Mother Proof's view

Growing up, my mother drove an old diesel-powered Mercedes. I still remember the sound of it. I could anticipate the arrival of that car minutes before it actually appeared (something that could have proved useful had I been more rebellious in my youth). At the time, I didn’t know that Mercedes was a la-ti-da car to be driving. I figured it was your run-of-the-mill, stinky, noisy, mom car… until I was being watched over by a new babysitter one summer afternoon. My mom left the car just in case we needed to go somewhere. As soon as the sitter realized it was a Mercedes, we suddenly “needed” to visit all her friends and family to show them what she was driving. Suddenly I felt elevated to a new level. Sure, I was usually the last to be picked up from school, and my mom never had milk and cookies awaiting my arrival, but at least she drove a Mercedes (it didn’t matter that it was old).

The 2007 Mercedes E550 Sport still comes with the la-ti-da-ness built right in, just by virtue of the brand, but somehow it seems to lack the pretentiousness of other high-end luxury vehicles that superficially flaunt around their badges like courting peacocks. The E-Class is definitely a Mercedes; let’s just get that out of the way now. However, it goes much deeper than that. It’s also functional, comfortable and on the cutting edge of safety innovations – something important to me now that I’m hauling around children of my own.

As with the previous model year E-Class, the ’07 version still has Latch connectors that should be adopted by every other car manufacturer out there. A discreet flap hides the Latches when not in use and lifts up for easy access to them when needed. I simply love the fact that Mercedes hasn’t forgotten about the parents of the world. Although the company’s target market may not be middle-American carpoolers, chances are if their target market is human, their target market is procreating. Do I have to go into the birds and the bees? The end result is a baby or child in an awkward, and usually hard-to-install, car seat.

The new E-Class comes with the Mercedes Pre-Safe system as standard equipment. Upon detecting unstable conditions, the Pre-Safe system closes side windows and the standard sunroof, tightens up the seat belts and moves the front seats to their optimal position for airbag deployment. An active head restraint moves the front head rests 3 centimeters forward and 4 centimeters up to help prevent neck-related injuries.

Mercedes offers several safety-forward features in this vehicle in Europe that have not yet been approved for the U.S. (it seems we’re always a step behind, doesn’t it?), but they are in the process of being considered. Adaptive brake lights are flashed during emergency braking maneuvers to catch the attention of the driver behind the vehicle. Also, intelligent headlights change their lighting pattern to be more effective for either highway driving (higher speed) or country driving (lower speed). It also adjusts its pattern to be optimal in varying weather conditions.

This year’s addition of a Sport model to the E-Class lineup seems like a fountain of youth for Mercedes, which I have to admit I still kind of associate with a slightly older age group. The lower stance of the vehicle, paired with dual exhaust pipes and blue tinted glass, looks particularly young and hot when clad in black paint. Did I mention safety? Pimp it out with E-Guard (available outside of the U.S., of course, on the E320 CDI, E350 or E500), a custom-built ballistics package, and this vehicle is functional for drug dealers, politicians and parents alike.

The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class can be bullet proof, subsequently kid proof and has definitely proved that it deserves to be Mother Proof.

*For more information on the Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport and its safety features, visit www.cars.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

LATCH Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair – Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times