The E-Class has enjoyed the status of being Mercedes’ ambassador car for quite some time now, so it’s no surprise that the German manufacturer wants to cash in on its mid-size product’s reputation. As a result, the CLK coupe and cabriolet are gone, and the E-Class family is expanding.
You can now get the E in sedan, wagon, coupe and cabriolet body styles. The latter are available in E350 and E550 trims, which are obviously powered by V6 and V8 engines, respectively.
Visually, the E550 looks more elegant than sporty, despite the bulging rear fenders, which has become a Benz styling cue for the next few years. The car’s angular shape and creased sheetmetal make it look like a knight in shining armour, and we’re getting multiple positive comments from people that cross our path at the gas station and the shopping center.
However, there is no AMG version of the E-Class coupe and cabriolet models in North America, which is peculiar since there was a CLK63 AMG Cabriolet model available up until last year.
Still, this car is pretty fast. It’s equipped with a 5.5-litre V8 that develops 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque, while married to a 7-speed automatic with manual mode. After punching the Sport mode, the car blasts to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and through the quarter mile in 13.4 seconds at 170 km/h.
And what is essentially a muscular but tame engine in the S-Class can become fairly mean in the E550. Ok, its soundtrack isn’t as spine-tingling as an AMG 6.2-litre V8. But an Audi S5 is gracing our parking lot at the same time as this Benz, and curiously, the E550 feels nastier; in our humble opinion, it should be the other way around. So maybe an AMG version isn’t necessary after all.
During relaxed driving, though, the V8 is hush and silky smooth, while the gearbox rings up upshifts with utter fluidity. At 100 km/h, it spins at a low 1,600 rpm, and is helping us maintain a fuel economy average of 12.2 L/100 km, not bad.
Smooth can also be used to describe the car’s ride. The E550 never feels strained, nervous or twitchy, while the speed-sensitive steering offers good feedback and both slow and fast speeds.
Why not a power-retractable top on the E-Class cabrio? Well, does it really need one? Our tester’s thick cloth wrapping feels durable and does a good job of isolating the cabin from wind and road noise.
Speaking of which, the angular style of the exterior is carried on inside the car, and that’s probably its biggest shortcoming, although that’s a personal opinion. Like in all recent Mercedes products, the interior décor seems a little dull and depressing; it’s a little too corporate. A more adventurous cabin design wouldn’t hurt or tick off anybody, although this complaint has nothing to do with fit and finish, which is beyond reproach.
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| Visually, the E550 is more elegant than sporty. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
You can now get the E in sedan, wagon, coupe and cabriolet body styles. The latter are available in E350 and E550 trims, which are obviously powered by V6 and V8 engines, respectively.
Visually, the E550 looks more elegant than sporty, despite the bulging rear fenders, which has become a Benz styling cue for the next few years. The car’s angular shape and creased sheetmetal make it look like a knight in shining armour, and we’re getting multiple positive comments from people that cross our path at the gas station and the shopping center.
However, there is no AMG version of the E-Class coupe and cabriolet models in North America, which is peculiar since there was a CLK63 AMG Cabriolet model available up until last year.
Still, this car is pretty fast. It’s equipped with a 5.5-litre V8 that develops 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque, while married to a 7-speed automatic with manual mode. After punching the Sport mode, the car blasts to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and through the quarter mile in 13.4 seconds at 170 km/h.
And what is essentially a muscular but tame engine in the S-Class can become fairly mean in the E550. Ok, its soundtrack isn’t as spine-tingling as an AMG 6.2-litre V8. But an Audi S5 is gracing our parking lot at the same time as this Benz, and curiously, the E550 feels nastier; in our humble opinion, it should be the other way around. So maybe an AMG version isn’t necessary after all.
During relaxed driving, though, the V8 is hush and silky smooth, while the gearbox rings up upshifts with utter fluidity. At 100 km/h, it spins at a low 1,600 rpm, and is helping us maintain a fuel economy average of 12.2 L/100 km, not bad.
Smooth can also be used to describe the car’s ride. The E550 never feels strained, nervous or twitchy, while the speed-sensitive steering offers good feedback and both slow and fast speeds.
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| The 5.5-litre V8 develops 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Why not a power-retractable top on the E-Class cabrio? Well, does it really need one? Our tester’s thick cloth wrapping feels durable and does a good job of isolating the cabin from wind and road noise.
Speaking of which, the angular style of the exterior is carried on inside the car, and that’s probably its biggest shortcoming, although that’s a personal opinion. Like in all recent Mercedes products, the interior décor seems a little dull and depressing; it’s a little too corporate. A more adventurous cabin design wouldn’t hurt or tick off anybody, although this complaint has nothing to do with fit and finish, which is beyond reproach.