M5 vs. E55 road test
Peter B, I'm sorry you are so negative. Maybe it is because you feel you were badly treated at m5board. I won't comment as I don't know the whole story.
You cannot compare the the M5 engine to the Honda S2000! The M5 V10 has more torque than the C55 AMG for crying out loud. If the E55 wasn't blown, it'd have the same torque as the M5, albeit at lower revs. The thing you seem to miss is this : The M5 doesn't have a lack of torque. It can very comfortably be driven around town, this has been confirmed by every magazine and owner. Propably not AS good as the E55, but there will never be a lack of overtaking grunt.
So I'm sorry but I simply cannot agree with you. Take this from a fellow AMG lover - who loves ///M's too - try to get past your negative view, and even if you don't like the styling, which I'm sure you will say you don't, aknowledge the M5 for what it is, same way I aknowledge the E55 for the gem it is.
The question I ask myself is this : If I wake up on a Sunday morning at 6 am, feeling refreshed and wanting to go for a drive on my favourite road, would you rather take the more laid-back E55 or the adrenaline pumping M5? I'm sure everyone will agree that sliding the M5 around yet another bend as it screams to the red-line seems more appealing.
However, after a hard day at the office, when you worked past peak traffic and just want to get home, would you rather take the E55 and keep the stress low, but get home in very good time to the missus. OR, take the M5 and take out your stress on the bends on the way home? Both seem very appealing to me! So there is only one solution! Buy both and draw up a rotating roster
Currently in our mini-cellar
This is the reason why US M3 does not have the european version of launch control. Because BMWNA can't get away from warranty liability.
You cannot compare the the M5 engine to the Honda S2000! The M5 V10 has more torque than the C55 AMG for crying out loud. If the E55 wasn't blown, it'd have the same torque as the M5, albeit at lower revs. The thing you seem to miss is this : The M5 doesn't have a lack of torque. It can very comfortably be driven around town, this has been confirmed by every magazine and owner. Propably not AS good as the E55, but there will never be a lack of overtaking grunt.
So I'm sorry but I simply cannot agree with you. Take this from a fellow AMG lover - who loves ///M's too - try to get past your negative view, and even if you don't like the styling, which I'm sure you will say you don't, aknowledge the M5 for what it is, same way I aknowledge the E55 for the gem it is.
The question I ask myself is this : If I wake up on a Sunday morning at 6 am, feeling refreshed and wanting to go for a drive on my favourite road, would you rather take the more laid-back E55 or the adrenaline pumping M5? I'm sure everyone will agree that sliding the M5 around yet another bend as it screams to the red-line seems more appealing.
However, after a hard day at the office, when you worked past peak traffic and just want to get home, would you rather take the E55 and keep the stress low, but get home in very good time to the missus. OR, take the M5 and take out your stress on the bends on the way home? Both seem very appealing to me! So there is only one solution! Buy both and draw up a rotating roster

