Choosing b/t the 350 and the 550. I really want those 382 horses, but the "two-tone" interiors look kind of ugly on the website. I'd be interested in hearing from those of you who've seen them. Is the contrast between the beige/brown and black as harsh as it looks on the website? How does it look overall?

Also, does anyone know if the designo is two-tone as well?

 

to me, the black/beige looks European -I like it

 

This is purely personal preference so I don't think anyone's opinion counts except your own. I just bought (getting next week) a 550 with Black/Cognac interior. The Cognac is a rich brown that almots looks like natural leather. My personal view is the cashmere seats with black dash etc look awful. For me it was either Black/Black or Black/Cognac and I just thought the Cognac was more interesting. Gaving had ash interior I wanted something different and a little easier to keep clean. You have just got to see for yourself or its like lettung somebody else pick out your suit or your shoes or your tie. Too personal.

 

Then why not just get an E550 with black interior?

 

I like that even less than the two tone. Just personal, as someone above said.

 

Sahara beige/Black is the way to go. Cognac (to me) looks almost orange and quite strange. Just my two cents. If possible, look at the cars before you decide as they are obviously quite polarizing.

 

We have the Black/Cognac and it's a beautiful combo. Sahara is nice, too however we were afraid of soil showing easily on Sahara.
With 2 14 yo baseball players we knew the Sahara would be a problem!!!
One BIG caveat: order with the standard wood trim if you go cognac, birdeye maple gets lost in the black dash.
I didn't know it was possible to get the standard trim when we ordered or I would definitely have made the change.
I think the cognac is very elegant and you don't see it very often.

 

Thanks. I was thinking the burl walnut would look nice with this.

 

We have an 07 E550 Black with Black interior. My wife doesn't like the 'white' window pillars and wish they matched the dash/doors. Other than that we dont mind the ceiling being different.

I personally don't think it detracts but you can notice the white pillars when looking through the front windshield from the outside especially with the black paint and interior.

Oh well...

 

When I first read your post I thought you were talking about the window pillars and headliner being a different color than the rest of the interior. I have a Flint gray/black E550 and I was taken aback when I saw the headliner on my vehicle. It wasn't near as noticeable on the Silver E550 I demoed. However after spending a day or two with the car the headliner color has become a non-issue. It's all about the 382 hp. Someone remarked about the Birdseye maple getting lost. I initially had the same concerns but because '07's were in short supply and I wanted the trunk money I accepted a car with a black interior and the birdseye maple. Turns out I'm rather fond of it w/the black interior especially with a wood and leather steering wheel.

 

Don't misunderstand my comment concerning the black birdseye maple trim, it's not "bad".
I simply think the burled walnut(?) would have added some distinction and been more noticeable on the black dash.
I'll try to get a pic over the weekend and you'll see that it blends in but, isn't really distinctive as I feel the walnut would.