Precipitation in Washington State is almost exclusively rain. Even the so-called snow we occasionally see is more like white rain. Yet, a common rationale for the herds of SUVs roaming our highways is “to get around in bad weather.” I’ve lived where it snowed a foot overnight and it wasn’t Western Washington. There, four-wheel-drive was more necessity than fashion accessory.

Since rain is so common and quickly varying road conditions can be dangerously slick, it amazes me that more people don’t opt for all-wheel-drive sedans and wagons. I’m not anti-SUV, but I think you can get excellent foul weather competence and far greater daily driving comfort with an AWD sedan.

People (customers/clients) consciously or subconsciously associate certain luxury brands with success and people like doing business with winners. In SUV terms, the impact of prestige brands probably accounts for why people are happy to pay a premium for Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, and Infiniti versions of SUVs derived from their less upscale siblings Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan.

Regardless of how much leather and wood trim a luxury SUV contains, why buy one if you don’t regularly transport 5 to 7 people and lots of stuff over unpaved, muddy/snowy single track roads? For wet paved roads consider an AWD sedan like the Mercedes E-500 4Matic. An E-Series Mercedes says success more clearly than any SUV.

We had the pleasure of driving a very handsome Pewter-colored Mercedes E-500 AWD sedan. Yes, contemporary SUV ride characteristics are far superior to earlier models, but they don’t come close to the dual-control air suspension comfort of an E-Series Mercedes.

In the alphabet soup of Mercedes models the mid-level E-Series is one of the most versatile. They’re considerably less expensive than the top-of-the-line S-Series, but they more closely resemble the S-Series than the C-Series.

Continuing with our middle-of-the-pack analogies, engine-wise the E-500 fits comfortably between the E-320 221 horsepower V-6 and the E-55’s awesome 469 horsepower V-8. The E-500’s 5-liter V-8 produces 302 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque. We got almost 25 mpg. The 3.2-liter Turbo Diesel inline 6 is also available in the E-Series. Transmission choices are dictated by whether or not the car has AWD. The rear-wheel-drive E-500 has an innovative 7-speed automatic, while the 4Matic cars have a 5-speed automatic. Both transmissions have manual shift capability.

On the open road the E-500 is anything but a middle-of-the-pack car. This car is ideal for cross-country or cross-state journeys. Cruising in secure comfort is the E-500’s forte. Adding the 4Matic makes a great sedan even better. The 4Matic is so seamless that you don’t know it’s at work. We noticed that when driving on twisting country back roads we could take corners faster and more confidently.

We weren’t able to test the 4Matic in snow, because we couldn’t arrange our loan to fall on that day. An avid skier friend is on his second Mercedes 4Matic wagon and he swears by them. In the kind of wet snow so often encountered traveling to Washington ski areas, he greatly prefers the 4Matic wagon’s lower center of gravity to the higher, less stable feeling SUV stance.

Interior comfort and luxury are key E-500 selling points. Front seat room and support are superb. Ten-way electric adjustable seats and a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel make it easy to find that ideal driving position. The nice thick steering wheel has multi-function controls so you can keep your focus on the road.

Rear seat comfort is fine as long as the front seats aren’t all the way back. A big center hump makes the rear seat a two-person proposition. The trunk is huge with a flat floor and extra storage under the floor.

Our E-500 test car had some great options and a couple questionable ones. We really liked the Panorama Sunroof. It consists of a conventional sunroof over the front seat and a fixed glass panel over the rear. The effect is a very light and open interior. A pop-up front air deflector makes open roof cruising nice and quiet. Another good option was the Entertainment Package, which included a CD changer and a Harmon Kardon sound system.

The $500 electronic trunk closer seemed superfluous. The $3,000 Distronic cruise control maintains set following distances. We can do that ourselves for free.

Whines: A large glove box that was rendered almost useless by the unabridged dictionary size owner’s manual was about our only complaint.

Bottom Line: The Mercedes 500-E AWD sedan is an ideal car for Washington drivers. It handles all of our many climatic conditions with ease. It’s a handsome vehicle with a nice blend of conservative and modern styling. It’s timeless appeal and high resale value makes the E-500 a fine combination of luxury and practicality—a true all-purpose, all-season sedan.