I started a thread earlier asking about looking for a LOADED 2014-15 E350 and it seems like finding the holy grail is easier than finding an E350 with every option I wanted. Some members indicated it would probably be easier to find an E550 with everything so that got me doing a little research over the weekend. I was surprised to find that even with the TT V8 it gets 26+ MPG on the highway. I was initially steering away from the E550 becaue it had a TT V8 but now my thoughts have changed. So with this, what can you tell me about the E550 as it differs from the E350? I get the whole V6 vs. TT V8 engine difference. I also understand that 4Matic, leather and 18" AMG Rims are standard. What about ventilated seats? I also see that airmatic suspension is available as an option and it seems like that is a pretty nice feature. Any pitfalls to it?

So now I need to fine a 2014 E550 with:

Pano Roof
Active Multicontour Driver Seat
Airmatic Suspension
Ventilated seats (unless they are standard with leather)
Lighting Package
Driver Assist Package
Parking Assist Package
Premium 1 Package
Keyless-Go
Split Folding Rear Seats.

A loaded E350 with all those options and under 30,000 miles is right around $38-40K in my area. From what I have seen browsing the interwebs, a 2014 E550 loaded with 35-40,000 miles is right around the same price.

So what can you tell me about the E550 and do you think I have a better chance finding what I cam looking for options-wise on a 550?

Also, aren't most leases 3 years? If so, a bunch of them should be coming in right around when I want to buy (Spring 2017)

Andy

 

My .02:

Pano Roof - Only option I wish I had in mine. I liked it in the first E I test drove and liked it still in the C300 loaner I just returned.
Active Multicontour Driver Seat - N/A; I don't have
Airmatic Suspension - N/A
Ventilated seats (unless they are standard with leather) - I think they're standard with leather... Love them in the summer, but have to run AC with them to get them to cool well (I guess that makes sense, but I like having windows down in the summer, when they would be needed, so I just have AC running with the windows open)
Lighting Package - I like it, if this includes the dynamic-road-illumination-whatever-thingamadoohickie. Helpful when turning down dark roads and you can't see the curbs.
Driver Assist Package - N/A
Parking Assist Package - Nice to have, not necessary IMO, if you know how to park or have decent depth perception. Works well enough, but I like to get closer to walls/curbs than it likes, so it beeps at me... a lot. Too lazy/don't care enough to turn them off every time I get in the car
Premium 1 Package - At a minimum! Must have
Keyless-Go - Must have
Split Folding Rear Seats - N/A, but would be nice to have.

Having owned a '11 E350 before the '13 E550, I have to say the 550 is the car I should've gotten from the beginning.

 

Yeah the only real reason I want the parking assist package is my wife has horrible depth perception. Her Jeep Commander has it in the rear bumper but when she pulls into a parking space her front bumper is 6+ feet from the car in front of her. Plus I like the skyview camera that come with it. I think that will help her too.

 

If you think you will use it, then it's definitely a good, useful option. I use it to park in the garage at work and at home and even with 2 red dots and the blaring beeps I find that I still have about 6" of clearance at the given corner. It saved me once when I almost backed into a Lexus because I was focused on not curbing my wheels (priorities, ya know? lol).

 

I am about to do the same thing as you. I currently drive a 13 c350 with all options and I want a E550. I was also looking at the a newer e400 but since the body style hasn't changed, no need to get a 2015-2016 model v6 when there's the TTV8.

Must have options for me are the full LED Headlights, Pano roof, and Sports steering wheel (which I have on my c350). I think most of the ones I seen have all the ventilated seats and stuff. Not concerned about parking sensors if they have the rear view camera. Now the problem is finding the right color combo. I want a Polar white like my current car and do a black and white theme similar to night package E63. Can't seem to find a polar white with black interior with decent miles.

Hopefully by the time I am ready to turn in this lease c350 by March there should be more options.

 

Well I have some of those options on the 2011. Pano roof, don't know if they fixed it, but there are several threads about the pano roof making loud noises when going over parking lot entrance ramps when you hit it at an angle, if you hit it straight on, it's fine. The multicontour seat is nice, but I normally leave it off, I turn on the massage feature once in a while on a long trip, but not for everyday driving. Airmatic was an option after 2012, I would prefer not to have it as when it fails, the suspension is sitting on the ground and it's not really driveable, you'd have to get it towed to the dealer. It could have a slow leak in which case the pump would air it back up, if that ever happens, get it fixed right away before you burn the pump out or one day it won't be able to air it back up again. Also an expensive fix, but if you have the warranty, it should be covered. Mine are both out of warranty so I'm glad I don't have it. I think ventilated seats are pretty common on the E550, likely part of a standard package. Driver assistance package is sorta rare as that comes with distronics, if you find one with this package, you should just get it as it's most likely to have most of the options you want. Lighting package, parktronic, power trunk closer, folding seats and keyless go are in that toss up category. My guess is that you won't find one that has all of them, you're going to be missing one or two options, mine has the lighting, keyless go, parktronic, and trunk closer, but no folding rear seats or real leather or the driver assistance package. There are other minor options like sport/wood steering wheel and side blinds but those shouldn't really matter. A super rare option would be the night vision assist.

Also with regards to the gas mileage, everyone seems to like posting how great their gas mileage is, but it can be pretty bad too. My E350 is supposed to be in the 27-28 range, but normally I get around 24-25 on pure highway, more like 18-22 with a mix and sometimes as bad as 14 with just city driving. And that's just using the trip computer, actual gas usage is a little bit more as I consistently put in a little more gas than the trip computer says I used. So you're probably safe with using those numbers and subtracting a few mpg.

