2019 Mercedes-Benz E550 Review: 2019 Mercedes-Benz E550

2019 Mercedes-Benz E550 Review: 2019 Mercedes-Benz E550

Hawkeyed observers of the E550 will be able to tell that the E-Class's midcycle face-lift has made the front end look sharper than the previous E500, thanks to a pointed, more beaklike front grille. The interior of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E550 is a mix of old-world Mercedes styling and new-world cabin tech. Plush leather upholstery and burl walnut trim provide the framework for the car's dated-looking head unit and HVAC controls. Thanks to Keyless Go, drivers can gain access to the E550 and fire up its engine via a button on top of the shifter without having to take the car's weighty key fob from their pockets. Further evidence that this is going to be a technoride is provided in the form of 10-way adjustable seats and an automatically tilting-and telescoping steering wheel. We liked the four steering wheel-mounted buttons. And we loved the in-speedo multifunction display. It is just as well that this was all available via the speedometer display, as the E550's Cockpit Management and Data (COMAND) system LCD display is less than user friendly. The E550's navigation display is washed out and set too low in the dash for easy viewing.

OK, enough of our gripes with the navigation system. Other cabin tech in the E550 is generally well integrated and useful. We particularly liked the pop-out faceplate for the insertion of CDs into the in-dash six-disc changer and the fact that there is an auxiliary input jack subtly installed in the glove box. 321. In addition to playing regular CDs, the E550's stereo accepts homemade MP3 discs, giving full ID3-tag information for artist, album, and track. The Logic7 surround-sound audio system's immersive output was a pleasure to listen to, sounding great across all ranges right up to maximum volume. As with other Mercedes we've tested, the standard Bluetooth hands-free interface in the E550 is no use to those who don't own one of the seven bespoke Mercedes-Benz handsets that are compatible with the car's phone cradle. 60K on the car itself. As our tester came with the Premium II package, we had the pleasure of a couple of extra comfort tech features, including heated and ventilated front seats and an ultraluxurious power rear-window sunshade.

Having given vent to our niggles with the cabin, we are obliged to say that the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E550 is an awesome car for those who want a car for good, old low-tech driving pleasure. A system called Shift into Optimum Gear enables the driver to select the most effective of the car's seven gears to achieve maximum acceleration or engine braking by pulling the shifter laterally toward the driver's seat for one second. For those wishing to let the car shift on its own, the E550 features driver-adaptive programming, which adjusts shifts to the current driving style. Buttons on the center stack allow the driver to customize suspension and transmission settings. Also customizable from the cabin is the E550's Airmatic air suspension, which can be set to one of three configurations according to your preferences for hauling the 4000-pound Benz through the bends. Nevertheless, while it has the muscle to beat the BMW 550i to 60mph, our E550 felt and drove more like a comfortable, executive sedan with a performance secret than like a sports car--even when tuned to the stiffest suspension setting.

Perhaps if we'd had the Sport Package (larger, 18-inch wheels; lowered suspension; sportier bumper and exhaust pipes; white racing gauges), we would have felt differently. Thanks to its gas-gulping V-8, the E550's EPA fuel-economy ratings--15mpg in the city, 23mpg on the highway--are on the low side for a midsize sedan. In practice, we found that it performed at the high end of the scale, getting an average of 20.7mpg in mixed, freeway-skewed driving. The E550 scores less well on the EPA's midsize car emissions table: at 10.1 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year (10.5 for the all-wheel-drive 4Matic), the E550 is among the top five emissions offenders in its class. The most impressive safety-tech feature of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E550 is the installation as standard of Mercedes's Pre Safe collision-mitigation system. Previously the preserve of the S-Class, Pre Safe is a radar-based active safety system that analyzes braking, steering, and electronic stability control data to identify a probable imminent impact.