For Showroom & Tell we seek to highlight a vehicle currently available that has a unique feature or appeal that makes it special. With so many vehicles available these days, it’s hard sometimes to find one that you feel strongly about. To keep some of these gems from getting lost in the malaise of this mortal coil, we look for something just a bit left-of-center in the hopes that you will remember it even if it isn’t your particular cup of tea. This week’s selection is the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 4MATIC.
Why the E550? Several reasons. First, this is the E550’s final year before being replaced next year by the E400. Whenever a model is about to be discontinued, we take a rare moment to think carefully about letting it pass by. It might be that in later years, generations of car enthusiasts will look back at 2014 and think, “Man, to have had the chance to snag an E550, brand new! That car was a classic!” Like Reuben Tishkoff, we’re not fortune-tellers, but you can’t deny that a model’s last year only appears once.
Secondly, the E550 is the only non-AMG E-Class to have a V8 engine. Next year’s E400 will embrace the global trend of making engines smaller, more efficient, and significantly less mind-numbingly awesome by getting a twin-turbo V6. What’s the difference between a V6 and V8? It’s hard to describe. Suffice to say that V8s are an endangered species, a Dodo bird with a sustainably green target painted on their chest that armies of quinoa-fed environmentally-friendly lawyers with organically-derived tranquillizers are on the hunt for. Get your 4.7-liter, 402 hp V8 now, or embrace the 3.0-liter, 329 hp V6 tomorrow. The next time you want a V8 in an E-Class, you’ll be paying AMG prices.
And finally, the E550 has Distronic Plus as a standard feature. This is the technology that actually keeps you from rear-ending the vehicle in front of you by using stereo cameras and computer algorithms to maintain a safe distance. The E550’s brakes are legendary and Car & Driver’s appraisal of Distronic Plus is highly commendatory. It’s nice to have something so advanced standard in your car.
We hope that we’ve given you ample incentive to investigate the E550 for yourself at one of our Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Have a wonderful day.