Don't get me wrong-the 500E is quite a plush vehicle, but as far as driver inputs go a 500E requires more brake & gas pedal pressure to do their thing, and the steering is less boosted.
As to tire/wheel upgrades, I felt that installing 17s had minimal impact on ride quality.
The adaptive rear suspension on a 500E is more sophisticated than the units on TEs, Sls and others I know. My rear end stays VERY flat on hard cornering, so I'm pretty sure that rear suspension's doing more than load-leveling alone.
As to pushing it fast, a 500E definitely has less of a safety blanket in that it comes with ASR & ABS only. As to whether it's easier or harder to push, all I know is that if you do, it's a BLAST
