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I am looking to replace my SUV and the W211 E55/63 is near the top of my list. For one of these to replace the SUV, it would have to be a wagon, which I know is a rare car. From a driver's point of view, the AMG wagon would be perfect. However, I am not sure it will work from the SUV point of view. I recently drove an E55 and looked at a regular wagon. If I could make it work, the combination of the two would be an excellent replacement for my dd.
I have searched, but have not been able to find specific information about payloads and such. A picture of the decal that details GVWR, GAWR, etc. in the driver's door (I think that is where it is located) would answer all of my questions. I would be greatly appreciate it if anyone with an E55 wagon or E63 wagon (or both) could post a picture of this decal.
I'm not actually looking to carry that much weight in the car. I am investigating installing a trailer hitch on the car. I know...I know....I should just get a truck and tow with that. My problem is that I am out of garage space and I don't have the space to store another vehicle. I know that the E55/63 is not officially rated to tow, but I am trying to determine if it is even feasible. GVWR, GVW, GAWR will all play into this equation.
I know there is a class 1 hitch out there, but I need more capacity. There is a shop in my area that I am sure could reinforce a class 1 hitch to meet my needs, but I need to also determine if the air suspension, axles, etc would be up to the task. Tongue weight would be included in the pay load, so GVWR would be nice to know.
I only tow a hand full of times a year, but I do need the ability. I have an aluminum open trailer and a track Miata that gets towed across town and down to the track. We normally tow with the RV to the track, but from time to time, I take it down there with by SUV for one day events. I think I towed with my SUV a grand total of 3 times last year.
Any car that I would be considering would be out of warranty, so voiding a warranty is not a concern. I am also a hands on car guy, so any potential modifications aren't too much of a concern. I have done a good bit of online research and found a number of threads discussing towing with a wagon, but I have never found any success stories. I fear that this may be the answer since no one seems to have successfully pulled it off, but there is always a first.
Does anyone know the weight limit of the rear air suspension? I have read that the ML63 has a 7200 lb towing capacity, but only an approximate 500 lbs of tongue weight. I am curious is the wagon has a similar max load. I also wonder if there are any "heavy duty" after market air bags available.
Thanks again for the assistance. I really would like to make this work.
Are you sure the tow hitch fits the AMG wagon rather than the standard w211 wagon? The bumper and rear diffuser are completely different between the two, and the wagon bumper is also different than the AMG sedan.
Shaddow5501-Thanks for the link. That is exactly what I was looking for! I'm not 100% the class 1 Curt hitch would fit. They say it does online, but I could see it being grouped in with a generic W211 car. I would assume that there would have to be some plastic trimming to make the hitch fit. I am more concerned with the exhaust interfering.
Mightar- Unfortunatley, the Miata is heavier than the tractor, but it's a lot more fun. BTW-beautiful wagon!
01-28-2015, 10:24 AM
BTW-beautiful wagon!
