Private Reserve Cabs: Luxury Sport Sedan - 2008 Mercedes-Benz E550 - Comparison

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Similar to a three-liter double magnum of Bordeaux, the E550 isn't bashful about its no-replacement-for-displacement attitude, stomping up to the bar with 382 horses pouring from 5461 cc. Suffice it to say, the Mercedes doesn't lack punch, tying the BMW for the quickest 0-to-60 sprint and the Jag for the second-best quarter-mile time. Moreover, with 391 pound-feet available at just 2800 rpm and a telepathic 7G-Tronic seven-speed auto divvying up the torque, the Benz always feels ready to run, whether in first or seventh gear. "Barely need to change cogs, such is the V-8's torque band," notes St. Antoine. But when full command is demanded, simply click a steering-wheel paddle or nudge the gearshift from side to side. The only minor fault, as St. Antoine says, "If you're charging and click the upshift paddle, the transmission waits to execute the command until the engine reaches redline."

Tranny nitpick aside, we find a lot to love with the E. The styling, inside and out, still looks clean and classy. The adjustable Airmatic suspension can be dialed in for the optimal ride-handling compromise, be it plush or sporty-either way, the Benz never beats up its occupants and always behaves in a composed manner. "This car comes close to the others in pace, moves fluidly with no buzzy nervousness, and yet rides splendidly," concludes Reynolds, who also views the E's 10-way power driver's seat to be "the best." As for the backseat, the Mercedes treats three riders to the most accommodating and supportive bench. Thanks in part to all-season rubber with more sipes than on a snow tire, the Mercedes posts the longest braking distance, the feeblest lateral acceleration, and the slowest figure-eight time, specs that contradict the aura of our tester's optional AMG sport package. Proper summer tires, we surmise, would remedy most of these shortcomings and enliven the E's somewhat heavy steering and overall sense of weightiness.

Along with Mortara, Reynolds states he'd buy the $70,305 Benz if money were no issue. But since it is, there's a 2009 vintage that's a bit easier to swallow.