C32madness

Not sure what to do. I miss my C32 and want to get back into a benz. I always admired the E55's but they have been out of my price range. Now that I can afford it I am not sure I want it. I drove one and it felt kinda numb. My perseption maybe skewed by my current rides. Thinking maybe I need to stay C class for sportyness.

Any input would be helpful.

rlee02135

the C handles better, but with a few mods you can get tons of power from the E

FrankW

power vs more fun to drive. you decide.

rlee02135

he can have both....get a used C32 and with the money left over, get LET's Bi-Turbo Kit

hkycoldrct

I would say E55 without question. The supercharged V-8 is a beast. Gotta love it....

E63PWR

I have owned an '04 E55 for a year & loved that car. I current have an '07 E63 and an '05 C55. The E class is definitely "numb" compared to the C class in responsiveness both in handling & braking. I could never get used to the brakes on the E55 although they are significantly improved in the E63. I had an ASP pulley on the E55 and it dynoed 457 cold. Amazingly powerful car and the ride quality is much better than the C. However, you can toss the C55 around like a true sports car and love every minute of it. The E55 is more of a brutal point & shoot tank. It handles ok for a larger car but no comparison to the C55. BTW - this is my 2nd C55!

Good luck in your next purchase!

moosejaw

Yeah i looked at purchasing the E55 a few months back but with the economy slipping and knowing first hand how hard it is to sell a C class . I decided not to. One of the things that swayed me was the handling and how heavy it was. Under full acceleration it didnt fell much faster than my C32 and the back seat didnt seem much bigger. Even tho the E55 is a faster car, you wont notice it until the triple digits and to me seemed pointless.

Fikse

maybe you have a lot of mods on your C32. I had a C32 before the E55, and there is no comparison to the difference in acceleration feel at ANY speed..... the C32 would be about 8 cars behind by the time you hit triple digits....

hkycoldrct

Bingo. I read that last its just a quick post and laughed. Straight line there is no real comparison between the two. From a stop the torque of the E55 is just incredibly more noticable than my 32 IMO.

moosejaw

I'm glad I could be your source of entertainment.
My C32 is stock and really driving around town to me it just didn't feel any faster. Mind you I have only driven one E55 on a five minute test drive so my experience with them is minimal.
Fiske If your E55 did 12 sec flat in a 1/4 mile I can see how a c32 would be behind by that much.

All i'm saying the car I drove wasnt enough to make me upgrade my ride that's all

hkycoldrct

Not making fun of you at all -- please don't take it wrong. I've test drove three E55's an love the power of that motor a lot. To me, it was/is a night and day difference from a pure power standpoint. Handling is a differenet story. Both cars are fun in different ways but still in the same MB family.

I laughed to myself thinking this guy must have driven a E55 with half the plug wires disconnected. Whatever car you love and enjoy driving --- hats off to you. There is a reason there are 500 different cars to choose from in a given year.

slowrey

Everyone is comparing a C32 to a E55 however I think the question was about the C55 and the E55. We all know the C55 is more tossable than the E55 but how's the performance difference?

E63PWR

My E55 was quite a bit quicker & faster than the C55's I have owned at any speed. 0-60 maybe 1 1/2 cars on the C55. A 50 - 150 punch is brutal. The E55 would pull sooo hard 80 and up and seems to never stop. 2 totally different cars in the way they feel. Now my E63 engine placed in the C55 would be amazing....! Hmmmm, you think the next owner of my E63 would know there is a 5.5L under the hood?

Fikse

yea, at the same track I ran 13.42 @ 104.2 in my C32:

http://www.dragtimes.com/Mercedes-Be...slip-1979.html

the C32 is much more nimble though, I did a few autocrosses in it, but would never try it in the E.....

The first time I drove the E55 I was sold, and all I got to do was a 0-80MPH with the salesman and I wasn't leaving without the car.....

moosejaw

U know I wish I could say the same. I tried the same thing and all i was thinking how heavy the car was. Now keep in mind i always had light cars, three RX7's, a corrado, and two c classes and well not so light but quite a slug, my dad's XJ12.