 

I think you stand a good chance of finding a E550 close to your wish list. Airmatic might be tough to find. The 550 has larger brakes than the 350. The difference between the 350, and 550 is MPG vs Smiles per Gallon, as somebody had posted elsewhere. As I replied on your earlier post I would find a M-B dealer that you find comfortable with to look for a lease return, and buy it. CPO and the warranty extension is a must IMO. This past march M-B had a low APR on CPO E class, and are now running 1.99% APR, and 2 prepaid services on E class CPO. So you might be looking at what M-B is offering on CPO's in the next few months.

 

Leases typically come up around April timeframe, just like new cars are best bought at the end of the month/year/production cycle.

 

The 2014+ e550 sedan/coupe is a gem

take it and run ... the smile will never wear off

ill avoid the pano moving forward, also I built my two e550's without air tragic ... drove beautifully on steel springs but don't worry about air tragic ... the warranty will cover it

distronic, Birdseye 360, p1, are critical, I also add rear extra airbags to my custom builds, certain ones in the rear are NOT standard, also folding seats is helpful and comfort box; also the active seat is huge as is parktronic

good luck

 

I just bought a 2014 E550 CPO loaded a month ago. It took a while to find all of the options I wanted, but I am very happy, especially with the hard-to-find options. Here are my comments on the major options.
Distronic - must have. the auto cruise control is great. the lane keeping assist is just ok and feels odd when it is on.
LED headlights with auto-on. amazing. the normal lights are very bright and it really helps for my aging eyes.
Airmatic - I really like the ride. similar to the S class, which is what I was looking for. I bought the extended warranty, so I am covered for 4 years.
Active multicontour seat. the ventilation is good, massage is ok, but make sure you check out the seating because the seat cushion is pretty firm.

 

I think you can just add the comfort box if you want it. They sell them on eBay.

Other than the noise, the pano is nice though, most passengers seem to like it even when they're in the front seat. I usually have the shade open so it lets in lots of light.

Technically I believe Bixenons are slightly brighter than LEDs, but LEDs were considered a step up because the standard lights used to be halogens, now they're all LEDs. Leds are also cheaper than the Bixenons.

Also I believe front rotors and pads are more expensive on the E550 vs E350, but not at AMG prices. Those won't be covered by any warranty, although they should be good if you get a CPO, otherwise make them change it.

 

Thanks guys, keep the comments coming. Now that I think about it airmatic might not be a "must" but more of a "want" if I find a car with everything else I will for go the airmatic. If a car has all the goodies and the airmatic I may go that route. I do a lot of driving so comfort is a must, but I also don't want to be 200 miles from home with a car and leaky airmatic and then be stuck.

 

All i can say is ------- Its fast...

 

It's hard to find a 550 with all the options you want. Distronic, pano and flip down seats a must for me. Just saw one not far from you in Lynnfield. Was the right color combo for me black/black, had distronic and pano but no flip down seats. I use them all the time, and won't buy without it...keep looking, you'll find one. They do go quick, so you'll need to check regional stock frequently and be ready to move. The one I referenced went in a couple of days. Good luck!!

 

Is the E550 turboed?

 

2012-2014 sedans and a much wider range of year coupes and verts are. I saw a 2017 coupe on the lot - still the TT V8.


What do you need to know? Nothing more than you'll love it. My only complaint is how quiet it is. I put on an exhaust to fix that.

 

Twin Turbos

 

Yep, V8 BiTurbo


Thats exactly what i did too. But then its too loud...lol
Made me put Muffler back on, but installed X-Pipe.

Music in my ears now.

 

I'm still trying to locate the AMG catback. To not arouse suspicion from my dealer (I have 3+ years of warranty left) I want them to see MB part numbers

 

I'm leaving Australia after fourteen years- having moved from NYC after 9/11.

I'm selling my 500SL, 300E, and 280CE and will be looking for an E class Coupe... preferably CPO. I Don't want the 350 and was wondering is MBNA imported the E500 Normally aspirated motor to the US for the Coupe.

I'm not convinced about the life of the TT's as many buyers do too many short trips and don't know much about cold starts and Turbo shut downs in USA as opposed to Au where turbos (mainly diesel) are all over the place.

And i assume the cost of a turbo replace to be $4k - $6k if necessary.

Also, the turbos do diminish the exhaust note of these V8's and mileage is only about 1-2 mpg less w/o the TT's.

Comments appreciated.

Best-mog

 

2010-11 C207 E550s are N/A 5.5L

 

blegthbloo,

Thanks for that clarification... One more question? Is the 4-Matic now standard on the 550? Not really needed in Phoenix...

Unfortunately, i don't like the huge clock in the older instrument cluster. Reminds me of my '82 280CE where MB decided to install a full size clock instead of a tacho...but replacing the clock for a tacho install was easy...

Best Regards-mog

 

I think 4matic is standard as of 2012+. I think if you were to take it to the salt flats in UT and do some top speed runs, the 4matic might be helpful, no? lol

And yes, they still have the clock in the instrument panel. It only bothers me when I see the minute hand tick to the next minute, and the sudden movement (if I see it in my peripheral) distracts me. Other than that, it's out of sight, out of mind.

 

Only if you want to speed to 120 mph

 

Absolutely! Yes, the minute hand is irritating to me too.

Truth be told, analog clocks do nothing for me. Give me digital all day.