I've been shopping cars for a little while now, and actually gave thought to both a loaded Cadillac CTS and CTSV. I got turned off of the CTS due to it's seats - hard as a rock. Thought about the CTSV, but the dealer turned me off when they didn't want to talk about Cadillac's advertised $5k incentive on the car. Additionally, I think I'm looking for something a little more practical (already have a 2007 Corvette Z06). Anyway, all the above and the government involvement in GM lead me to expand my horizons!

That being said, I test drove and E550 and fell in love! Also drove a Jag XF afterward, and was unimpressed after the E550. So, since there aren't many 550's out there on dealer lots, I'm ready to put in an order to get what I want. I'm thinking about the following;

-Palladium Silver w/ Black leather interior and Burl walnut trim
-P1 package
-Wood steering wheel
-Folding rear seats
-Panorama sunroof
-Dynamic driver seat

I'm going back and forth on the sport package, but am basically looking for a quiet comfortable ride (that doesn't require a new set of tires every 15k miles - back to that practicality thing!).

That being said, here are my questions!

Any redeeming features in the P2 package? I really didn't see anything in the package that really jumped out as something I need or want, but thought I'd ask for opinions.

I would imagine the sport package looks a little better, but not sure why they don't charge extra for it? Any noticeable harshness or road noise compared to the luxury package? Anyone got enough miles to comment on tire life?

Any other gotta have options?

Finally, while I haven't pushed the issue yet, the dealer quoted a discount off MSRP of 2% - approx. $1300. It would seem like I could do better, but just wondering if the newness and lack of availability of the E550's right now might put a damper on the discounting? Would lack of availability even matter if I was planning to order?

Thanks for any opinions! I just found this site tonight and it's a wealth of information - thanks for that also!

 

Two great options (IMO) found in the P2 package that I find worth it are Keyless Go and the Bi-Xenon headlights. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Keyless Go, but it really is nice and probably the best option on these cars. It's much more hassle-free to not have to handle keys (besides having them on your person). Also, the Bi-Xenon cornering lights are much much better than the regular halogens, and it also includes the LED lights in the bumper instead of the quad-fogs which I personally like less than the LEDs.

Regarding the sports package, it doesn't look a little bit better, it looks A LOT better. If you're not being charged for it, don't question it. It's usually a $5,000 - $6,000 option. I can't comment about the suspension since it comes with a sport suspension, but it [should] have Airmatic (which is standard on the 550) so it'll still be pretty smooth.

 

QuadBenz,

Yeah, I've got the keyless option on the Vette. The Bi-Xenon option sounds nice, but somehow the LED lights have a "glued on" look to me. I guess I'll have to decide whether it's worth an additional $2200.

I was really impressed with the way the E550 drove - it will be hard to wait several months for it to be built.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

i have the same car except iridium silver - you will love this car & the exhaust growl it delivers ---- you will love the drive dynamic seat option [ driver only though] .....up here we get the AMG look package for $800 & it already comes with the comfort/sport mode --- no extra tire wear though .... no real ride harshness either.....enjoy !

 

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like the sport package is the way to go! Now I just need to figure out how to wait 4 mos for the car to be built.

 

Out of curiosity, why are some of you waiting months for these cars to get built?

M-B Dealers all over are flooded with W212 inventory.

Is it an options/package thing, i.e hard to find the exact setup you want at a Dealer?

 

Maybe I need to look a little harder, but the two dealerships near me had a TON of the E350's, but very few of the 550's. I'm not sure what the deal is with the 550's, but they seem to be in short supply.


Edit: Just looked on the websites of both dealers... Dealer #1 had eleven E350's and just one 550. Dealer #2 had fifteen 350's and zero 550's listed.

 

Ahh, got it, you're right, 550's are always in short supply.

 

I think it is the cars that have not so popular options. I think all places have the 4matic with P01 on the lot and when I asked for the 60/40 fold down seat in the back the dealer told me it would take a little time to get one.

 

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised. I assume it's like the 211 was last year, hordes of P1 basic packages, but if you want a 550 or some special Options, you've gotta chase it down.

 

up here in Vancouver it is the same thing ....550 is very hard to find ......i bought mine a month ago but i bought the one in the showroom the day after it had arrived ....they have waited 1 month to get another one in .....the local area dealers here have 58 350s on order & only 12 550s .......hence the reason for short supply .....