rage2

Looking for some feedback for those that have driven/owned the new E550 4matics. Looking for a fun and practical car to drive year round, the 911 Turbo just isn't comfy enough on long roadtrips. A few questions.

1. Does the transmission rev match downshifts?
2. Does the car understeer all the time in the dry? Can you kick the tail out at all? How about in the snow? (I can't stand understeer, not fond of that trait in the 911 in the dry)
3. Can you turn off ESP? How does the car handle with it off?
4. Anyone with experience with the Renntech ECU that brings the car to 530hp?

Thanks, looking to trade in the 911 for something else, and the E550 4matic landed on my list. Priorities is good traction in the snow for winter, and decent fun to boot around the corners in the summers. Oversteer or neutral handling trait is a must for all seasons.

Thanks.

dbtk

4. No experience with an E550 but I sent out my ECU for my CLS550 4Matic to OE Tuning for an upgrade. Will let you know how it changes the car's characteristics and acceleration.

dan1495

I can't really answer any of your questions, but I just picked up my 2012 E550 Monday and so far I think it is terrific. It looks like you have some pretty serious cars, so you're going to have to drive one yourself to see how it stacks up. I previously had an SL55 and I can tell you the new E550 doesn't feel a lot slower and handles better, in my opinion.

Tjdehya

I don’t own a 2012 but coming from rwd E550 to this 4matic, I can honestly say that I will NEVER own an AWD car again. AWD sucks the fun out of driving a high HP vehicle.

The answers to #2 are YES! NO! I Dont Know.

ttoE550

I have a 2010 E550 4matic so YMMV.

1). I would imagine every vehicle with paddles and auto transmission would rev match. Anything else would be weird, jerky, rough on the transmission, and potentially unsafe. Mine does.

2.). I can't imagine that you will get a useful answer here. Most of us do not routinely drive in a fashion that would create under or oversteer. And this depends on your driving style, as well as how you have your suspension and tire pressures. On one hand, the MB has the engine in the front vs the rear for the 911, but the suspension is vastly different. I guess from experience with other cars is that the MB is also prone to understeer given the way I drive in the dry. There seems to be a lot of weight transfer to the rear and the steering feels light under heavy acceleration.

But this is not the whole story. The 911 can be prone to oversteer (I had a Carrera 4) because of the rear engine. I got bit by that one when I stupidly lifted.

In general, though, I have read and have been told by those who know that most stock street cars have their suspensions very deliberately designed to understeer. This is because the vast majority of drivers respond to an uh-oh situation by lifting off the gas and possibly braking ( or braking harder). These responses are more likely to correct an understeer situation and are more likely to worsen an oversteer situation.

I have driven in the snow with my car. I find it to be very balanced and neutral, but naturally there is not enough adhesion to get the weight transfers one would get in the dry.

3.). I might be wrong here (if so, some one will quickly correct me) but I think you can only turn off traction control in the non-AMG E class. ESP stays on always. The AMG let's you turn off all nannies.

Like I said, I had a Carrera 4. If you are looking for a car that handles anything like that did but is comfortable, the E class is probably not a good choice. I say that loving both.

BM2BZ

do you really need 4matics? really why i'm asking is if you have a 911 turbo, c63 and clk black series, a "regular" e550 is too tame for you. have you considered e63, m5 or even s6? all are practical and fun.

hyperion667

does seem like OP is up there with some snow, which a 4M couldn't hurt you, the 63
might be too much, and already having a get up and go 911, without 4M for daily driving
in winter weather, which 550 4M would provide.......seems like a better choice them some of the other all wheel lux cars....

alsyli

No mainstream (i.e., non-AMG) MB will oversteer at sane speeds in dry weather. And I don't think any mainstream MB will allow you to turn off the ESP completely. IIRC, MB's ESP settings tend to be among the most intrusive among luxury cars.

In question #1, are you wondering if the transmission will blip the throttle when you downshift? Pretty sure that's not going to happen in a mainstream MB, either.

If you're looking for an all-wheel drive car w/ for those kind of driving characteristics, you should probably be looking at a Panamera. Although if you find that your 911 understeers too much in dry conditions, I don't if any heavy front-engined luxury car is going to be all that interesting to you....

rage2

After a bit of hunting, I found a dealer with an E550 4matic for me to test drive.

There's no M mode. Only E and S modes. There's paddle shifters, but they just choose E1, S1, etc. There is no throttle blipped downshifts, or they're really slow, the downshifts are perfectly smooth but it's not like the AMGs.

Handling I didn't get a chance to push it to the absolute limits, but the turn-in is fantastic with the air suspension in sport mode, much sharper than I expected in a huge AWD sedan. Comfortable yet firm ride, minimal body roll (not as flat as the 911 obviously), but it's definately more fun to drive than the 911 in the dry, even though the 911 would destroy it around corners. No snow right now, so didn't have a chance to test the 4matic setup. There's no ESP button at all. It's always on.

As for RWD options, I drove my C63 as my winter car 3 winters, it's tons of fun, but I'm tired of getting passed everytime I'm stopped. The AMG cars fun in the winter but horrible from 0-30km/h. The 911 spoiled me with the AWD, which is why I'm shopping for an AWD car.

I'm gonna shop a little more, but right now it's looking like the 996 TT will be traded in for the E550 4matic.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Busta Riles

I am coming from an E55 into my 2012 E550. I too got sick of driving it through our winters. It was definitely adequate, but not "great". This new 4.6 has just enough power for me to make it worth the switch. Obviously the 0-60 time isnt the same, but it's pretty quick...and definitely better than the 2011 E550.

You can turn off ESP, but it has to be done through the steering wheel controls...not difficult to do, but not as easy as pressing the off button like i'm used to.

The only thing i don't like about the car is that i can't leave it in S, as it defaults to E on re-start.

Rage2...if you're buying it in Canada, not Montana, let me know...I'm at MB Regina.

YYZ-E55

You can "disable" the ESP in the instrument cluster menu. This will raise the ESP thresholds. The only way to truly defeat the ESP is to use Dyno Mode.

WEBSRFR

In other words it keeps you firmly planted on the road

dbtk

Ha ha, so true. I once had my mechanic disconnect the diff on my 993 Turbo. What a thrill (AND SCARE) having it a RWD versus AWD!

rage2

I looked at the Panamera, but with a C63 BS coming in April, I'd be pushing my budget picking up 2 cars in that price range this year. I can't get over the looks either, but the car is very practical and fun to drive.

I've had front engine luxury cars that were way more fun to drive than the 911. The W211 E63 was pretty awesome (my boss's car which I took care of after he moved).

Thanks, I'll have to give that a try if I get a chance with one.

I don't mind the E on re-start. No different than the C63, starts in C mode.

I'm buying in Calgary and dealing with Lone Star. I'm friends with the owner, and he's taken care of my MB needs the last 10 or so years.

It's a lot of fun taming the beast!

Thanks again everyone.