American historian Will Durant once paraphrased Aristotle in this clever way: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." We wouldn't be surprised if  uses this as a motivational poster for its engineers. Year after year, the Mercedes Benz E-Class exemplifies excellence, regularly ranking at the top of our midsize luxury car list. It's a benchmark for refined ride quality, confident handling, meticulous craftsmanship, clever innovation and sophisticated comfort.

With the 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, excellence also includes variety. There are sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon body styles, plus engines that range from fuel sippers to outlandish horsepower monsters. The E-Class lineup alone would otherwise represent the full model portfolio from some other luxury brands.

For 2013, the lineup expands with the new Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid, which will be available later in the model year. Similar to the S-Class hybrid, the E400 hybrid pairs its 3.5-liter V6 with a small electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The improvement in fuel economy isn't substantial, but the wallop of extra torque from the electric motor should appeal to those with a penchant for acceleration rather than conservation.