For for four years I have always wanted the E55 and when I drove it, it came across as "It;s nice but I absolutely did not need to have this."

And after thinking about it, more like "how long to sell the C in order to get into the E which had me hesitating"

03SilverCobra

I have never driven an E55 but riden in one with an aggresive driver and like everyone is saying, it boils down to nimbleness (sporty) vs power. This was back when I had the same decision to make. After the ride ,I decided to go with the C55 for its sportiness and keep the Cobra for my power needs.

Fikse, did you used to own an RX7 back in the day?

Fikse

yea, I had a 93 RX-7 way back when..... 10 years ago now, jeez... I used to to the Drag Wars events and such, car was in "turbo" magazine.....

My best run in the RX-7:

http://www.dragtimes.com/Mazda-RX-7-Timeslip-19.html

I eventually got tired of the finicky rotary and bought a Viper.....

you had a RX-7 as well?

moosejaw

yeah the rotary motor is finicky
I am on my third one in twelve years

This time it will be done right

03SilverCobra

Yes, I had an RX7, a 10th Anniversary Edition with a bunch of goodies, water cooled intercooler, 4.37's, turbo, etc, etc. I hated getting rid of it. I knew you seemed familiar, you might remember the MIRC clan.... I was RX710th. With BDC (Brian) he's up here in Dallas, and Steve Khan, he's up in Gotham, has a shop now. My brother (Tetsou) is in Victoria (hicktoria) TX. Good to see a familiar face around.

MarcusF

. . . . . . . Brian D Cain . . . . . Steve Khan . . . . . man, it is a small world . . . . .

lauer87

I have to agree with most of whats being said here however, In the past few weeks i have raced my c55 vs my e63 as well as our sl55. The results were very astonishing and i was going to post them soon. I have always felt my c55 was a fast one and when racing the e63 from a 20 mph roll up to about 100 the e63 was able to pull 2 car lenghts. When the c55 lined up against our 07 sl55 from about 10mph to 115 the sl pulled about 3 car lenghts. As someone mentioned earlier both the e and sl are much quicker from highway speed rolls. Im planning on getting a dyno to see what the c55 puts down, maybe a bit opitmistic but im thinking it'll pull upwards of 320whp.

Back to the original topic, The c55 is a great car but doesnt have the prestige or the true brute power of the 63, 55k cars. The C handles much better than the e55 and is slightly more nimble than the e63. There is much more room in the E's. Overall, if you want a sportier car and dont mind the "lack of prestige" in the c, then get the c55.

wawy

Interesting.... Are all your vehicles stock?

lauer87

they are all mostly stock. ie no engine mods

MB_Forever

Having owned a C32 for many years and now own an E63, I can tell you that the C-Class has a much lighter feel and more crisp handling than the E-Class, which becomes very handy especially in high traffic areas. In crowded roads, you can maneuver the C-Class much faster (and much easier) than the E-Class. Now, I've never driven a C55, but I understand that the C55 employs even better handling technology than the C32.
However, I've driven the E55 many times (including 3 of the AMG Challenge events) and absolutely loved it as well. In straight line performance, the E55 will kill any C32 whether modified or stock (at least up to stage 2). The E55's torque is very addictive, but may become a little old if you're always driving in traffic.
In the end, no matter how much we describe the differences (and similarities) between the two cars to you, it won't be as effective as you driving both cars again and again and again...... Don't hesitate going on multiple test drives. The more you drive the cars, the more you'll lean towards one of them. It all depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for more handling in a car or more brute force performance. Also, please consider that the E-Class can accomodate people more comfortably (more room, more comfy than the C-Class). So if you have a big family, you may want to go with the E-Class, but if you're the only one driving the car, then you may want to stick to C-Class.

c32used

+1

thanks for the latch handle pics I bought just the handle of a E Class and will fit it soon...

I like both but because I don't need the added room, lower MPG and power I rather take the C55....but against a E63 I love the facial addition so a E63 would win.