Do You Really Need An E63 AMG? The W211 E550 Makes A Solid Case For Itself.
You can get a lot of W211 with an E550. Big V8 power means an E63 AMG isn’t always needed.
At MBWorld, we appreciate AMG’s quite a lot. Models from Affalterbach are core to this enthusiast website. But not all of us have the dough or the means to have one. And that’s fine. We’re called MBWorld, not “AMGWorld” for a reason. So we’re here to appreciate a non-AMG W211 over the performance derived counterpart for once.
The W211’s range is quite diverse, with world-wide models ranging from sedans with smaller diesel engines to big V8 powered wagons. But the meat of these is the V6 and V8 gasoline powered models. And the E550 is the subject of our consideration today.
Entering the scene along with the W211’s mid-cycle facelift, the E550 has everything you want. Under the hood is the M273 V8, with significantly more power and torque than the lovable – but less powerful – M113 5.0 V8. The M273 is also paired to the 7G-tronic gearbox for brisk acceleration and great economy. So you’re really not giving up all that much. Especially with 380 horsepower under foot. In fact, if one were to de-badge an E550, you’d have a bit of a sleeper on your hands. Need another plus side? You could get the E550 in 4Matic, with all-weather speed on demand.
What you do get in return is a bit of comfort. AMG’s are wonderful and everything, but the E550 is a bit softer and a bit more plush. As a vehicle to spend a lot of time in, there’s very few cars that we’d pick over this one. Being the up-scale model from the E350, you have leather options, better radios and other features as standard. We love the brashness of the AMG, but sometimes comfort has a place, too.
One other benefit needs to be mentioned, too and that is ownership cost. Mercedes aren’t the cheapest cars around to maintain, but the E550 will have a much lower cost of ownership than the AMG. The M273 is a relatively “normal” engine. There’s little exotica to be found there and a lot of the parts are used on the V6, too.
Even things like the brakes are standard discs, instead of the floating rotors on the speed machine. And when you get so much Mercedes for such a low cost, it makes a lot of sense to go this route. After all, yours truly picked an ML550 over an ML63 AMG for this exact reason.
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