One Week Drive: Mercedes S550 Cabriolet

"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib) 06/23/2019 at 22:30 • Filed to: willalibrandi, S550, Mercedes-Benz, review

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The S-Class convertible returns after a long absence.

All photos: Will Alibrandi

It’s been a long time since Mercedes offered a convertible version of its S-class - 46 years, to put a number on it. The big Benz cabriolet offers all the style and gadgetry we’ve come to expect in the range-topping S-class but now with a top that folds away in under 20 seconds. And an elegant profile to boot.

Active seats with heat & massage. But fear not, the ATTENTION ASSIST feature keeps you alert.

Heated & massaging front seats, heated steering wheel, heated front armrest, heated door armrests, and heated rear seats. M-B has the heat thing covered. The Burmester 3D sound system by itself is a $6,400 option and provides amazing clarity; this is even more impressive in a convertible.

Virtual gauges on the dashboard with heated steering wheel, door and center armrests.

Mercedes has embraced LCD displays in a big way with the tach and speedometer being virtual gauges. This allows the Night View Assist to project its picture onto the screen between the two gauges.

It may be an S-class, but that back seat is Camaro/Mustang tight.

One of the biggest surprises was the lack of room in the back seat. The S-class sedan gives up a bit of rear seat room in the transition to convertible. If the driver is above average height the Benz becomes a 3-passenger vehicle - unless the rear seat passenger is a double amputee.

Twin turbocharger 4.7 V8 rated at 449hp & 516lb-ft torque.

In the motivation department M-B’s twin-turbo 4.7 V8 (shared with the SL550) offers up a stout 449hp and 516lb-ft of torque routed through a 9-speed autobox. This combination gets the 4700lb+ Benz up to 60mph in 4.4 seconds. (C&D data) If this doesn’t provide the requisite amount of boogie , there’s always the AMG 5.5 TT V8 and 6.0 TT V12 if you must have more go with your show .

Swarovski crystal headlamp accents. $1750. Yes, you need this.

Nobody tops Mercedes when it comes to luxury details. Who else could conceive of Swarovski crystals accenting the headlights? The first row is the running light and the second and third rows are amber turn signals. Swanky.

20" AMG Multispokes

Don’t let the wheels fool you, this car lacks any sporting pretense. The tradeoff with the low-profile Pirellis is they do transmit some road noise into the cabin, which might have been lessened by taller profile tires. Nothing too obtrusive, but it was noticeable.

M-B’s AIRSCARF - Coolest feature ever. (pay no attention to that knucklehead in the mirror)

What looks like cooling fans from a desktop computer is actually the AIRSCARF system, which blows warm air on the front occupants’ necks to ward off a chill during top-down motoring.

On the road the S550 absorbs bumps with aplomb as one would expect with the suspension set in the default Comfort mode. This setting does allow a fair amount of pitch and roll however; changing to Sport mode dampens body movement without being overly firm and eliminates the wallowy sensation. The 4.7 V8 provides plenty of thrust when necessary, but this car is not about sturm und drang but rather motoring at a more relaxed pace. The attention to detail in the interior is evident in the speaker grilles, and the lined piano black lacquered wood dashboard inserts. With a base price of $131,400 the popular option packages run up the toll quickly. The test car’s Burmester audio, Premium Package, Sport Package, Night View Assist, Driver Assistance Package and Warmth and Comfort Package lead to a total MSRP of $161,675. A steep outlay to be sure, but the car’s presence combined with Mercedes’ understated elegance make a compelling argument for a second mortgage.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/25/2017 at 22:45

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So what’s the appeal of buying this vs the SL which costs an entire E-Class less? Is it purely a status thing? Or is it actually $50k better?

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 22:49

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Having a back seat? Swarovski crystals?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 22:51

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because you fucking can. There no good reason not to. Do I need air scarf? Nope. Do I want air scarf? Fuck yes. The whole thing is over kill, I want it.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/25/2017 at 22:54

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Yes because that back seat is sooooo usable

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 22:55

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Comfort, appearance, features. And because fuck your pleb ass SL!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/25/2017 at 23:06

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For 100k less you could get this E550 AMG Package and I think it’s faster and nice too.

fintail > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 23:14

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Some people want the most expensive thing on the lot, no matter what it is. Status, definitely.

fintail > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 06/25/2017 at 23:16

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Definitely nice, but not as expensive just for the sake of it. There’s a customer demographic who wants a six figure price and to show off.

Nibby > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 23:22

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looks infinitely better than an SL

Chariotoflove > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/25/2017 at 23:31

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Screw the heated air scarf. I live in Texas. Call me when it blows cold air. Then I’ll be impressed.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/25/2017 at 23:37

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Don’t forget that the 2013 CL600 cost a ~C-class more than a 2013 CL500, dispite not really being any better performance wise. It just had more cylinders. It’s all about that “because I can” money.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/25/2017 at 23:39

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This makes the rear legroom on my old Integra look like a LWB Range Rover.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > fintail 06/26/2017 at 00:06

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I’ve always thought they were just so understated. That E550 gets as much attention as that S550 and as much if not more attention then this car that my wife was absolutely puzzled that I saw from across the parking lot. I had to explain that it wasn’t *just* a normal MB. If you want something that screams more then it’s worth... USSV is your answer.

fintail > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 06/26/2017 at 09:37

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Maybe it not being a cabrio or being on those terrible black wheels made her disregard it? The E550 is a classy understated car no doubt. Maybe it depends on the area. In my zipcode, an E is like a Camcord (not knocking it, I drive an E) - not so unusual - you won’t get attention with it, and not at the price point to be insane, especially as they depreciate swiftly and a new looking one is a lot cheaper than a brand new one. An S cabrio is still a rare bird, and is at a price point where even people of some means will step back.

USSV to me says “something something size issues”. Probably the type of vehicle that should require a license endorsement. Yeah right.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 06/26/2017 at 12:18

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Compared to the SL ’ s back seat, it is pretty roomy. The cramped quarters in back was a bit of a disappointment though. But if I ’ m buying one of these, I ’ m riding up front so it ’ s not part of my buying decision.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Chariotoflove 06/26/2017 at 12:21

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I’m sure M-B is working on this for the mid-life refresh.

Chariotoflove > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/26/2017 at 12:26

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Hope so!

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 06/26/2017 at 12:27

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Right? I’m 6' and had the seat back at a comfortable distance from the wheel and the back seat room just disappeared. But like the 911, the back seat is just a vestigial perch for groceries.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > fintail 06/26/2017 at 12:29

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Black wheels without silver accents on a dark car isn’t a good look. Without any contrast it’s just too much darkness.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 06/26/2017 at 12:39

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Are you really comparing a used E-class to a new S-class? Sure it’s a nice ride and probably has the power/weight advantage but it’s also got the depreciation advantage too as a used car.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Chariotoflove 06/26/2017 at 12:42

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Cooling line plumbed right from the a/c compressor? Make it happen, Mercedes..

Chariotoflove > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/26/2017 at 12:46

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Everyone just vents cabin air. Actually cooling it like AC would be a real coup.

fintail > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/26/2017 at 14:19

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I don’t think it works at all, but I know that is subjective. To me, it just screams someone wants to be edgy, or someone is too lazy to clean their wheels, and has found a way around it.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Chariotoflove 06/26/2017 at 15:35

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A coup in a coupe! Brilliant!

Chariotoflove > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 06/26/2017 at 16:15

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Thank you. I’m here all week.