Mercedes-Benz E500 reviews

2004 Mercedes-Benz E500 Driving Impressions

The Mercedes E-Class cars are really quiet. There's very little vibration anywhere in the cabin, and almost no wind noise. Even the high-performance E55 AMG is so quiet that the driver forgets just how powerful, quick and fast it is until full throttle is explored.

Performance from the E320 is somewhat disappointing. Its 3.2-liter V6, which produces 221 horsepower and 232 pounds-feet of torque, lacks the responsiveness of the E500. However, the E320 cruises well at high speeds and the V6 is smooth and quiet from idle to the 6000-rpm redline. The E320 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, according to Mercedes.

The E500 is much more responsive than the E320. Most of this is due to its more powerful engine. The acceleration performance from the E500's V8 is truly impressive. Acceleration-producing torque matters more than horsepower numbers for most drivers, and in this class the E500 is hard to beat. You'll notice when you step on the gas. This V8 is nice and smooth from idle to the 6000-rpm redline. And the E500 flies. At a stoplight or from 70 mph, there's a deep well of torque underfoot, and plenty of acceleration. From the seat of the pants, the E500 feels like the quickest car going among mid-size luxury sedans. Mercedes engineers say it's even quicker than the 500E, a limited-production, purpose-built sports sedan developed with Porsche in the early 1990s and still revered by auto enthusiasts today. Mercedes sticks with its tried and true single-cam, three-valve technology for all of its E-Class cars, which may help explain slightly lower specific output than some competitors (horsepower per liter of displacement). The 5.0-liter engine in the E500 produces 302 horsepower at 5600 rpm, but, more important, it generates 339 pounds-feet of torque that's available from 2700 to 4250 rpm. Translation: quick response whenever you hit the gas. The E500 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, according to Mercedes.

Engine performance in the E55 AMG is truly impressive, with huge amounts of torque available from idle to over 5000 rpm, and peak torque over 500 foot-pounds. Its 469 horsepower comes partly from a Lysholm screw-type supercharger and intercooler plus the latest in ME 2.8 engine control electronics. No matter where or when you stab the throttle the E55 AMG just flat flies. Mercedes says it will go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and can reach an electronically controlled top speed of 155 mph in a little over half a minute. Yet, like the other E-Class engines, the supercharged V8 is always quiet and smooth from idle to the 6000-rpm redline.

For 2004, E500 sedan and wagon benefit from a new seven-speed automatic, the world's first. It quickens acceleration performance and response yet enhances fuel efficiency when compared to the five-speed automatic, itself a responsive and efficient transmission. Gear changes are barely noticeable, especially in the higher gears. This new transmission allows significantly quicker acceleration for highway passing situations. And it doesn't have to go through every gear: Step on the gas and the transmission will skip down to the appropriate gear, switching from seventh to fifth, for example, and from there directly to third, two downshifts instead of four.

The five-speed automatic transmission that comes in the E320 and E55 AMG shifts quickly up and down through the gears, though it sometimes seems slow to respond in the E320. It doesn't hunt back and forth for the right gear, even in hilly terrain, and it rarely shifts unless the driver changes the angle of the gas pedal, both of which are good. When the driver prefers, an auto-manual shift mechanism allows a high level of control over gear selection. Toggling the shifter left or right, the transmission shifts quickly up and down through the gears. The system will hold the selected gear indefinitely just below the 6000-rpm redline, but it won't let you bump the engin