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.