newyorktoLA

Has anyone heard about this?
http://www.benzblogger.com/2013/02/2014-mercedes-benz-e350-e550-e400-and-e250-bluetec-first-drive-by-edmunds.html
Look at the parts highlighted in red. Apparently the E550 is only available for 2014 and that's it...

Tjdehya

I heard that they were getting rid of the V8 but I made the assumption that they would be replacing it with a V6 hybrid with similar power... I guess I was wrong.

BenzV12

This is not something I would like to hear about

Arrie

Perhaps it helps to keep my E550 value up...

_brent

really disappointing, but not too surprising. with the new CLS550, which is just an E550 in fancier duds, the E550 has become a niche car. when i bought mine, the salesman told me the only people who buy E550s are people who want a CLS but need the extra back-seat or trunk space (families with kids mostly). the price gap between the CLS and E isn't too big, either - it's not like the ridiculous difference between the 550i and 650i sedans. so it might seem a bit unnecessary to MB to have both in the lineup.

the overall trend here is a little concerning, though. Lexus dropped the V8 GS in favour of a hybrid. Audi got rid of the V8 A6. Jag is replacing their NA V8 models with supercharged V6s. in 2012, you had a bunch of options for a V8 at 70k or less - E550, 550i, XF, M56. in the future, you may have to jump up to the CLS/S7/650i level, which is more like 80-100k. quite a hit to the wallet...

-brent

mbuster25

I for one would like to see the E550 stay a V8. The CLS never appealed to me with it's sloping rear end, just not for me

alsyli

I vaguely recall reading this on the Car and Driver website. I think it makes a lot of sense; I see very few E550s in LA, where E-class in general are extremely common. W/ people focusing more on gas mileage, buying a V8 powered car isn't that easy to justify, when V6s are putting out 300+ hp.

What I find curious is that multiple sources have commented that the "replacement" for the E550 will be the E400 biturbo V6. It only produces 29 more HP than the current V6. Wonder if there will be a "E300" that actually has the NA version of the engine....

RNBRAD

That means the E550 will be even more exclusive and will probably see a nice premium in resale value. Good thing for current owners but bad for those looking to purchase one.

ImInPA

Unfortunately, the new motors will be in the face lifted Es, so I doubt that there will be much, if any, increase in value of a current E550. With the E63 and a very nicely powered E350, the E550 is just irrelevant in my opinion.

BM2BZ

great! i'll tell my wife my car will worth craps in less than two years. maybe time to do some car shopping .

hyperion667

lets hope so

K-A

Wow, not surprising yet shocking at the same time. Sad to see it happen. M-B is reconfiguring its brand idiom and I really don't like where they're going with things. I get the impression that they want to be the "Taxi" of luxury brands, just doing everything it can to alienate enthusiasts from it, and focus on mass at all costs, free Sport Packages so everyone has one that looks like the next & lack of any "exclusivity value". Short term mind frame. At the same time, they're getting more and more serious about AMG, so it almost seems as if in the future if you want any excitement or "specialness" from an M-B you've gotta go AMG.

So will the current 30x HP E350 carry over for the facelift? And the "top line" non-AMG model will apparently be a Turbo 6 instead of E550 V8?

RNBRAD

I really think the global economy is guiding the changes. With the limited 550 sales I can understand, problem is they need to the offer the other 550 premium items in the new model. What will MB do with the Airmatic?

Glyn M Ruck

Everything Benz is doing engine wise is to meet ever more stringent European emissions standards. BMW will be driven the same way. eg. 328i with a 4 pot turbo.

EDIT ~ this will allow survival of the AMG division.

Arrie

Irrelevant? I thought E550 V8 still produces about 75 more hp than the new E350?

Put them on the line and test. I don't think E350 has a chance.

I think the E550 is a perfect car up from E350. It is very strong and, of course, it used to come well better equipped than the E350. Don't know how the new ones are but true leather, adjustable air suspension, cooled seats are nice. These features used to be standard with E550.

E550 power is just awesome compared to E350 and it really makes this 2-ton car behave lots better in traffic and if you don't want to you can drive it also like E350 drives.

I believe MB doing away with E550 will actually help keep my car value up. It just must as there will always be young people who want that engine but can't quite reach the AMG.

ImInPA

Yes, irrelevant. Within the model line, the E550 is just a big enough gap anymore with the newer V6. I too hope MB eliminating the E550 keeps your car's value up. I doubt it will though. Just keep in mind, that there aren't that many takers for the E550 now (otherwise MB would not cancel it). I doubt that is going to change. There are also many posts about the harsh-riding Airmatic on the E550, with some owners even blaming bent rims and popped tires on the harshness of the E550's Airmatic. Future owners will read about these shortcomings. Folks needing more power than the V6 will and want a four door rocket will opt for the E63. I also expect turbo/supercharged V6s to become available as well. I do hoe that this makes everyone's current E550 a collector's item, but, as with most mass produced commodities, it is not likely to reach collectors status. This is just my opinion, and, hey, what do I know?

merc1234

I wonder what will happen to the coupe and cab. With no 550 version and no AMG version there is no v8 coupe option at all. I really hope this makes an excuse for them to finally make an e63 coupe/cab.

