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LAS VEGAS – In an era of Wall Street Ponzi schemes, non-existent bonuses and evaporating retirement savings, it is refreshing to drive a vehicle so secure it is known as a bank vault.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan has been called just that for decades because of its rock-solid chassis stability and impressive crash-safety credentials. Now the metaphor conveys another meaning beyond vehicle dynamics: conservative automotive investment rather than reckless indulgence.
With today’s unstable economy, and 401K plans losing as much as 50% of their value since last year, the ninth-generation, ’10 E-Class may be one of the safest places you now can figuratively – if not literally – put your cash.
It may not be the trendiest car, but it does have nine airbags to protect driver and passengers, plus a stronger, lighter body shell that uses 47% more high-strength steel than the previous model. That’s more exciting than avant garde styling if you’re in a crash.
Just like today’s 401K, the Mercedes is a depreciating asset, but unlike most sorry retirement plans, the E-Class can give a relaxing massage when you are stressed. If you’ve been losing sleep about the falling value of your vacation home, a standard drowsiness detection warns you if you start to nod off while driving.
In an emergency, the optional radar-based braking system protects by automatically making a panic stop. And before it stomps on the brakes prior to an imminent collision, the Mercedes Pre-Safe system takes numerous preemptive measures to limit injury, including cinching up the seatbelts, moving seat positions for optimal airbag deployment and closing the sunroof and windows.
Did the folks who run your 401K take any preemptive measures or do anything to cushion the blow before last year’s stock market crash?
Okay, we are not seriously suggesting anyone stop contributing to their retirement fund to make car payments, but the luxury vehicle market clearly is changing and Mercedes is pulling out the stops to sell the new E-Class as a value proposition rather than a vain personal reward or sexy piece of rolling sculpture to impress the neighbors.
To underscore its intentions, Mercedes reduced the price of the base gasoline V-6 model 8.7% compared with the outgoing ’09 version, from $53,200 to $48,600 (not including an $875 destination charge). A spokesman argues it actually is a 10.2% reduction because value-added features such as Attention Assist, knee and pelvic airbags and an adaptive suspension damping system have been added at no extra cost.
