I drove one too
Hi all,
New here, as I'm looking at an S90/V90 as a replacement for my old E-wagon(MY 2000). The New York City area dealers have received, I believe, one S90 each. Anyway, I stopped by White Plains expecting to poke around the car but not drive it(I was told on the phone they weren't doing drives yet). To my pleasant surprise, the salesman said "let's take it for a spin". It was a short ride, it was near closing time, and they're not yet allowing you to try the lane-assist, etc., features as the salesmen themselves haven't had enough experience with it. (Odd, but whatever, I wasn't going to argue the point).
I can't compare it to a new E, haven't checked them out yet, because if I go the MB route, I'll want to get the new generation wagon, rather than the final model year of the old one.
That said - I loved it in the brief stint I had. Comfortable, quiet when not accelerating, and a surprisingly good sound from the boosted 4cyl under acceleration. You hear it, in a good way. Seats are great, I had the ventilation going and it works well. Took a minute to figure out the seat adjustments, but they are truly excellent. I've read a lot of negatives of the current E-class seats for long trips, I have zero worries about these, really excellent. $66k sticker for a fully loaded car of that size seems good - we'll have to wait and see what the new E comes in at. I'm really limited in my choices because I'm more or less set on a wagon. I like the Golf wagons, and they are basically half the price, but I need the largest wagon I can get (3 kids, though one in college, two 100lb dogs that get the back).
Rear seats also comfortable, though I think a bit lower than E-class seats all around, as in, you sit a little more upright in the E, which I prefer, but not a big deal either way. There's more than ample legroom in back(unlike a V70) and seats are very comfortable. B&W sound system is good, didn't really test it out, just radio at decent volume, but for $2650, I'd have to see if the stock system is adequate. That's a bunch for stereo upgrade.
I'm not hell-bent on the higher power or the AWD, so looking forward to trying a "stripped down" version. If I can get in a car that large and comfortable near $50k, seems like the way to go for me. I like that it seems most options can be ordered a la carte, instead of getting roped into expensive packages.
Not sure I can answer any questions, but fire away. More importantly, get to your dealer and try it out.