550isport

EDITORIAL: I rented an 07' E350 from Hertz prestige over Christmas and wow what a difference from my 550. If you drove the E350 (without air suspension) back to back with any E60 (I've driven most variations), you have to prefer one or the other without shadow of a doubt. They are so different. The Mercedes feels very heavy, the steering is completely isolated from the road. The E's brake pads feels very soft (no warm up, instant bite and generate a lot of deceleration Gs - but are harder to modulate). The 7 speed trans keeps the revs way under 3k under regular driving (even in S mode) and the gas pedal makes easy take offs simple by being the opposite of touchy. In the E I drove relatively slow. It was relaxing (and to me personally, boring). As soon as I got back in my 550 I got the same sensation of clearing massive room on a PC's overstuffed hard drive, every response was quicker and sharper. The Mercedes had nice torque, wonderful solidity and a smooth ride. But it wants to be driven slowly. When you push it , it will hold a corner much more tenaciously than you would expect. The brakes are strong in a straight line and the engine doens't run out of steam in the higher rpms like Mercs of old - it even felt decent while it revved - not like it was going to explode under the hood like some big Mercedes engines (I passed a 530i on the highway whose driver had the pedal to the metal). So the Mercedes has these abilities but really does not encourage its driver to explore them. The BMW lays it all out in front of you. Very different cars.

I've only driven four AMG cars, but my experience is that they are cut from the same cloth as the car I describe above, just way faster in a straight line and a little sharper.

Just M2C.

Happy New Year,
DRP

westcoast550

I agree, we drove the e350 when we looking at cars 4 years ago. Aside from what you said I also found the interior very cheap and not ergonomic..... when we drove the E39 it was like night and day, hence my addiction to BMWs.........................more wine !!

lee1224

I test drove a 2007 E550 before ordering my 08 550i, even my 68 year old father-in-law said that the BMW 550i was a more solid car. The Mercedes sales person even said that they are two different cars, "the E550 is a luxury cruiser, the BMW 550 is a sport cruiser". He couldn't have more right, so he lost the sale to BMW>

Shamu

I was in a similar crossroad in terms of a decision between the E60 and E 350. In the end, I just couldn't stand the wooden "slats/ridges" on the center arm rest console of the E 350. It felt like MB was trying to bring back something retro, and to me, it just felt cheap and class-less.