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By DETROIT -- I spent a week test driving the Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe. It’s a wonderful car.
 But before I get into the details I want to tell you a little bit about the business decision I think that was behind its creation. The 2010 E550 coupe replaces the CLK coupe which was based on the Mercedes-Benz entry level C Class.
I don’t know that the CLK was ever accepted as part of the C Class family. Thus, it had to be marketed as separate nameplate. That’s not the case with the E550; it’s part of the E Class family which is entering its 9th generation.
In other words, the E Class is one of the best known midsize luxury sedans in the world. That alone is worth a lot of marketing muscle. In other words, although the E550 Coupe is new, it’s not. Thus, Mercedes I think reduces the marketing dollars it must expend to sell the car.
 Because it’s based on a modified E Class chassis, the E coupe is bigger and wider than the CLK coupe that it replaces. There are two engine choices the E350 coupe which is powered by a 268 horsepower V6 and the E550 coupe which I had. It was powered by a 382 horsepower V8 that made 391 foot pounds of torque.
My test car was mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. It had a tilt telescoping steering wheel, paddle shifters and the suspension could be switched to a firmer sport setting. My test car was buttery smooth in a lot of areas.
The engine had a low-level visceral growl that was an indicator of the power under the hood. That transmission was so smooth that I could never detect a gear shift after it transitioned into second
 Steering and power were effortless. My E550 could crack the speed limit, any speed limit short of the autobahn, which doesn’t have one, in an instant. In fact, Mercedes-Benz said the car could get from zero to 60 mph in five seconds flat.
I had to adjust my thinking to the ride. The suspension, even in the comfort setting, was firm. I had to remind myself that the Mercedes-Benz E550 was a sport coupe with a sporty suspension. It was firm enough that I only shifted to the sport suspension a few times just to experience the difference.
The E coupe is a true two door; it has no B pillars. However, because it was still relatively cool here during my test drive, I didn’t bother to lower all the windows. The car also had a power tilt sliding panorama roof as standard equipment. I really didn’t use that too much either.
 Panorama is Mercedes-speak for glass with a moon roof. I thought the mesh screen for the roof was nicely designed. Although that seems innocuous, it’s an indication of how the little things in the E550 coupe came together to create a really luxurious driving experience. The car was really quiet, ran smooth and was subtly powerful.
My test car had the premium option package. Amongst the creature comforts were voice controls, a navigation system, a 40-gig hard drive, HD radio, satellite radio, heated and cooled front seats, Xenon adjustable headlamps, LED running daytime running lights and turn indicators and a rear window sunscreen and rearview camera.
It was a $6,300 package. Added on to the $54,650 base price, plus shipping costs, and the sticker came to $63,345. And what was really strange thing about the sticker is that it seemed like a bargain for what a potential buyer would get.
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