2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe

With the auto industry undergoing an overhaul, it is a good time to freshen product lines.

Mercedes-Benz, for its part, has redone its popular E-Class midsize sedan and brought back a coupe companion, absent since 1995 when the E320 faded. The new E coupe takes the place of the CLK, though a new CLK cabriolet comes out next spring.

We tested the E coupe, which sports a front end similar in appearance to the compact C-Class to leave no doubt to its ancestry.

In profile, however, the sharply sloping coupe looks more like a speed boat. For years, Mercedes has focused on making its sedans look like coupes, so it was only fitting that a coupe look even more like one.

It is offered in a tame E350 version with a 3.5-liter, 268-hp V-6 and a pleasantly wild rendition with a 5.5-liter, 382-hp V-8. Both are teamed with a 7-speed automatic, and both drip luxury.

We slipped into the padded leather bucket of the E550 and found the seat and cushion conform to the body; they also are contoured to keep you comfortably in place cruising or at speed. Safety-belt presenters motor forward so you don't have to reach back to grab the belts.

Once harnessed, press foot hard to pedal and enjoy the ride. As the 5.5-liter V-8 reached and passed 90 mph, the car responded without shudder or shake, chatter or clatter. No vibration from engine or road filters into the wheel or seat. Movement is swift and straight. The cabin is pleasantly quiet.

The coupe hugs corners and zips in and out of turns. Stability and traction control ensure proper manners under all conditions. The car is a joy.

But the road-hugging powerhouse does have its faults: 15 mpg city and 23 highway being one.

Another is the low-slung curved roof line, off which the melon bounces if you're riding in the back seat.

Of course, to experience that you must first get there. Pull the front seatbacks and the seats automatically power forward verrrrrrry slowly to create an aisle to the rear. Plop onto the plank masquerading as the seat, and the front seat motors back until it strikes your legs. The seat then does slip forward a tad so not to slice the limbs off at the shins and soil the carpet. Definitely designed with only small children in mind.

Trunk room is decent for luggage. There's even a first-aid kit along the wall. But as we've noted many times, having to pull off the road, stop, open the trunk and reach for help seems as unnecessarily time consuming as using the navi.

Thankfully, rear seatbacks can be lowered to carry skis.

The E350 starts at $48,050; the E550, at $54,650.

For $50,000, we expect lots of amenities, and there are, from the traditional power windows/mirrors/locks/seats -- though, aren't 14 ways at least a dozen too many? -- plus climate control, power sunroof, pelvic/knee air bags and side curtains.

But we also expect gizmos and gadgets, which is where the $50,000 coupe falls a little short. There's Bluetooth phone connectivity and a Comand system with a huge chrome dial in the center console to dictate such tasks as tuning the radio. Pushing a button just won't do.

And those seat-belt presenters and a front seat that motors forward aren't as nifty as a Dodge pickup that can carry 240 cans of pop on ice in its sidewalls.

Novelty items are Pre-Safe, Distronic with Adaptive Cruise control and Attention Assist. Pre-Safe sensors determine if a collision is possible and, tighten the safety belts and close the windows. Distronic uses radar to apply brakes if an impact is imminent, and Attention Assist sensors determine whether the driver is drowsy and moving into the wrong lane, then sound wake-up chimes, which wouldn't be necessary if the car could hold 240 cans of pop -- caffeinated, of course.

 

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe

Wheelbase: 106.9 inches

Length: 184.9 inches

Engine: 5.5-liter, 382-hp V-8

Transmission: 7-speed automatic

MPG: 15 city / 23 highway

Price as tested: $60,550

(Add $875 for freight)

 

The sticker

$54,650 Base

$3,950 Premium package with Comand with GPS navi system and real-time traffic info, Dolby surround sound, Sirius satellite radio, iPod/MP3 interface, heated front seats, power rear sunshade and rearview camera

$1,300 Almond premium leather seats

$650 TeleAid emergency communication system

 

Pluses

New coupe, new design

Rocket power

Exceptional ride and handling

 

Minuses

At this price, expect more magic than Pre-Safe belt tightening and drowsy-driver warning beeps

Also expect rear-seat room

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