You could just put it down to a severe bout of middle-age spread, but Mercedes has had to go on the automotive equivalent of the Atkins Diet in recent years to try and get back to what it does best. It has shed the dead weight, like Chrysler and Mitsubishi, and got back down to the basics.
BMW continues to think that it has Lotus-like abilities to manipulate the laws of physics, but Mercedes has decided to focus on providing bags of seemingly effortless refinement in its mainstream line-up.
And in truth it doesn't get any more mainstream than the E Class for Mercedes - this is the car that pays the bills, and it is an accomplished and soothing car, a wonderful place to spend your time. It has its anachronisms, but many of those are actually part of its character.
In fact, the more you spend time with it, the more the E Class comes across as an incredibly mature and well put together car - it's hard to find an area where it doesn't do really well. You can really feel that the car has been honed over many generations, with the odd hiccup of course.
One of the major downsides of the E Class is that although it's a premium car, you have to spend a considerable amount of money over and above the basic price of the entry-level car to get the best out of the experience.
The interior is back to the previous standards that were accepted of Mercedes prior to its well-documented nosedive in quality at the beginning of the noughties. The fit and finish is excellent and the standard of equipment that comes with the car is very high too. There is plenty of space too, ensuring many successful years yet as the world's favourite taxi.
The steering is quite accurate and the E Class makes you feel confident in being able to place it on the road - it is at its best when cruising, though. Buy one with a diesel engine and an automatic gearbox and you can sit back and enjoy the relaxed ride.
The most refreshing thing about the E Class is that it refuses to involve itself in the mid-life crisis sportiness that executive saloons too often get mixed up in - it knows what it wants to do and does it brilliantly.