Just came back from a test drive, E500 4 matic. All this did was let me know how great a value the RL is. This car had a v-8 and it did not FEEL as responisve as the RL. The car felt very heavy. When I made a turn in the Mercedes I was suprised that the steering wheel did not return back to the neutral position as I am accustom. The all wheel drive was not as good as the RL. Don't get me wrong, the Mercedes is a very nice car, but to equip it like the Rl would be way up in the 60K area.

The Mercedes has a nice interior, and was quit and rattle free. I would say the sound system (harmon Kardon) was OK not quite as good as the RL. For those of you who say the Rl needs a V8, not if it need to compete with this car. After the test drive and I got back in the RL, it made me really appreciate how good the RL is. WE do not have much snob appleal, but we have an excelllent car.

 

Still with the "feel" type stuff regarding acceleration/responsiveness while ignoring fact as witnessed in the Lexus test drive thread? heh. I do wonder if you'd think a Porche 911 Turbo would "feel" as quick as the RL since you have mentioned 2 cars now that are proven to be quicker than the RL yet you imply you think they aren't because of "feel"

To each their own. I just find it funny.

 

Well the E00 0-60 times are around ~ 6.0 seconds whereas the RL is around ~6.5 seconds depending on the sources. So.... Yes the E500 may be quicker, but comparably equipned it's quite a but more coin. Is that ~.5 second worth it?

It's a pretty subjective answer.

 

I say feel because I have no way of knowing if one car is faster then another on a 20 min test drive. Just stepping on the accelerator thr Rl takes off much more briskly. I do not know what would happen in a 1/4 mile run. I do not read any performance chart befoe I go test driven. That is why I say feel. I might try try and 911 turbo and tell you how it feels to me.

 

My 911 Turbo definitely felt faster than it was. It's all about torque.

 

I test drove the E350 4 matic extensively along with the RL. I also noticed exactly the steering failure to center that you noticed. Both cars seemed to accelerate differently as well. The E class started off stronger but definitely felt less strong later in the rev range, while the RL starts off a bit slow but gets stronger as the revs ride (especially above 4000rpm. Also, with the RL one needs to use more of the pedal to get it going. This is just a difference in how the pedals are tuned across the cars. Many people probably don't try this on test drives and come away feeling like the car is lethargic.