The E450 wraps its occupants in a warm, luxurious embrace and delivers them to their destination feeling better than when they left. That should be the goal of a luxury sedan, and the E450 does it better than its competition.

The E450 All Terrain wagon we tested, which was recently redesigned alongside the E-Class sedan, is one of the best vehicles you can buy, period.

I have often wondered what my life would have been like if my father had come home with, say, a new BMW 2002 instead of one of the many Jeep Wagoneers that occupied our driveway. Or even a Dodge Dart with the 340-cubic-inch V8 instead of the underwhelming slant-six Swinger,

Bigger developments include a new convertible, AMGs that make more power, and electric cars that can travel farther on a charge. Mercedes also updates MBUX infotainment for some, and several models come with a new airbag this year.