The 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is heir to a long tradition of quality and innovation. Indeed, the incarnation of the modern E-Class in the 1996 model year gave the world its first front door mounted airbags. There are a number of would-be challengers in the midsize luxury class, including Acura RL, BMW 5-Series, Jaguar XJ Series, Audi A6, Lexus GS and Cadillac CTS. But throughout the world perhaps only the name Rolls-Royce compares with the recognition of Mercedes-Benz.

The last exterior refresh for the E-Class was the 2007 model year, but there are a number of new developments for 2009. New wheels, all-wheel drive, in-dash CD/DVD changer and a Bluetooth hands free cell phone system lead this list.

The engine you get with the E-Class depends on the trim, and there are no options. Four different engines are used, including a 3.0 liter, 210 horsepower V6, a 3.5 liter, 268 horsepower V6, a 5.5 liter, 382 horsepower V8 and a 6.2 Liter, 507 horsepower V8. As with the engines, the transmission you get depends on the trim you buy and there are no substitutions. It will be either a five-speed with overdrive or a seven-speed with overdrive.

Of course, the engine/transmission combination greatly affects your fuel efficiency. Most trims get the seven-speed transmission. With the 3.0 V6 it gets a noteworthy 23 miles per gallon city and 32 miles per gallon highway. On the opposite end is the big 6.2 V8, which gets only 12 miles per gallon in the city and 19 miles per gallon on the highway.

For this year the Mercedes E-Class offers seven trims, which are E350 4MATIC Sedan, E350 Luxury Sedan, E320 BlueTEC Sedan, E350 4MATIC Wagon, E550 Sport Sedan, E550 4MATIC Sedan and E63 AMG Sedan in ascending order of cost and amenities.

It would be a surprise if a Mercedes didn't get good safety ratings, and the E-Class is no surprise this year. The front end crash test ratings are four-star and everything else is five-star. As for other safety equipment, depending on model, the E-Class offers antilock brakes with electronic braking assistance, traction and stability control, automatic load leveling and limited slip differential, as well as complete airbags and other common safety features.

It's hard to get a fix on just where the E-Class does and does not perform better than average for its class because there is such a spread in engine size, performance and body style. To generalize, the smaller engines get better than average mileage, the wagon gets good headroom and cargo room and the bigger engines get excellent horsepower and power to weight ratios.

One surprising area where the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is ahead of the curve is price. Starting at just $53,200, the 350 4MATIC and Luxury sedans are a veritable steal. Only the top end E63 has a starting price at $87,700 that is above the class average.