This is a good question I have seen the ratings for ML's but not the wagons, the rear facing seat sort of freaks me out but may be OK.

Probably 10-11 years old is how far you'll get with an E-class wagon before the kids no longer fit back there. I have friends that were forced to move from a wagon to a 3-row SUV about the time their kids became teens - they just didn't fit in the rear facing seat any longer.

I think you have a good point about the headrests. Don't think there's any good solution there. How old must the kids be before their heads are above the top of the seat? On the plus side, the 3rd seat has the best cupholders in the entire car.

Don't forget that on a wagon when the 3rd seat is in use, there is zero luggage capacity available.

I got 30.1MPG on a College Station-Plano run this past weekend. But that's not a typical number.

- JimY

Is that a W210?

I have a W210 wagon. I'm 5'8" tall (or short, I should better say) and I can sit in the rear-facing seat with my hair brushing against the headliner. If you hit a bump, I'm sure I'd be bouncing my head off the ceiling. I wouldn't want to sit anyone taller than 5'6" back there to ensure that doesn't happen.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

Yup, that's a 210. Here's the caveats. That's filling up an already warmed-up car and reseting the trip computer. From a cold start it would have been lower. There was a 20-25MPH tailwind behind the car the entire trip. Going the other direction it probably would have gotten 25...

- JimY

What do you get around town? My 97 E320 gets around 19/20 with 89 octane. I have never taken it on a highway-only trip, so I have no idea what the highway would be. I'm guessing 24 or 25?

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

My W124 E320 averaged 21 mpg in mixed driving, and got 25-26 mpg in all highway driving several times.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

My dilemma right now is I have to get a new car and I'm not going to go $crazy$ because due to the current RE situation in Michigan I need to play it safe. Right now I'm thinking 1995 E320, or find a screachin deal on a W210 or buy and average W124 and wait until a perfect W210 presents itself.

There are tons on ePray but I'm scared $hitless with some of the shady dealers these days.

I remember seeing '70's-era slow-motion video of crash tests involving station wagons with rearward-facing third seats as they were struck from the rear by another vehicle. Unbelted occupants wound up traveling through the wagon's rear window and landing on the hood of the striking vehicle. Pass.

I just found a similar video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESLf2m2yt1Q