see you at the track then youll whine about the mods. itll be 4 years of domination by the time the banglebungle comes out so ill have to wait till then
M5, Shmm 5. Whatever you like. I like the E55 and I am enjoying the E55 forum. I am going to drive the E55. Back and forth to work, to the store, to the restaurants and everywhere else. I like the way the car feels, it's comfortable and it's powerful and fast.
For me, it's a total experience, so I am grateful to have the E55. And everyone should be very thankful that the M Series folks are around. They keep the AMG people on their feet! If it weren't for all of the spirited competition, we wouldn't have the E55's.
So, I'll drive the heck out of the one I have now, and then in a couple years, the AMG group will best out the M Series people with a newer and better creation.
Everyone gets a turn. Enjoy your car, drive that car and don't sweat it!
DOG
BMW CAN NOT VOID WAR ON SOMETHING THEY PUT ON THE CAR
for the person that thought it was 5-6 times to void war.You heard wrong after 5-6 times the car won't use L/C until the clutch is cooled down.BMW put 3 sensors on the clutch to monitor its ware and temp.
Im sure they put in a clutch that can handle the power just fine.Also remember its the tourqe that kills clutches and the poeple that slip them to much to take off.
Some of you think this engine is maxed out from the factory but im sorry that is far from the truth.This engine is an f1 engine get that in your think headed tourqe is king heads.The block is made from freaking magnesium alloy spinned off of the williams f1 car.It was desinged by the same people and built in the same fab.It has been tested by BMW to rev to 10.2k around the ring.
This is prolly the most moddable engine that has ever been put in a street car.
I will say it again its a formula one engine.I know thats killing you e55 drivers but this engine is 40 years ahead of the amgs.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Hey, for me, I don't care, but then again, I always had a thing for "retro". Guess that's why I like Harleys too. I also like those model steam engines that you fill with water, fire up the boiler and watch 'em go!
DOG
There both hot cars and I wish I had the money to own both.
Hey, for me, I don't care, but then again, I always had a thing for "retro". Guess that's why I like Harleys too. I also like those model steam engines that you fill with water, fire up the boiler and watch 'em go!
DOG
Dont you think its kinda pathetic that amg can't break 100 hp/l even using forced induction when the m3 csl makes like 116 hp/l staying NA
Last edited by skratch77; Apr 19, 2005 at 12:15 AM.
That's what I thought...talk, talk, talk...ITs just evolution,the next Mercedes e class will be faster than the m5 ,i just don't see why so many on here are upset that the m5 is faster (according to what ive read and heard as the car aint here in the uk yet .)
Back to the main focus of this threadPURE BRAGGING RIGHTS thats all it is! lets not lose focus or become personal, i assume that most of us are adults so it shouldn't be too hard.
Its obvious that the M5 will beat a E55 from a roll at fair speeds it is geared and powered to do so, and these tests whether biased or not more than likely prove it.
But hold on AMG people from standstill the CLS55 was only slightly slower than the M5 to 100km/h (62mph) in several tests so by the quarter the gap won't be all that great ( a tenth or two, a mph ot two and a carlength or two) which is close enough that either the e55 or M5 can win especially at the local stoplight to stoplight run.
Pure physics says the M5 will be faster at speed and it also suggests that at lower speeds the results will be closer than people are led to believe from the rolling run tests at the M5board.
I don't think that its all that difficult to understand.
The M5 peak power is at 7750rpm and it revs to 8250rpm so by simply increasing rpm won't give hp unless other things are done (better breathing) to prevent the torque drop off (reduction in volumetric efficiency) which would impact other areas of the torque curve.
I don't see the engine reliably going much past 9k rpm ( it does have a very small stroke which is good for rpms, so i may be wrong), but displacement mods will probaly be useful (BMW probably toyed with 5.5L in the development stage for the M5 and M6) Also improved breathging to allow the engine to maintain torque to higher rpm levels. I can see aftermarket tuners getting 600hp comfortably
Just my 2 cents.
Have a good day!
Last edited by Frank Wiesmann; Apr 19, 2005 at 06:12 AM.
Just my 2 cents.
Have a good day!
I have said it many times in the past when posts like these keep being resurrected, why are we comparing the E55 to a car that is not out in the states yet? When the new M5 shows up this fall (if no delays), the current W211 E55 will be going into its 4 year of production.
We all agree that the performance that the old M5 has is not even close to the W211 E55 and that the new M5 if better (relative) will only be marginal relative to the prior. AMG has come a long way and they are getting better every year
Having choices in life is what makes it fun. BMW keep making the M5 better, MB keep making the E55 better, GM keep making the Z06 better, Porsche keep making the 911 TT better, etc................
Enjoy life my friends since it is short and unpredictable
I have said it many times in the past when posts like these keep being resurrected, why are we comparing the E55 to a car that is not out in the states yet? When the new M5 shows up this fall (if no delays), the current W211 E55 will be going into its 4 year of production.
We all agree that the performance that the old M5 has is not even close to the W211 E55 and that the new M5 if better (relative) will only be marginal relative to the prior. AMG has come a long way and they are getting better every year
Having choices in life is what makes it fun. BMW keep making the M5 better, MB keep making the E55 better, GM keep making the Z06 better, Porsche keep making the 911 TT better, etc................
Enjoy life my friends since it is short and unpredictable

The M5 will be great but not for me...I'm sure the AMG guys have the internet too and are working hard to top the next M car not in just pure power, but also improved dynamics (ala CLS)...we live in a great era of cars!
There both hot cars and I wish I had the money to own both.
While one E55 had brand new since two days, (which were gone in the end of the day btw)


And the other had medium used ones.
Please accept the fact that the M5 drove faster than the E55 in a straight, both from rolling start and from more or less standstill. And it is also faster in high speeds, even if it has less torque.
They tried several rounds, just as with the gallardo, and the results were similar everytime.
I would sort the cars that ran that day in this order speedwise:
C32 (my car is the slowest
) - Tuned RS4, E55T and E55 - 996turbo 500hp, M5, Gallardo - RUF CTRThe C32 was about 2-4 carlengs slower than the rs4 and e55.
The RS4/E55 was about 1-3 carlengs slower than the M5, gallardo and 996
And everyone was out of the RUF CTRs league

In each category, there was about 1-2 carlengs difference in the end depending on who got the jump, and who slowed down first ect.
But since we ran so many rounds, you could see a clear pattern in which car that gained on the other.
I hope you will understand that both E55 and M5 are great cars but the M5 that is 2 years newer is the better of these two performance wise.
In a few years the next E-AMG will be relased, and this time it will be faster, just as in the case E39 M5 vs E55 w211. And after that, maybe we will have the exact same discussion all over again when the future M5 is coming.
JD
Then Audi will have its turn and so forth and so on...gotta love it.







