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I do deduct it ,but the Ca registration is still crazy. I guess that I am getting tired of paying and paying again for everything. Maybe I am just getting old and grouchy.

Thank you for your input!

sydtoosic

child in your future... do the GS. more room to play with than with the IS.

pinipig523

Haven't driven the new 14 IS, but I've driven the GS350F and I own the E550 4dr.

I think the engine of the E550 cannot be compared to that of the E350 or the GS. The air ride on the E550 is very comfortable and the sport suspension when activated is quite nice. The interior is *different* on the E550, not really sure which is better the GS or the E in this case.

However, best interior IMO of this price range has got to be the BMW 5 series M sport.

I will agree, the GS I feel is a smaller car and you can feel it. Perhaps a little more nimble than the E class.

Btw, I've been given loaner cars like the E350 and it is nowhere near the E550. The E350 does not have air suspension and the V6 engine is subpar relative to the 400hp 400lb ft torque on the E550. When I was driving the E350, I couldn't wait to get out and back into my E550.

Stew4HD

The 550 is not in the same class as the GS. It is like saying the Acura TL is in the same class as the GS... it's not. I don't think the OP considered the E550 in his post, more likely the 250/350 class.

natnut

Correction : The GS is a LOT more nimble than the E class.

Current E-class is scraping the bottom of the barrel when comparing handling and driving involvement in the mid-luxury sport sedan segment.

It's basically comparing the top-of-class (GS) vs the after-thought (E-class) in terms of handling. Which is fine since the E-class was never meant to be an involving driver's car but a soothing highway cruiser for the more senior driver. Different buyers will have different priorities and the E-class may well fit the OP's needs better.

This comparison video basically says it all on the difference in dynamism and handling between the GS and the E-class :

Basically the E350 is slow furniture while the E550 is fast furniture : Comfortable and luxurious to sit in and (for the E550) fast in a straight line.

SW17LS

I also drove the E550. Great engine, but its still a barge.

pinipig523

I don't know about the E550 being furniture... the E350's suspension is definitely subpar from my experience. The GS is significantly more nimble, I'll give you that, but the engine is subpar. And the transmission is lacking. Otherwise, I would've bought the GS.

No amount of fake intake noise can help that.

Here's to hoping they revamp the GS-F in the future - perhaps actually add some performance to it. Instead of just some F badges and some random fake bumper intakes to make it look meaner. And maybe they should have some better rims rather than the dark grey ones that come with the F sport.

Unlike the germans, it seems Lexus is happy just having an F sport badge be simply a cosmetic upgrade. I don't see the M or AMG versions just being a cosmetic upgrade.

I really could care less about getting the most out of my daily driver in terms of cornering and track like conditions, because to be honest - no one here tracks their GS, or maybe only a select few. It's still a barge of a sports car, just like the more barge-y E class.

Save the sports handling for a real sports car.

SW17LS

Its overall driving feel. The E Class just feels heavy, lumbering without riding really well as a tradeoff. Its not about "track handling", the GS provides a great balance of ride and handling. I came from the ES and the LS, I don't have an issue with a great riding car not handling well...my issue with the E Class is it neither handles well or rides particularly well. I felt the same way about the Cadillac XTS.

The engine may be lacking compared to an E550, but it isn't compared to anything that isn't $10,000+ more expensive.

If handling is just not important to you...then the E might be the right car, I just wish it rode as well as the barge-y handling would suggest.

F-Sport may be mainly an appearance package, but so is the "M-Sport", or AMG-styling package on the E. The F-Sport GS is not a GS-F.

pinipig523

Let me preface that between the E350 and the GS350, I'll take the GS any day of the week.

The E550 is not comparable to the E350, the E350 feels heavy and has no thrust. The suspension on the E550 is far better than that on the E350 (sport or not). I would say that the E550 is not the best handling car by any means, but it's far from a boat. The GS has good handling, but there were so many other sacrifices to be had for ME.

Just my 2 cents.

Had I been able to buy what I really wanted, I probably would've purchased the E63 or the M5 as my DD. But we all have to live within the confines of our financial realities.

I have been dealing with the issue of buying an all out single car or having a DD and a weekend car.... not an all in one solution. I like my E550 for DD duties, comfy, faster than 95% of all cars on the road and 99% of all sedans of on the road. But I was thinking that perhaps a weekend sports car with a real transmission (6MT) and a real engine would be cool too. Perhaps something like a Porsche 911 or the new 2014 Stingray.

SW17LS

I drove the E350 and the E550 back to back and outside of acceleration I didn't feel a whole lot of difference between the two...I just looked on MBUSA...and the two seem to have the same suspension...with the Airmatic being optional on the 550. When you factor in that optioned up like a Luxury package GS an E550 with the airmatic suspension would be $74,000...

Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like the E class as I have always wanted to try a Mercedes, but it seems like every time I drive one I just dislike it.

natnut

It's obvious who came into this thread to talk about his car engine and is now hurt when he has to face the reality that his car is all engine but can't handle to save its life.

The video I posted cruelly exposes the E-Class' weaknesses in Sporty handling.

pinipig523

Yeah - you're right, the cost is there. I always thought the airmatic was standard on the e550 - maybe I was wrong. I bought a certified preowned one with it and my car has the P1 premium package (a step below the P2 package) and it came with the airmatic suspension so I thought it was standard in all E550 but I guess I could be wrong.

E63 though, what a beast. Too bad you'd be at about $100K at that level.

Not hurt at all.. at our price points, no car is perfect. Reason why I didnt' get the GS350F was because at the time, they had just come out and the dealers were asking near full price (approx $54K) for one. I bought my E550 2y old certified preowned for $46K. I couldn't say no.

I really wanted the BMW 550 M sport, but the price was $71K and there were no preowned ones at the time because it had just come out as well.

Just bad timing for buying a car for me.

peteharvey

The GS350 & E550 each have their pros and cons.
Neither cars are perfect.

The GS has quicker changes in direction, more terminal grip, and much greater durability.

The E550 has a bigger badge, more rear foot room & lateral foot room, and much more linear acceleration, especially low down.

Horses for courses.
Just depends on what each individual wants...

Stew4HD

SW17LS

No if you build one on MBUSA the Airmatic is an option, standard the suspensions are the same. Even with the Airmatic I didn't feel that much difference in how the car handled and rode...