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WANTED: a tough toddler to teach me how to throw a tantrum to stop them from taking away the Mercedes-Benz test car.

Yeah, I know the rules. I signed the agreement. I understand that others are waiting to drive the thing. But you Mercedes-Benz folks tricked me.

You said: “The 1987 190 E 2.6 is available for testing. It’s one of our entry-level cars. It’s nice.”

I thought: Ho-hum. Might as well. Lots of Mercedes-Benz 190s rolling around, probably bought by people who can’t afford a real Mercedes. It’ll be a boring week.

I should’ve known something was up when the man who delivered the car said: “Sign here. You’ll have it back in a week?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“One week?”

“Yeah,” I said, thinking that the dude was really paranoid.

I was a fool. I should’ve asked questions. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill compact, 4-cylinder 190. This is a six-cylinder job, a slightly smaller version of the engine used in the mid-size Mercedes-Benz 300 E.

Do you know what stuffing that engine into the compact 190 E means? Va-va-varoom! Yeeow! Get outta here!

Man, oh man, this car might be “entry-level” at Mercedes-Benz, but it’d be top of the line almost anywhere else.

Only one week in this one is just plain unfair.

Praise: The acceleration, wet-and-dry road handling, and overall craftsmanship of this front-engine, five-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sedan. It’s pretty near perfect.

There’s also the safety of this car. It’s equipped with a driver’s side air bag; automatically tensioning front seat belts; rear, outboard three-point seatbelts, and an anti-lock braking system.

Manufacturers of other mid-luxury cars have a lot of good examples to follow in this one.

Head-turning quotient: It sort of reminds me of some wealthy people I’ve met. They don’t have terribly stunning bodies, but they’re hard to ignore.

Engine and ride: Inline 2.6-liter, electronically fuel-injected six. Does0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds, produces 158 horsepower at 5,800 rpm. So smooth and quiet you hardly know it’s there. Ride? Gets along with the road so well.

Sound system: Whoa! Becker finally has come up with a sound system that matches the greatness of Mercedes-Benz. AM/FM stereo radio and cassette with push-button tonal, fader and balance controls. Still ridiculously complicated, but a far, far cry from the lousy Beckers of old.

Mileage: About 21 to the gallon (capacity 14.5 gallons, 300-mile range), combined city-highway, running with one to five occupants. Minimal use of climate-control system. Test model equipped with four-speed automatic transmission. Note: This car takes premium unleaded only.

Price as tested: $32,200 on the east coast and $32,620 out west. The car itself is an option. East coast dealer invoice price is $25,670 and West Coast dealer invoice price is $26,100, according to Automobile Invoice Service in San Jose.