jprescott

Todays Autospies.com states that MB will put this up against the M5. Too cool.

anthem

That doesn't make a lot of sense. the E55 is what is positioned against the M5 and its already stickered higher (which MB can do with its perceived higher luxury). But putting an E65 is a bit outlandish. Not sure you can compare the two at that point since the E65 will almost definitely be 150K+. . .

DaCeptak0n

What I don't get is why MB has to come out with all these freakin models. As if the E55 isn't luxurious and sporty enough, the E65 will contend with the M5?

Maybe this forum has members that should be assigned as board of directors to Mercedes-Benz as far as model-release decision makers go...

bmms8

im sure the E65 will be a nice car, that is, even if it does come out, but what is it going to offer...maybe a little faster, and at the same time heavier, which isnt going to help handling...if MB chooses this route, and does make it faster, i dont think its going to help that much, since M5 will still blow off the E55's doors in the handling dept. if they can make it handle a lot better, that would be a real monster though!

CALBenzo

I agree completely! Put it into the handling.

DavidNJ

Taking out auto recirculation and charcoal filters, having numerous electronic glitches, and spending engineering dollars (euros?) on drag racing/Bonneville 4-door sedans seems to be a misuse of resources. IMHO.

EPower

Wait till you see what BMW will be getting for the new M5's and you'll see this isn't true. The new M5, if you can get one, will be close to $100K, and thats before the dealer markup. I am guessing the dealers here in SoCal will be getting $50 to $75K markups on these for the first year, at least.

CALBenzo

Yeah, when my friend first bought the X5 a few year back, he paid a $15K premium. Speaking of which, I thought MB used to advertise that they would not mark up their cars due to demand. I was at the dealership yesterday, and they had a $5K premium on the C55.

weinschela

I would be surprised if MB ever said that as they don't sell cars to consumers. The factory sells to the US distributor which sells to dealers who sell to consumers. MB can suggest a price (that's the sticker price). The dealers decide what to charge -- higher or lower. Dealers who charge something other than the MSRP are responding to the marketplace forces of supply and demand. This is true when they discount and it is also true when they tack on a premium. The way to deal with a dealer wanting a premium on a car is very simple: "just say no". The problem is some people fall in love with a car and want it even at a higher price and are willing to pay it. They are in effect "bidding up" the price when supply is tight. Is a dealer doing anything wrong by charging a higher price to those willing to pay it for something like an E65? No. Are most of us offended by such price gouging? Yes. The answer again is you don't have to buy that car right when it comes out. This distinguishes the dealer in that situation from a hardware store that marks up 4 x 8 plywood sheets in advance of a hurricane. That's just plain taking advantage. But nobody "needs" an E65.

DWP

The details-free AutoSpies "story" on the E65 is at:
http://www.autospies.com/article/ind...&categoryId=10
... not that it's hard to find. This kind of one-upsmanship is a rarified game played by auto executives that has very little real-world meaning. It's like "Oh yeah? Your V-10 ain't nuttin' I'll put a V-12 in my mid-size sedan, so there!" Contrary to what AutoSpies says, an E65 would not "end the peeing contest once and for all." If the "rumor" (as AutoSpies puts it) of an E65 proves accurate, we can surely expect a BMW M5 6.0 in two or three years from now.

CALBenzo

For some reason, I seem to recall that that was MB advertising campaign. Could be wrong, as that was at least 3 years ago.

Baby Jocko

Isn't it suppose to be E60 (not E65)?

jprescott

E65 is the 7. E60 is the new 5.

CALBenzo

If this is true, both BMW and MB will have an E65.

Baby Jocko

I'm not referring to BMW model numbers. I'm referring to AMG. I recall reading that the next AMG version of the E will be called the E60, not E65. Ironically, it would match the BMW 5 model number.

At least, here's news regarding the E60 wagon version: http://www.mbspy.com/211e60amg.htm

DavidNJ

I don't think M5 demand will be as high as it was in the go-go 90s. Think of all the M5s repossesed out of the Cisco parking lot!

ZorroAMG

How can anyone speculate how the M5 will blow any doors off the E55K when it'll have a heavy-a$$ V10 up front. I will NOT believe it's gonna way out handle the E55 until CONCRETE evidence is shown. Saying "ooh my buddy's cousin's friend has one and it spanks!!" will not suffice either.

The E65 would just be overkill, the E55K is more than enough of a contender for the M5..

DavidNJ

Actually, the M5 is a much more primordial car. The E55 is an interesting supercharged engine, in a medium state of tune (90 hp/liter supercharged) with an automatic transmission and a slightly stiffer version of a luxury car suspension.

The M5 has a highly tuned normally aspirated engine (over 100 hp/liter, although I can't figure out why they went V10 in a street sedan), electronically shifted manual gearbox, LSD, etc... It is much stiffer than any of its street versions. It is very extreme.

The E55 is a car a normal person can use to commute to work. The M5 can be used that way. But it extracts a penalty. If an E500 or a 545 auto is year current ride, you will like the E55, IMHO. However, if you think a 545 SMG is not enough...you want an M5.

Personally, for M5 $$$, I would spend my lira (euros?) on a Maserati Quattroporte.

nyca

the M5 V10 is derived from the BMW F1 engine. I don't think anything is going to be able to touch that M5, it will sticker at $80K, but will sell for well over sticker.

DavidNJ

Thats interesting advertising...however I don't think it can be the reality (other than both being V10s).

The F1 engine is a 3 liter built to have the absolute minimum cross section and weight. There is no way that could be enlarged to a 5 liter. The F1 has cylinder heads that flow at 18000+ rpm, with the power peak there. They have pneumatic valve springs. And I'm sure different cam drives.

Other than both being BMW V10s, I'm pretty sure the Chevy LS1/2/6/7 have more in common with an SBC than the M5's engine has with a their F1 engine.