This isn’t your elderly aunt’s E-Class. We’ll get back to that, but first—consider how new cars are introduced to the press these days. Instead of junkets to exotic locales, where we put the “product” through its paces, cars now debut on Zoom. 

We log in to hear from a couple of engineers and a PR person who’s there to keep the techies from getting windy about 48-volt electronics and 64-bit processors.

But that’s often what the presentation is about: digital features, functions, connectivity, mobility, voice and gesture controls, our screens are bigger and brighter than their screens, and so forth. 

Welcome to the era of the “software-defined” car. Eventually, we get to what actually makes a vehicle go and stop and drive, but by then I’m losing consciousness. 

To many people, the new E-Class would be a software-defined car. Do Mercedes-Benz dealers offer a one-day course in tech? It freaks me out, and I drive something shiny-new and different every week—how does the buyer who’s trading in a 12-year-old car cope with all of these cryptic functions? 

Finally, of course, we figure out how to drive to the store for beer and Cheetos.

Then we discover that, beneath the hands-free ignition, the twin screens, the adaptivity and interactivity, the fragrance spritzer and the heated armrests lies a brilliant machine meant for good, old-fashioned driving. 

The E53 is an AMG model, a performance-enhanced, all-wheel-drive Mercedes. The 3.0-litre six-cylinder gas engine now has EQ Boost, which delivers instant electric acceleration and 30 MPG on the highway. EQ Boost helps Mercedes-Benz rule in Formula One and it helps make the E53—with a total of 429 horses and 384 torques—an outstanding all-around road car: poised, balanced and quick, without being aggressive or the least bit twitchy. 

The SpeedShift transmission helps, as does a pneumatic sport suspension and customizable drive modes that go from economy to racetrack. Each combination of electronic and mechanical settings delivers a different form of competence.  

There’s much more, of course: The seats, the sound system, the cabin and the long list of amenities wrap four lucky people in expansive comfort, safety and luxury. 

I meant expensive. The E-Class family has station wagons, coupes, convertibles and sedans. A basic E350 (your elderly aunt’s E-Class) starts at about $55,000, the hotter E450 at $62,000. The top E-car, the 603-horsepower AMG E63, goes up from $107,500. Our sample E53 sits about in the middle, with a starting price of $73,900—but, with its long inventory of premium add-ons, it lists for $101,780. 

Silvio Calabi has been reviewing cars since Ronald Reagan removed the solar panels from the White House. He lives in Camden.