2017 Mercedes-Benz E550

2017 Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe

For consignment, a showcase of German engineering and technology, the 2017 E550 showing a title verified 57,103 actual miles. Development of this model took 48 months and consumed 1,200 prototypes. One look at the car and a few minutes behind the wheel confirms that the countless hours spent thinking, talking, and writing about this car, has indeed paid off in a specular automobile.

Exterior
Tinges of AMG abound on this car bathed in Selenite Gray Metallic as the Sport Package includes AMG body styling, spoiler, and wheels. The side profile shows a car seemingly designed by the wind as lines lean back in a continuous, sinuous flow. The pillarless dome of the car is striking and when all the windows are down, the driving experience for all occupants is open air with a canopy. A canopy that partially opens with a large panoramic sunroof that slides open over the back of the hardtop. There are no sharp edges on this car as the front dynamic LED headlights and taillights are flush with the rounded perimeters of the body. The gray paint is accented by the black features of the car including the mesh style grille and lower air intakes, the black top, and the black and chrome detail of the rear valance. The windshield is steeply raked while the rear window mirrors this shape in a perfect arch that stretches from the wipers to the decklid. The side mirrors are equipped with futuristically shaped turn signals in smoked lenses. Six spoke Mercedes-Benz AMG wheels provide some sport to this luxury car. We notice minor adhesive separation on two of the center caps and two very minor paint blemishes on an otherwise nearly flawless exterior.

Interior
Porcelain leather inserts on the door panels hint at what\'s covering the seats. The doors, in true Mercedes fashion, include the seat shaped electric seat adjustments, a feature that never gets dull but often gets copied. We turn our attention to the front bucket seats which pop with lightness in their Porcelain leather, well bolstered, high back configuration. The leather inserts are perforated for a reason, they are heated and ventilated. The back buckets are similar with a cup holder and storage bin between them. The sport steering wheel is not overladen with buttons, but does have paddle shifters. A center stack includes more buttons than a craft store and houses the Harmon Kardon audio system that is XM capable, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. This is part of the Premium 2 option which also includes a rearview camera, navigation, a power window shade in the back, and a 7 inch screen on the dash. The rest of the interior is modern and black with dark wood accents and piano like finishes. The low pile black carpet is in great shape and the panoramic sunroof adds to the greenhouse effect.

Drivetrain
A 4.7 liter twin turbo V8 lurks under that sleek hood and is rated at 402 horsepower, more than adequate to set this car into quick motion. A 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic can be rowed with paddles if that\'s your preference, otherwise sit back and let the smooth shifting 7G do its thing. Rear gears are set at 2.47. Power disc brakes are standard on the car and include a brake assist system and predictive brake priming along with a myriad of dynamic suspension systems that improve stability, reaction to road conditions, and ride quality.

Undercarriage
With the car up on the lift, we\'re happy to report it\'s all clean and dry underneath. The center tunnel that holds the drivetrain and exhaust is flanked by flat belly pans. A heat shield lines the center tunnel and likely adds to even more sound deadening. The dual exhaust flows through catalytic converters, resonators and mufflers to exit from sculpted openings in the rear valance. A three link and five link suspension are present in the front and back respectively and are accompanied by an electronic system as noted above.

Drive-Ability
Suddenly, I\'m back in my valet parking days, driving the high end luxury cars of VIP clientele and being extra careful in a car I feel somewhat out of place in. But alas, we have a job to do and that is to make sure everything on this 2017 piece of German engineering is working just at the Motherland intended. It starts and goes, that\'s for sure. And like an iPhone, there is no way to test every single feature this car has to offer, but the essentials are all there and working and one cannot help imagine what it would be like to daily drive this car. In a word, wunderbar!

This is a mighty fine ride we have here in our Hallowed Halls. Classic? Not at the moment, but we handle our fair share of late model upscale cars as well and this one fits the bill. It\'s a very nice car with some of the attributes of the no holds-barred AMG E63 of the era but at a fraction of the cost. If you\'re ready to step up your game, step into the mall.

Classic Au

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