onefastm

Just read this today, i like C&D but i dont know if i agree with all their opinions on some of their tests. Anyways enjoy!

Can Drive 55

I think they are nuts to rank the CLS in 3rd place.

AMG_55

i hate c&d, but i bought that issue cause of the cover (who wouldnt).
they said that the reason the cls is 3rd is b/c it sucks at the track THEN they say that the sts is the worst at the track BUT it beats the cls b/c it cheaper.

those cars should b compared to the e55 in the 1st place. which is only 3k more than a cadillac (base price).

500hp cars at the track and no sideways shots??

thats why i now read autocar (8$ per issue weekly) and evo (10$ issue monthly) its worth the extra$. trust me. ive bought almost (95%) every issue of both since 2002. still have all of them.

vrracr

motortrend magazine also did a shootout between the cls55 and STS-v this month, but rated the cls higher.

vraa

I have the issue, and I still haven't read it.
I guessed M5 > STS > CLS.
Looks like I was right.

FloridaE55

Some of these magazine-guys simple don't get it that the CLS is not a family-van and should be considered a coupe when it comes to interior space.

My guess is that they were simply to "proud" to rank the US-car last.. :p
It's not a good idea to take the price of a car into consideration when you want to compare and evalute which is the better car...

A dodge would be cheaper and might even rank higher - sure, it might not be the best car but considering the low price.....

So is this a bargain- or car-comparison???

I wouldn't buy the cadillac even if it would only cost half the price....

FloridaE55

Ah, BTW, Auto, Motor & Sport, one of the leading car magazines in Germany (they even have their own tv-show) ranked the CLS (slightly) in front of the M5.

IMO, it's very difficult to decide which of these two cars is the "better" one (they actually wrote that these cars are almost too different to compare...) since the BMW wins when it comes to handling and the CLS wins when it comes to comfort and fuel-economy so it's a question of taste which of those cars comes first...

But trust me, there is no room in between for a Cadillac that plays - IMO - in a lower league...

traumadoc

Sooooo subjective. I wonder if there were any Caddy or BMW advertisements in that issue......

onefastm

i agree, after reading C&D for a while i have picked up on a couple of things and how in a large part they are biased toward the American market. But still a good magazine to read. oh yeah i posted up the rest of the article if anybody was interested.

amgplayer

If you take their scoring method and add up all the points of the objective criteria (down to performance) the score is 145 M5, 146 STS, 148 CLS. After that the criteria is purely subjective. That's why most of us would take the Benz over the other two: because like it better based on our emotions and perceptions and the guy's on the M5 board would take the Bimmer.

20C4S

amazing brakes for M5... one more reason u can't trust those US based car mag...

AMG_55

u r right, every euro mag i read *****ed about the brakes on the m5 and m6
arent they dual piston all around?

Grumpy666

Not sure how you got your numbers, but there are only 12 categories that could be deemed objective, and a couple of those I would call marginal. Anything having to do fit/finish, style, comfort, or feel are based on perception and are not really measurable quantities. The score based only on objective criteria is shown below.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M5 . . . STS-V . . . CLS55
Ergonomics . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . 10 . . . . . . 9
Rear seat space . . . . . . . 4 . . . . 5 . . . . . . 3
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . 4 . . . . . . 5
Features/Amenities . . . . . 9 . . . . 10 . . . . . 8
Rebates/Discounts . . . . . .0 . . . . .0 . . . . . .0
As-tested price . . . . . . . 16 . . . . 20 . . . . . 16
1/4 mile acceleration . . . . 20 . . . 17 . . . . . 20
Flexibility . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . 5 . . . . . . 5
Fuel economy . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . 5 . . . . . . 5
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . 7 . . . . . . 8
Performance . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . 18 . . . . . 20
Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 . . . 9 . . . . . . 7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ---- . . ---- . . . . ----
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 . . . 110 . . . . 106

amgplayer

If you want to be technical grump, what's "handling"? is it g-numbers or is it perceived limit to drift, or is what ever bimmer owner thinks their car is better at? We know your a Caddy fan, and I can tell you love to argue, so please enlighten me.

Grumpy666

My take on handling would be skidpad g#, lane change speed, and road course time. All these parameters are measureable.

For the record, I'm not a Caddy fan (although I do like the STS-V). My post was intended to state the facts in an unbiased manner, unlike your post:

"... or is what ever bimmer owner thinks their car is better at?".

reggid

i tend to go the other way and think its a feel thing that can't be measured. G'numbers etc measure grip which is tyres predominantly. A car may have good tyres and hence can corner fast but it may feel very sloppy and like you aren't in control and vice versa....... When people say BMW handle much better the MB it isn't usually becasue of pure grip but a combination of steering, feel, balance, control etc. Those are my opinions anway.

Grumpy666

I agree that tires are a significant contributer to skidpad numbers, but these comparisons are typically done on cars where the tires are very similar. Any differences in skidpad performance can then be attributed to anti-roll bars, suspensions, etc.

reggid

aka mechanical grip. There is no doubt that manufacturers use specific springs dampers etc etc to improve grip levels but i don't perceive this as handling. The dampers springs roll bars etc etc do also give better contol and feedback (if matched properly) and is why i still believe a cars handling abilities are independant of grip. You put really crap rock hard rubber on a Porsche it will have little grip but still feel wondefully balanced, controllable and precise albeit at a lower speed than possible with better tyres. I've driven lots of cars that have grip but feel terrible to drive around corners.

ndabunka

I hate to "stir the pot" in here but this representation of the ENTIRE article is a clear violation of copyrite laws. Mods may want to "edit" this thread.

Stiggs

I was reading this article this morning and what really impressed me was the 30-50mph and 50-70mph of the CLS55. It just blows the M5 out of the water in this area.

chiphomme

Tell me how any of that is "objective". Why is the performance score maximum 20? Why is the much slower Caddy within 2 of the CLS and M5?
These are all nonsense. The raw numbers speak for themselves. The Bimmer and Mercedes are clearly superior cars.

Grumpy666

These categories are considered objective because they're based on actual measurements, not the evaluator's perception. They ARE the raw numbers.

Each category is given a maximum weighting as defined by C&D to determine its contribution to the overall score.

Speed is not the only criterion used to evaluate these cars in the performance category. This is a compilation of overall performance.

C&D rated the CLS third for several reasons, including lethargic response in quick transitions, high-speed steering feel, non-smooth braking, slow downshifts, limited rear view, limited rear passenger headroom, no center back seat, and high price. These are all considerations for buying a car. How often each week do you race the 1/4 mile compared to how often you use the brakes or look in your mirror?

Grumpy666

This is because the CLS has an automatic transmission - it will downshift to a lower gear for these tests. The Bimmer has a 'manual' box and will stay in high gear.

Kubazzz

I know one thing - STS has sooo damn ugly interior...

FloridaE55

Rating the CLS 55 in fuel economy at 5 and - in comparison - the M5 at 4 - IS JUST A JOKE!

The fuel economy in the M5 is sooooo poor....

If they rate the M5 4, they would have to rate the AMG 7,
or if they rate the AMG 5, the Bimmer should get a 2....