2006 Mercedes E-Class is a midsize

The V-6-powered Mercedes-Benz midsize luxury car doesn't just get a new name this model year.

The 2006 Mercedes E350 comes with a new, 3.5-liter engine with considerably more power than its E320 predecessor, bigger brakes and the largest standard wheels and tires ever on an entry, gasoline-powered E-Class.

Price also rises, resulting in every E-Class for the first time carrying a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of more than $50,000.

Specifically, the newly invigorated, 2006 Mercedes E350 sedan with V-6 and seven-speed automatic transmission starts at $50,825. This is a premium over many midsize luxury sedans with six-cylinder power.

For example, the 2006 BMW 5-Series starts at $43,195 for a base 525i sedan with inline, six-cylinder engine and manual transmission, while the 2006 Jaguar S-Type starts at $45,995 with V-6 and six-speed automatic.

Built in Germany, the E-Class is Mercedes' middle car positioned between the S-Class flagship sedan and the smaller C-Class.

The E-Class is something of an all-purpose luxury car at showrooms because its seven models -- including sedan and station wagon body styles, V-6 and V-8 gasoline engines as well as a diesel six-cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive as well as performance AMG models -- make it the most encompassing of any Mercedes.

Annual U.S. sales of some 50,000 E-Class cars this decade reflect its wide range of offerings and its midpoint status. Since 2001, the E-Class has been the second most popular Mercedes nameplate among Americans, trailing the more-affordable C-Class. The E-Class usually outsells BMW's 5-Series in this country.

But in the first nine months of this year, the 5-Series leads with 32,124 sales versus 30,951 for the E-Class.

Mercedes officials have to hope, though, that the new V-6 in the E-Class will pump up sales.

Horsepower is increased to 268 from last year's 221.

Torque has risen to 258 foot-pounds starting as low as 2,400 rpm and continuing to 5,000 rpm compared with 232 foot-pounds of torque starting at 3,000 rpm in the 2005 E320.

The newfound power is from an engine that was already available in the Mercedes SLK two-seat convertible. It is the first Mercedes V-6 that includes double overhead cam technology. There's variable valve timing for intake and exhaust valves, too.

This new base, gasoline V-6 in the E350 has more power than either of the two 5-Series six-cylinder engines, including the uplevel, 255-horsepower, 3-liter, inline six cylinder with 220 foot-pounds of torque at 2,750 rpm.

The E-Class also has more power than the base Jaguar S-Type 3.0 with 235-horsepower, 3-liter V-6.

Note the E350, which is about 200 pounds heavier than the 5-Series, now boasts about the same 0-to-60-mile-per-hour time -- 6.5 seconds -- as the BMW sedan.

But as you might expect, fuel economy is down a bit with the higher-powered engine and now is rated at 19 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway.

My driving experience wasn't too far from the rating. I actually got 26.3 mpg on a highway run in the E350 tester.

The 5-Series is available with a sporty, six-speed, Getrag, manual transmission, but Mercedes mates its V-6 with a seven-speed automatic only. There is a shift-it-yourself manumatic function, so drivers won't need to use a clutch pedal.

But even with the automatic shifting on its own, I noticed just how much "oomph" the test E350 had at low engine revs. During some startups, my head pressed into the head restraint as the car surged forward.

Too bad, though, there was an intermittent noisy "whooo" sound when the car started with the engine cold. The sound continued for a couple minutes and brought stares from pedestrians nearby.

The E-Class has long had a reputation for superlative handling, and the 2006 E-Class is no exception. The test E350 admirably kept harsh road shocks from passengers yet managed to make the driver feel well-connected to the road. The ride was never floaty or out of touch with the pavement, and there were none of the tiring, incessant vibrations that can come with a spirited-handling car.

The more than 3,700-pound E350 did have a heaviness about it that conveyed a sense of stability and safety on the road. There also was little wind noise, but road noise from the new, 17-inch tires was noticeable.

Also noticeable were a few quality issues.

When I closed the front doors of the test car with the windows down a bit, for example, the window glass rattled like it was in a cheap car.

Then there was the disturbing vibration that agitated my foot when I pressed the brake pedal.

To be sure, the electrohydraulic brakes, with front discs that are larger than on last year's E-Class, worked capably to slow and stop the car. But the vibrating brake pedal would have prompted a visit to a service technician if I owned this test E350.

I also noted that in the past 15 months there have been two safety recalls of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 E-Class for problems with the Sensotronic brake control system that could cause the brakes to revert to hydraulic mode alone.

The E-Class comes standard with a range of safety features, including stability control, rollover sensor and front- and rear-seat side airbags plus curtain airbags.

Active head restraints for front-seat passengers are a new addition for 2006. These restraints move forward and up a bit during a rear-end collision to minimize whiplash injuries.

Everyone -- save perhaps the middle person in back who must deal with a hump in the middle of the rear-seat floor -- has a good resting spot in the E350. Indeed, front seats with their 10-way adjustable power were among the most comfortable I've experienced. They cradled my body and let me sink in a bit, too.

But it's disappointing to see that someone paying the $50,000 base price for this sedan gets only leather seat inserts. Full leather seats on the test car cost an optional $1,500.

The 2006 E-Class sedan received four out of five stars for protecting front-seat passengers in frontal crash testing, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It received five out of five stars for front- and rear-seat occupant protection in side-crash testing, and five out of five stars for its rollover-resistance rating.

There has been no safety recall of the 2006 E-Class.

Mercedes officials have said they're working to improve vehicle quality and are aware that the E-Class reliability has been rated "poor" by Consumer Reports magazine.