Mercedes-Benz has just presented a look at the next half of the century and a preview of the second half of the decade.

For those reasons and more, this year’s Golden Calipers go to what might just be the best midsize luxury car of the 21st century: the 10th-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The E-Class has long lived in the shadow of the larger S-Class and has increasingly been squeezed from below by the C-Class.

The automaker spends billions every year on frankly exotic R&D, looking to optimize everything from braking to color customization to the supply of battery power in its future cars.