“…Benz has a well-earned reputation for pricing its sedans higher than everybody else. But this time it’s different. When the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 goes on sale in June, its $57,175 base price will land it smack in the middle of the V8 midsize luxury sedan class. It’s also cheaper than anything else coming out of Germany.”
“Mercedes hasn’t finalized option pricing for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550, but company officials assure us that $60,325 is a fair estimate for a 2010 E550 with the Premium I package that groups the COMAND navigation system, Harman Kardon Logic 7 sound, iPod integration and ventilated seats. “
“Our 2010 E550 test car feels neatly damped and over-engineered in nearly every detail. Mundane tasks like closing the doors, twisting the control dial of the COMAND system and shifting from Park to Reverse bring uncommon pleasure.”
“The bigger improvement, though, is in the E550’s steering, which remains a rack-and-pinion setup with a hydraulic power steering pump. It still feels light and still mutes out most road feel, but there’s a level of accuracy that wasn’t here before.”
“We now rank COMAND at the leading edge of all-in-one audio/navigation interfaces. Whether you’re using it to enter an address or search through your iPod’s album list, it feels like a mostly natural extension of the car’s basic controls.”
“…we still average 19 mpg in mixed driving and see as much as 23 mpg on the open highway.”
You can see the full review here.