
wagons actually are capable of offering the mix of
luxury, utility, safety, and speed the
discriminating car buyer demands. The E55 is a
taste of the good things to come. We recommend
you start getting rich now.