BenzE350

I see the elimination of the E550 as mostly positive.

Simply stated - companies are going to bring the cars to market that sell well and have good margins. The E550 wasn't selling well so the elimination of the E550 should help profitability.

As stated above, they also need to deal with the realities of worldwide emission standards and CAFE in the US. I would guess that Mercedes will eventually offer a turbo 2.0 in the E series (like BMW and Audi do in the 5 and 6 series respectfully).

In the recent past the anemic 6 cylinder (~ 270HP) in the E350 wasn't very competitive. The already improved and newer 6 cylinder engines have corrected this issue. Mercedes will simply offer a higher output AMG alternative (like the BMW M or Audi S) to go after the enthusiast market which will help the AMG division.

The move makes sense to me.

RNBRAD

I don't ever have plans on getting rid of my 550, so don't care if it fetches a premium used price or not. It will be like my 211, which I still have and love and in many areas I like it over the 212. Just something about that body style that is ultra appealing to me and the plush interior, just something about it. As for harsh riding Airmatic, I've never experienced it. It's as smooth as butter in comfort mode, yet allows for some spirited driving in sport mode with some pretty good handling for size and weight of the car. If we continue to have Airmatic as an option, I will never buy another Benz without it.

On a side note, just drove a new 2013 335i. It has nice appeal, very sporty. It had all the bells and wistles, all the corner camera's, OHD etc.. IMO just don't see the need for some of the features. One thing I couldn't believe is the suspension changes. It is very plush compared to it's previous model. Bumps are not jarring but now very smooth. This of course was at a cost of driver feel. I felt more detached from the road as compared to prevous model, I guess the cost of comfort vs handling. Interior was nice and felt bigger than prevous, however didn't care for the display, looked like and afterthought that didn't blend well. Kind of like adding a Tom Tom on your dash. I want something that looks more integrated, not an aftermarket add-on. Another thing that's shocking on a 50k car, no power tilt steering? I had to reach under it and release the lever, adjust, then lock back in place like I do my civic. Anyway just found that odd but last model 3 series was the same. Here's the interior of the GS 350 compared to the 3 series. I have yet to drive it but will soon. My wife wants an SUV but trying to get her into a car, either the 3 series or the GS as she likes both. My brothers 3 series was plagued with fuel pump, turbo issues (3 times) so kind of scares me. Not sure if the GS is bullet proof though but my previous Toyota cars were.

SolidGranite

I don't think the GS350 and the 335 are in the same class are they? But you are correct the GS is going to be way more reliable than any BMW, turbo or not. I had a GS with a lot of fit and finish problems in 2008 but I'm sure that was an outlier.

RNBRAD

Yea I would assume the Audi A6, Acura TL, Benz C class, Lexus GS, BMW 3, infinity G sedan all in that luxury sport sedan market. Compact to midsize arena. At least when I look at comparable cars from other manufacturers, that's what I look at to compare the 3 series to. I'd like to test them all and pick my fav. So far the GS tops my list but need to drive it. Other ones exterior styling doesn't do it enough for me really to even give them a test drive. Maybe the A6. I drove the C as a loaner, felt like I was in a fancy accord, just doesnt do it for me.

hyperion667

some nice trim in that lexus

merc1234

The A6, C class, GS, and 3 are not in the same class. The A6, E class, 5 series, and GS are 1 group. The 3 series, A4, IS, and C class are another group.

RNBRAD

I guess it depends on the shopper cause when I was looking at my E550, I was comparing it to the LS 460, 5 series and the A7. The GS and the A6 may be a competing option for some looking at the E, but not me.

K-A

I love to hear that you feel that way about your W211. That car has really proven to be one of the most timeless contemporary cars.

It's interesting in that I feel my F10 is more of an evolution of how I felt about my W211, in terms of design, interior materials and craftsmanship, smooth/rounded corners in the design and a higher focus on elegance/simplicity. I used to say that back when the F10 first surfaced as well. The W212 opened a new door of uncharted territory to me, as I never liked angular cars with very straight-squared interiors, super sharp and squared off lines, and very complex lines. The W212 got me to appreciate that form of design, however, it never reminded me of the W211 (especially interior wise, harder yet tougher, colder and more clinical yet at the same time loungier), for better or worse, while I feel a kindred "idea" in the F10 in the ways I described above (unfortunately, being a BMW I get a "worry" that maybe a kindred spirit in terms of reliability MIGHT be in the cars future as well as my W211 and W211's in general weren't the most reliable cars).

Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with driving aspects, as the F10 and W211 couldn't be any different in that regard. The W212 felt like an exceptional evolution and extremely kindred spirit to the W211 in terms of driving.