Now here's a combination to be prized: a lower price, potent power and looks that would be at home in a beauty pageant -- and, hey, we don’t have to listen to its hopes for world peace.
All in all, I’m at a loss for something to gripe about when the subject is the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe.
The beauty is self evident. From its formal nose, through its B-pillar-free profile (no small feat in this era of ever-more-stringent roll-over standards), to its sculpted rump, this car has a body that would look good in spandex.
But, paradoxically, it also has a head for figures.
A replacement for the not-getting-any-younger CLK, this all-new E-Class coupe actually costs less (no typo there, it’s less) than the car it replaces -- and outclasses.
The V6-powered E350 coupe rings the register at $48,925. Admittedly only 50 bucks less than the 2009 CLK350, but, hey, a U.S. Grant is a U.S. Grant.
Even better, the V8-powered E550 we drove, at a base price of $55,525, rolls off the showroom floor at a significant $2,150 less than the old CLK550. I suspect even folks who can afford 50 large for a ride will appreciate that.
Sharing its carried-over engines with the E-Class sedan, the 350 boasts a 268-hp V-6 while our 550 traded up to a 382-hp V-8, both managed by a seven-speed automatic with a manual mode. The fire-breathing E63 AMG, with its 6.2-liter, 518-hp V-8, will, alas, be restricted to the E-Class sedan.
On the road, our 550 was a delight.
The V-8 launches it to 60 mph in about 5 seconds while the suspenders, boasting Mercedes suspension wizardy like real-time damping and Dynamic Handling, provides a ride that strikes just the right balance between firmness for performance and cushiness for comfort.
Interior noise levels at speed were slightly higher than I might have expected from a Mercedes, but it certainly wasn’t the wind singing as it missed its grasp on the shapely body. The culprit was the car’s performance footwear -- low-profile Pirelli P Zeros hugging 18-inch AMG-style wheels. They transmitted just a hint of road noise, which, anyway, was easily drowned out by the boffo Harman/Kardon Surround Sound audio system our car’s Premium Package provided.
Room is fine up front, even for a six-footer, under this coupe’s low-to-the-ground roofline. And, surprisingly, two average-stature adults actually can ride in back without too much squawking. (And if they do squawk, Harman/Kardon to the rescue!)
Mercedes’s multi-function COMAND system is standard issue on this sinuous two-door, but I must be getting used to it. This time it seemed almost intuitive.
Consisting of a multi-function knob and a 7-inch screen beneath a glare-defeating shroud, the system controls everything from navigation to audio.
Finally, this new E coupe, casting a shadow that’s 6.7 inches shorter and 2.7 inches narrower than the sedan while riding a wheelbase that’s 4.4 inches tidier, is as nimble on its feet as it is beautiful to see.
What’s not to like? Assuming, of course, you like a roughly 50-grand price.