2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Long Wheelbase Is the Mini-Maybach in Disguise

If you think about it really, really hard, it goes both ways. On the one hand, it makes perfect sense to offer those who want to own a Maybach car the chance to do it in exchange for a little less money than the full S-Class-based version. On the other hand, for all intents and purposes, these people would probably be better off buying a standard Mercedes-Benz S-Class for the same money. But then they'd be missing on the coveted Maybach brand name, wouldn't they?

But one thing is clear: whether it will be called Mercedes-Maybach or not, a long wheelbase 2017 E-Class will exist, as this video clearly shows. For some kind of totally irrelevant over-the-decades comparison, there's even a W210 E-Class T-Modell driving alongside the camouflaged car. This coincidence only comes to show how much modern cars have grown in size, but it doesn't shed any light on our little puzzle.

A lot has been said about the 2017 E-Class, but out of it all the most important part is related to the mid-sized sedan's ability to drive completely autonomous on the highway. This should come as a surprise only if you've been ignoring all news for the past two or so years, since Mercedes-Benz has been at the forefront of driverless cars ever since the idea became popular. After all, they've just done that with a commercial vehicle on a public highway, so what could be keeping them from implementing the same technology in a much smaller car?

Well, not that small.

If you were the kind of kid who could tell all makes and models from three hundred yards away, kids today have it a lot more difficult that we used to, and Mercedes-Benz/Maybach isn't making it easier for them.