For those still looking around at what's available in the sport sedan market, I'm posting my biased opinions, particularly with regard to the new W211 E55 (as I reach 500 miles on mine).

First off, I'm not brand-loyal. I've had 2 AMG cars in succession, but I buy what appeals to me most regardless of brand. I've owned many different luxury and sport cars from most of the major manufacturers.

Bottom Line:
That said, the 211 E55 offers the best overall package I've come across to date in the lux-sedan market (non-exotics only). I've never driven the perfect car, but as of the year 2004, there's not a better car out there for my tastes.

The things I value most are power/torque/acceleration, luxurious interior, rock solid build, enjoyable highway cruising capacity and a good sound system.
The E55 excels in every one of these categories.

Positives:
The positives have been described by many others here. The 0-60 and 60-100 acceleration capacity is particularly impressive, and currently the E55's capacities in this area are unmatched in the lux-sedan market. Power GUSHES out smoothly, effortlessly, continuously. Amazing how such acceleration can feel so smooth.

The interior is a dramatic improvement over the 210 E55 and ranks with the best in the under-$100K market. The seats are extremely comfortable during long rides (though 240+ pound frames may not fit easily between the aggressively designed side bolsters). I REALLY like the Burl Walnut with the all black interior (better than the black Birdseye Maple I had last time). I'm probably in the minority on this point.
I love the ergonomics, the flowing dash design, the ambient lighting, and the quality of the materials used.

The build quality of this car seems markedly better than the previous generation...something I noticed right away. Door "thud", lack of rattles, tight feeling during aggressive cornering, feel over bumps, etc. all provide visceral evidence that this machine is an extremely tight package.

The stereo doesn't quite match the Mark Levinson system Lexus offers, but easily ranks at or above the 90th percentile of all stock systems out there. No complaints.

I love the Panorama Roof and window blinds.
I love the stock rims.
The Airmatic variable suspension provides a noticeable difference in ride.
Trunk is cavernous for those who care.


Niggling complaints:

The car is heavy, no doubt about it, and while it accelerates with ease, cornering capacity will never rival a smaller car like the M3 and certainly is nowhere near the Porsche 996's. The M5 is still superior in this regard IMO, but I consider this a minor issue given my driving habits.

Why in the world did MB take away the capacity to scroll through stereo pre-sets via the steering wheel? You can still scroll through CD tracks, and you can scroll through radio stations by bandwidth, but not by presets. In metro areas this means skipping through a lot of garbage to get desired stations.
The presets can be toggled manually...but you have to reach over to the passenger's side of the center console to do so (!).

Navi system needs to be upgraded. I'm sure this will occur but at present the system is second rate.

The steering wheel is a slight disappointment. Appears and feels like standard E Class while many of the other elements of this car look and feel 'special'. Easy to replace with an upgraded wheel, though.

I don't find the sheetmetal design of the E55 to be especially attractive. I am probably one of the few people who doesn't place a high level of importance on the exterior appearance of a car. While I won't ever be caught in an Aztek or a Kia, I care most about the parts of the car I see and interface with: the interior elements. The E55 is outstanding in these areas. I find the exterior a little bland, not as tight and flowing a design as could have been created. A little input from an Italian design team would have helped here IMO.

 

Very nice review. I agreed with pretty much everything you wrote(I too love the Burl Walnut) except the exterior styling. Our previous Benz was a good looking car, but didn't project enough of a presence, especially the rear end. This car does and to me looks good from any and all angles. But that's really personal taste and I agree with you that cabin time is where you really get your jollies, and as Kramer would say...giddyup!

 

Great Review! For those of us still waiting for our cars, it's fun to read these first impressions.

I've reasearched all available sedans as well and I can't find a better overall package. The only other car I am interested in is the Masariti 4 door sedan due to come out sometime this year. It looks great but I'm not sure I want to go that exotic. Those cars tend to be tempermental.

Thanks for the great and through review!

 

Interesting you mentioned the Maseratis as the last car I looked at seriously before finally committing to the E55 was the Maserati coupe. One of the most beautiful designs I've ever seen, and I love the interior layout. Not as luxurious as the E55, of course, but it's a different breed of car.
Not as tightly built as the E55, and reliability is a major X factor.
Service issues also scared me away as there are only about 30 dealers in the USA.
I hope Maserati finds success this time around, however.

 

Yes.

 

 

Having played around a bit more with my new E55, and while the bloom is still most definitely on the rose, I can take the time to more critically assess its achievements and drawbacks, there are a couple of less obvious comments AMG55 has made that are rigt on the money.

The first, about not being able to jump to the next radio preset, is right on. I could not believe it at first, but someone sure screwed up there. (Does anyone know whether this is a software goof that could be reprogrammed at the dealer in the future?)

The second regards the steering wheel. Perhaps I am spoiled as my last E55 was a nice, thick wood and leather Designo version, but this steering wheel is way too narrow for a true performance vehicle like the W211/E55. Is there an upgrade available at less than $2,000?

Finally, I wish the employees in the AMG division at MBUSA read this forum!!