Interior

The inside got an immediate thumbs-up from me. Our test car came with black ash wood trim, which looks a million times better than any brown wood trim. The car featured in the pictures to the right are of an E550 we had in the office earlier, and the more I look at them, the more convinced I am that the darker trim is the way to go.

The beige leather was also nice, and not only for its color. It felt just a bit stiff — like a baseball glove that's not quite broken in: soft, but not smooshy — simply perfect. The seats also adjusted about every way imaginable. Our tester came with an optional two-stage massage system that I really liked; it works your entire spine, rather than just lamely inflating one section of the lumbar support. Note: On its most intense setting, the massage is firm, so — well, you've been warned.

One odd thing was the placement of the analog clock in the gauge cluster, just to the left of the speedometer. That's normally where I expect to see a tachometer, but I eventually got used to it.

    See also:

    Front air bags
    The front air bags increase protection for the driver's and front-passenger's head and chest. Driver's air bag 1 deploys in front of the steering wheel; front-passenger front air bag 2 depl ...

    Flat tire
    The "Breakdown assistance" section contains information and notes on how to deal with a flat tire. It also provides instructions on changing a wheel or mounting the spare wheel/emerg ...

    Setting the center air vents
    Center air vent, left Center air vent, right Center vent thumbwheel, right Center vent thumbwheel, left To open/close: turn thumbwheels 3 and 4 up or down. ...