2017 Mercedes-Benz E400 Wagon is a luxury haulerback hero

About one out of every two E-Classes sold in Germany is a wagon, but in the US, they're much less common.

Auto-leveling air suspension is standard, and helps when you load down the rear end with kids and cargo. It can also firm up for sportier driving.

The author thinks the wagon looks better than the sedan from this rear three-quarter vantage. How about you?

Note the stereo camera at the top dead center of the windshield. It's the key to much of the E400's semi-autonomous capabilities.

A wide hatch and a low floor makes loading objects easier than in most crossovers and SUVs.

If there's a more luxurious or tech-forward interior in the midsize luxury segment, we don't know about it.

Fit and finish are excellent, as is the range of available interior seat and trim colors and materials.

While these are not sport seats, they're plenty supportive for 99 percent of driving.

One of two 12.3-inch widescreen displays, this one is used as a configurable gauge cluster.

Here's the bird's-eye view from the navigation system. If you get in closer, you'll see building outlines in cities and a lot more detail.

Having such a wide center display enables a significant amount of on-screen real estate to two totally different functions. In this case, that's the navigation map and what's playing on the stereo.

This front end, with its large air intakes and pie-plate-size Mercedes star emblem in the grille is the Sport trim. Also available is the Luxury trim, which features a traditional hood ornament and a more conventional radiator grille insert.

245/35 R20-size Pirelli P Zero tires would be oversized and overkill for the Autobahn-free US, so expect smaller all-season tires as standard equipment.

Look closely and you'll see some of the "stardust" detailing inside of the taillight lens. It shows up best when illuminated at night.

Turn-signal repeaters are nicely integrated into the side mirrors.

Prince-spec purple not for you? There are 63 other interior lighting colors to choose from.