While trying to decide on what color E550 to purchase, one stumbling block for me was getting a variety of pictures side-by-side to compare options.

After much scouring the web, I've created a powerpoint flip-book of different photos of both exterior and interior color options -- with labels. I found this an easier way to look at and compare colors than google searches and picture threads. I hope this powerpoint is useful for someone else challenged with color decisions..

http://dj1.willowmail.com/~jeske/_dr...or%20book.pptx

Enjoy!

 

Thank you! This is very helpful.

 

It's also interesting that you're moving from an S4 to an E550 since those are the two cars I'm currently considering.

 

I'm not surprised you are considering both.

I like the S4 or 335ix in the small segment, and the E550 4matic in the mid-size segment. (550i/F10 not-included, as xdrive is not available until October) Therefore, deciding which size car I want means deciding between them. Interestingly, the new S4 is almost exactly halfway between the 3-series and the E550 in size.

I don't care for the C-class, mostly because of the pop-up nav-screen design. I find it disorderly and chaotic with the panel open and the screen out, but it must be open even to use the radio. That's a dealbreaker. I also have little interest in the A6. I find the styling is too plain; it's even bigger than the E-class; and it doesn't ride as nicely.

One strong factor for me is the very poor streets where I live in the city of San Francisco. I'm okay with road-feel, but I'm exhausted of the severe side-to-side and front-to-back cabin movement in my 2005 S4. The 2010 S4 'comfort' mode is much calmer than my old 2005, but is nothing like the glide of the E550 airmatic, in which I can 'feel' the wheels reacting to bumps but the cabin stays stable in almost all conditions.

I'm 35, which is a good deal younger than the main MB target market, and I like that the new W212 has more edgy and aggressive styling than the W211, which I don't care for. (i try to ignore that odd W212 rear-wheel hip line)

I've never ordered a car before, and I have found picking a color to be a bigger challenge than I expected. Also perhaps because for ~12 years I've been driving red cars. Thus the powerpoint deck. I seem to consistently come back to Silver + Pano, Black Leather, Walnut, though sometimes the poorly-aged silver cars I see on the road make me think twice, so I'm also considering Obsidian Black. I think once I can stick with a choice for a few days I'll put an order in.

It's helpful to hear others wrestling with color options, as I don't feel so strange for having trouble with this.

Why are you considering the S4 vs E550. What do you like about each?

 

after going through ALL of the color selections, I chose the Palatium Silver for my E class. I have the pano roof and the roof/trunk spoilers to accuentuate the lines:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...g-package.html

 

I got the Palladium Silver and am very happy. However, the only real way to tell is look at an actual car with the same paint color. On every website and in every brochure I looked at, the colors varied a lot.
I would not have gotten Palladium Silver based on colors in brochure or on website.
To me it is a light or medium gray, perhaps what MB used to call Granite? It does appear silverish in bright sunlight, but still grayer than their silver.
Started to order the darker gray until I saw one at the dealership. Lots darker than I wanted.

 

I have a white sport E550 4matic with pano and black interior, the pano roof really stands out

 

I think the S4 is a terrific car, but I think it's overpriced compared to the 3-Series and the C-class. I used to own a 2007 335i Coupe and a 2009 C63 AMG sedan. Both were outstanding cars.

I'm 31 so I'm not quite ready yet to "upsize" in favor of a bigger footprint for more space. I value an aggressive look more than a smoother ride (which rules out the S-Class, 7-Series, A6, A8). And I've been pretty disappointed with the design of the most recent 5-series and the 3-series sedans (I still think the 3-Series coupes/convertibles are nice looking though).

That left me the S4 and the E-class (since I already owned a C-class with my C63). And when I consider a loaded S4 at $58,000 and a loaded E550 at $68,000, then I just think Audi is being too aggressive on price. If the S4 were $5k less, then I would jump on the S4 immediately. But with only a $10k difference, I've come to believe the E550 being the smarter buy. I'll miss the extra power of the C63 (and can't afford the E63), but won't miss the gas mileage.

As for colors, I'm torn between Palladium Silver and Arctic White. I like the white but think it will show dirt way too easily. So I'll likely settle for Palladium Silver. Then it just comes down to whether or not I go for the Accessory Styling Package. Still on the fence about that...

And 4MATIC or RWD. Dunno about that one eiither...

 

Be mindful that the 2010 E550 and S4 are deceptively close to the same size. The E550 is only 5" longer, and might weigh about 100lbs more with 4matic. My 2005 S4 and current 3/C are 10" shorter than the E550, which is a much bigger difference. The E just 'feels' like a bigger car. I think it's partially the tamed down throttle response, partially the airmatic, and partially esthetics.

I recommend the rear-spoiler. The rear-window spoiler is a toss up. AFAIK, you can add these anytime.

I'm very confused by this logic, can you explain? Why is the S4 a better buy at $63k than at $58k? And if you think Audi is under-charging for the S4 relatively to the E550, how can it be a worse buy than a 3-series? I'm very confused.

Relative pricing doesn't affect my decision much. The car I want either fits my budget or it doesn't. I normally drive a car for 5-6 years, so the harder part is just deciding which one I actually want enough to buy.

Given our poor quality pavement, my favorite feature of the E550 over the S4 is the butter smooth ride. If the pavement here was better, I'd probably just keep driving my 2005 S4 as it only has 47k miles on it. I have considered putting aftermarket adjustable dampeners on it and giving that a whirl.

Exterior styling is a toss up for me. I like the 2010 S4 front-end, but the rear looks too dainty. The E550 W212 rear-end is too honda-accord and has that weird rear-shoulder crease, but at least it's not dainty like the S4 and C. I find the rest of the W212 pretty great looking, if perhaps a bit too 'classy' for me compared to the sporty S4 or BMW styling. I love the two-tone forged E63 AMG rims, but I want AWD.

In the interior, I much prefer the Audi. I like Audi's coordinated red/white lighting. I like the S4 sport seats, as I don't care for chrome headrest posts. It may seem small, but I much prefer the S4/E63 sporty sideways seat seam-direction, instead of the normal E-class front-to-back. I wonder if an E550 with designo leather would have the sideways seams shown in the german designo online configurator.

Bottom line, the S4, E550, and E63 are all great cars. We are lucky to have the 'challenge' of picking between them.

 

My vote is the Artic White shows off the lines of the car much better than any other color available. Also agree to go rear spoiler...and 4matic.
Good luck.