Greetings from Stuttgart. I picked up an E55 via European delivery today and made arrangements to visit AMG. They let me drive the CL65. It was amazing. The car was silly fast. Nice engine note, but still a little too much NASCAR for my taste, I was hoping for more Ferrari. Handling was outstanding for such a large car with the 19 inch wheels. Car did not feel heavy or large. My only complaint would be how ordinary it looked and how expensive it is going to be.

 

Thank you for your impressions. As much as I like my CL55 and as powerful as the CL65 is and looks on the road, especially in a rear view mirror, I agree that the price of the 65 should deliver more than just awesome power. Without question it would be one of the few cars that I would want on the Autobahn--stable, safe and outrageously fast, but it would be difficult, not unlike what the CL55 is perhaps, to realize its potential on US roads. I am not surprised to learn that it does not feel as heavy as it is. A car with that much power would respond almost instantly and the AMG engineers are very good with brakes, wheels/tires and suspension.

 

I have an 04 E55 now and am considering the CLS65 as my next car because of the unbelievable 700+ lbs of torque in the amg V12 biturbo engine. Can you tell me how much faster did the CL65 feel compared to the E55? Or did the E55 feel just as fast because its lighter. Here in the U.S. we can only go about 90mph without getting into serious trouble if we got a speeding ticket.

Just wanted to know if the CLS 65 with the same engine as the CL65 would be worth the money and the fact in only holds 4 people. ( I like to be able to hold 5 people in a crunch)

Thanks for any info.

AmgB

 

Just to clarify- I am an American on holiday in Germany. I picked up an E55 European delivery, so I can make a very direct comparison between the two cars. The CL65 is a luxurious GT, eminently capable, with incredible power and great handling considering its size and weight. The E55 is more conservative in appearance and is more of a dual edged sword- mile mannered and conservative when you want it to be and incredibly fast when desired. The driving experience of the E55 is more raw than the CL65 which always feels more cultured. Honestly the E55 feels faster although I know this cannot be true. The difference in price makes the E55 the easy choice, particularly since it is much more of an all around efficient package. The CL65 is a more personal choice, enjoyable just for one or two, marred only by its resemblance to its more pedestrian (and cheaper by half) brother in the CL500. Of the two, I prefer the engine note from the E55, but both sound outstanding.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I would have a tough time justifying so much money for a .2 to .5 second gain to 60 mph. I do like the E55 package. It is a great car, but for some reason, I always want more power.

Thanks for your impressions.

I just hope the next E55 or E63 can be better than the current Supercharged V8.

AmgB

 

AMGB
There is always room for engine improvement. What is it about the current V8 Kompressor that should be improved? It is not as responsive as perhaps optimal from below 1750 rpm when the SC engages, but once it starts to pull it is hard to beat, literally.
Yesterday I was in back of a new GT3 at a stop light on a single lane road with no other traffic. When the light changed it was obvious that he was pushing it so I joined and the rate of gain of the CL when he was in first was noticable. I broke it off when I began to seriously overtake him during his first to second shift. All of this took only a few seconds, but demonstrated to me the truly incredible torque of the engine. Porsches are certainly not drag racers and unless one wants to abuse the clutch the acceleration times will not match the road test numbers, which incidentally are about the same 0-60 for the 55 and the GT3 (4.3). In real world driving the CL55 has as much usable torque and responsiveness as I will likely need.

 

I totally agree. I love the V8 Supercharged engine. But, as you know, MB is going to NA 6.3 liters for the next E55 or E63. It will have about 420 lbs of torque and 500+hp. I am concern that the drop in torque will make it less enjoyable to drive around town when most of the time you don't rev it up to get all the hp. Driving around town is so nice to have the torque down low.

The V12 biTurbo is the only other engine out there that has more torque in a sedan that I know about. That is the only other engine that I can think that would be just as fun to drive around town.

amgB