2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class The quintessential sedan for the affluent. By Sam Moses, New Car Test Drive .com

Mercedes-Benz will be 100 years old in 2001. If you had to pick one model that symbolizes the marque's image, the E430 would be it. Although there is a tradition of sporty and blazing fast cars, the E-Class is the best seller. And it says "Mercedes" in the way most people understand. It's big, square but sleek, smooth, silent and powerful. It's built like a tank with a light touch, and comes out elegant. It's a masculine car that women feel at home in. And in areas such as engine design and management, chassis, drivetrain, aerodynamics, safety and computer technology, Mercedes-Benz leads the automotive engineering world.

There are three E-Class models: E320 sedan ($47,850) and wagon ($48,650) come with a smooth and highly sophisticated 3.2-liter, 221-horsepower V6.

E430 sedan ($53,200) is equipped with the standard highly sophisticated 4.3-liter, 275-horsepower V8. And the E55 AMG ($70,300) boasts a whopping 349 horsepower from its hand-built 5.5-liter V8.

E320 4MATIC ($50,700) and E430 4MATIC ($56,050) models come with an all-wheel-drive system, which uses a 35/65 torque split in the dry and electronic apportionment when one or more wheels slip.