On our way to work this AM..... I end up next to my wife........ I'm in the CLK55 and she's in her C63...... (we're on a closed course mind you)...... we both pull away briskly....... she get's a little anxious and hammers it...... traction control kicks on, the nose dives and I'm off and away..... I hear her try to hammer it again and same story blows tires off and tc kicks in and nose dives again...... all the while my little CLK55 just pulls away ...... I know this is totally unscientific... and an experienced driver in the C63 would wax my CLK..... but it is a good example of the difference between magazine times and real-world times..... LOL....... she was asking me what was wrong with her car.... he he...... the lead foot and the nut behind the wheel.

disclaimer - This was performed on a closed course. We do not condone any sort of street performance exhibition of any sort.

Haha!!

Great post.

I used to have the same problem too with my 63 (still do now and again! haha).

My throttle control has since improved and I can now ease the power in to avoid the tc kicking in.

I had a go with the ESP off the other day.
It is remarkably controlable when sliding.
It was awesome.
I could enjoy the slight breaking of traction without the ESP cutting in.

ESP annoys me sometimes. I often find myself reacting with the throttle pedal just as quickly as ESP.
I'd lift off the throttle when I sense a slide, but then ESP would also cut in at the same time, cutting the power!
Then you end up looking like a complete amateur with the car bucking!

With ESP off, I could enjoy the sliding while keeping the car under full control.

Awesome, awesome feeling.


Though I'm not suggesting your wife try this.

BTW - you should have been there to hear the glorious roar of Two AMG's side by side........ it just makes me smile!

I've got a supercharged mustang with 500HP........ and I just got back from a spirited drive..... and I've got so say I thought I'd be dissapointed with the little CLK..... but to be honest the AMG has much more low end tq...... which is great on the street. I'm keeping the mustang to play with and get down into the low 11's on street tires with more tuning and suspension mods..... but I believe I'll be able to get rid of the mustang eventually and still be very happy with some mods on my clk.

Haha! Absolutely!
They must have sounded awesome next to eachother.
Bet your neighbours love you!

I have to admit, I can never resist kicking the throttle over when I park it up in the garage.
It makes the walls shake! hahaha

Your Mustang sounds great.
I've always like my German cars, but the Mustang is certainly another of my favourites.
Sounds, goes and looks awesome.

However, I believe the handling is far more focused in the CLK.
Especially in regards to suspension.

Your right about the low end torque.
The 63's are even more crazy, with some 500nm of torque available at just 1900 rpm.

Upgrade the suspension further and a few performance mods on your CLK and you will have a serious contender.

I grew up like everyother american kid lusting after Am muscle cars... and I've had several iterations....... but I now "GET" what the europeans are after..... with the sexy v8's and the proper exhaust note and the on sooooo comfy suspension and put-together interiors....... the bar has been raised around my household that is for sure........ my wife is totally spoiled.

Wow.
Sounds like you've certainly had your share of cars!
Well done.

Well done, indeed.

Yeah, with Audi, BMW and even Jaguar now raising their standards and quality, it's good to see Mercedes/ AMG getting back to making cars how they used to.
Sadly, between around 1997 - 2003, they let their standards slip alittle, claiming that their cars were "too overly engineered".
People noticed the shortfalls in build & finishing quality and made their feelings known.

But they are back.
And back with grunt!