From the truly simple to the utterly baffling, car questions come in all shapes and sizes. Some are so broad, they threaten to overload even the most seasoned automotive mind with an endless array of potential answers. You know the type – questions like, “What’s the best car?” (Spoiler alert: there isn’t one).
Then there are the more direct questions, the ones that cut to the chase. Like, “At what price point do you get absolutely everything you could ever realistically need in a car?” While the answer to that will always be somewhat personal, I’ve recently recalibrated my benchmark to a figure of $73,060. That’s the as-tested price, including destination charges, for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 4MATIC that I recently had the pleasure of experiencing. This car seems to have it all: genuine luxury, impressive performance, undeniable style, supreme comfort, and confident all-weather capability. Spending beyond the E550 starts to feel less about tangible benefits and more about chasing bragging rights and indulging ego.
A Suspension That Genuinely Adapts
The real foundation of the E550’s impressive all-around performance is its chassis. I’ve often been critical of Mercedes-Benz’s air suspension systems in the past, often finding the difference between the sport and comfort settings to be rather underwhelming. However, that’s simply not the case here. In comfort mode, the E550 delivers a ride that is genuinely smooth and remarkably isolated from the intrusions of the outside world. It’s the ideal setting for those long, monotonous highway drives and relaxed cruises through scenic countryside.
Switch the car into sport mode, and you’ll immediately notice a tightening of body control. The car lowers slightly, responses become sharper and more immediate, and a subtle hint of road feel is allowed to permeate the cabin. It doesn’t magically transform the E550 into a track-ready sports car, but it does make it surprisingly capable and confidence-inspiring when you want to engage in some spirited driving. A significant contributor to this is the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system, which proves its worth equally well on dry pavement and in the midst of a snowstorm – something we had ample opportunity to put to the test.
Because the E550 is equipped with this adjustable air suspension, it also gains the practical advantage of being able to raise the car’s ride height to increase ground clearance. This is a genuinely useful feature for navigating steep driveways without scraping, negotiating automatic car washes without worry, and dealing with snow-rutted roads in winter conditions.
Snow Test? Absolutely Nailed It.
Speaking of winter conditions, during a significant snowstorm that dumped around 10 inches of fresh snow, we felt obligated to take the E550 out and thoroughly assess its capabilities in the white stuff. The 4MATIC system is inherently rear-biased, intelligently sending more power to the front wheels the instant any slip is detected at the rear. If you deliberately provoke it – say, by aggressively applying the throttle around a snowy corner with the stability control system fully disengaged – the rear tires will briefly step out of line. However, before things can truly get out of hand, the front tires engage and effectively pull the car back onto your intended course. With the stability control system left in its default “on” setting, it becomes genuinely difficult to unsettle the car at all, even on slick surfaces.
Part of the E550’s impressive snow performance, and perhaps also the slight tendency to slide with stability control off, could be attributed to the Pirelli Sottozero winter tires fitted to our test car. These are high-performance winter tires designed to offer good grip on ice and dry roads, but they can become a little greasy-feeling in moderate snow conditions, like the ones we encountered during our test.
Abundant V8 Power
Propelling the E550 is a potent 4.6-liter bi-turbo V8 engine, producing a healthy 402 horsepower and a substantial 443 lb-ft of torque. That torque is readily available from as low as 1,800 rpm and remains strong all the way up to 4,750 rpm. Power delivery is remarkably consistent and responsive; there’s no noticeable lag, and the engine pulls strongly right through the rev range. Thanks to the flat torque curve and generous displacement, it genuinely feels like there’s more than just 402 hp on tap. Despite the E550 carrying a bit of weight, tipping the scales at 4,145 lbs, it’s still capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in a manufacturer-estimated 5.2 seconds. And for those who appreciate a good engine note, getting aggressive with the accelerator rewards you with a classic V8 burble that’s pleasingly louder than you might expect from a luxury sedan.
Channeling power to the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system is Mercedes-Benz’s ubiquitous “7G-Tronic” seven-speed automatic transmission. Often criticized for being slow to respond in other applications, the calibration of this transmission in the E550 feels surprisingly well-suited to both relaxed cruising and more spirited driving. Gear changes are acceptably quick for most situations. Perhaps the sheer abundance of power and torque effectively masks any potential shortcomings of the transmission, but it felt perfectly at home in this car, where smooth, seamless gear changes are paramount.
SEE ALSO: Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
With all-wheel drive, a twin-turbocharged V8, and a curb weight that ventures into SUV territory, fuel economy is never going to be a primary strength. Official EPA ratings of 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway suggest it shouldn’t be terrible, but in my week with the car, I only managed an average of 16.6 mpg in mixed driving conditions.
Subtle Refresh, Significant Presence
When you’re venturing into the $70,000+ price bracket, a car needs to visually communicate its premium status. While the pre-facelift 2013 E-Class was undoubtedly elegant, the subtle styling revisions applied to the 2014 E-Class have genuinely amplified its road presence. Even though the changes are largely limited to headlight and taillight design, the updated styling makes the E550 appear distinctly more modern and cutting-edge.
Inside, both driver and passengers are enveloped in the sophisticated elegance that is characteristic of a Mercedes-Benz product. The overall cabin design is aesthetically pleasing, and while the black and tan color scheme in our test car wouldn’t be my personal first choice, there’s a wide array of interior color options available to suit individual tastes. The leather front seats are exceptionally comfortable, featuring wonderfully plush, pillow-like headrests. The optional active multi-contour driver’s seat, complete with dynamic side bolsters and a massage function, was a particularly luxurious, if perhaps slightly superfluous, touch. Another greatly appreciated feature during our cold-weather testing week was a current AutoGuide staff favorite – the standalone heated steering wheel option, offering quick and effective warmth on chilly mornings.
COMAND System Remains User-Friendly
Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND infotainment system continues to be impressively intuitive and easy to operate. The menu layout is logical and straightforward, and the system responds promptly, without any noticeable lag or hesitation between screens. Mercedes-Benz deserves credit for resisting the industry trend of frequently overhauling infotainment systems and eliminating physical buttons entirely. In this case, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be the guiding principle, and it works well.
However, even the E550 isn’t entirely without its minor shortcomings. Even at this price point, desirable features like adaptive cruise control and a forward-facing camera are not included as standard and require opting for various option packages. We also experienced a minor electrical glitch during our time with the car. On a few particularly cold starts, a warning message briefly appeared indicating that the blind spot monitoring system was disabled. However, after a few minutes of driving, the warning would invariably disappear, and the blind spot system would function normally.
The E 550 is also, perhaps, a touch on the smaller side in terms of interior space, offering 35.8 inches of rear legroom and a 15.9 cubic foot trunk. For comparison, the BMW 550i xDrive offers similarly sized rear legroom at 35.3 inches, but boasts a significantly larger trunk with 18.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity. However, the E 550 4Matic does hold a price advantage over the 550i xDrive, starting nearly $5,000 cheaper at $62,325.
The Verdict
These minor criticisms are far from enough to detract from what is otherwise an exceptionally well-rounded and compelling package. The E550 truly does seem to offer it all. Yes, the S 550 is undoubtedly more luxurious, and the E 63 AMG delivers even greater performance, but both come with significantly higher price tags. The price difference is far more substantial than the quantifiable improvements they offer over the E550, pushing those models firmly into the realm of automotive excess. If you’re seeking one of the most complete and well-balanced packages the automotive world currently has to offer, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 4MATIC is exceptionally hard to fault.
LOVE IT
- Power
- Suspension modes
- Looks
- Comfort
LEAVE IT
- Rear seat space
- BSM gremlin
- Missing a few options
