km : Passing Lane

Last month we wrote about the Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic sedan, which we declared the most sensible E-class available. Excepting the E63 AMG built at the company’s Affalterbach asylum, we’ve now spent some time at the other end of the spectrum with the E550 coupe. For wearing so much of the same jewelry, the two really don’t have much in common.

Part of this comes, as we’re told, from the fact that they don’t even share the same basic architecture. While the sedan is an evolution of the last E-class, the coupe actually shares more with the smaller C-class sedan. The result is that it feels like a tweener car, like Audi’s A5, which feels larger than an A4 but not as big as an A6. Both the A5 and the E coupe seem to feel like they fill a niche between the BMW 3-series and 6-series, and both, perfectly enough, are priced accordingly. This isn’t such a terrible idea, really. The coupe market isn’t what it once was and if one model can have reach between two segments, that’s a solid business plan. The V8–powered E550 we drove has a base price of $54,650, a premium of about $2000 over the less powerful Audi S5 but a shocking $22,000 less than BMW’s more elegant but similarly-potent 650i. To be fair though, the BMW 335i coupe starts at $42,200 and can deliver the same low-five-second zero-to-sixty-mph times at the E550.

The 335i also provides a similar level of interior quality, as the cabin is one of those places where some quality was sacrificed to squeeze a lot of power into the E coupe for a competitive price. The comfortable, well-sculpted seats for all four passengers are the highlight of an otherwise ho-hum living space.

If you’re confused about where the E550 coupe fits in the market place, driving one might not help. While its 5.5-liter V8 making 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque puts it above even some of its high-dollar competitors, its chassis is sprung softer than anything from Audi or BMW and seems to have trouble keeping up with the car’s heavy-pumping heart. This makes it rather fun to toss around childishly, but isn’t the best high-horsepower coupe for outright speed.

That works just fine for Mercedes-Benz, though. True speed freaks will go after the E63 AMG or the smaller C63, which costs marginally more than an E550 coupe, shares many components, and is one of the most thoroughly entertaining sports sedans on the market. That leaves the E coupe to fill a more traditional coupe role, looking good and serving as a comfortable, intimate tourer. With the windows up and at highway speeds, it is quiet, forgiving, and capable of effortlessly chewing up higher and higher numbers on the speedometer. On the right road, with the windows down on a mild, sunny day, the absence of B-pillars provides an open air feel only the E’s big sibling, the CL-class can match, allowing the V8 melody to enter the cabin in full Dolby 5.1 surround.

There are a lot of things that the E550 isn’t—as gifted in handling as a 335i, as sure-footed as an Audi S5, as thrilling as an AMG, or as coddling as the new E-class sedan. But focus on its highlights, the elegant design, the romanticism of a pillarless V8 coupe, or its high style at a mid-level price, and it’s easy to appreciate what the E550 coupe has to offer.

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