AHermster

if you were faced with the choice of either buying a new s600 or a s55 amg, which one would you choose? the amg is actually slower than the 600 this year defeating the purpose of the high performance engine.....


what do you think?

absent

I'm always for more power(torque) and luxury,definitely 600,price difference marginal once you option the S55.

blueSL

It's certainly the case that more torque makes for an easier drive and bigger initial "lunge" away from a standstill, but on the move, lower torque at the engine can always be compensated for by changing gear, providing you do run out of revs. Ferrari V8s have much lower torque than what we are talking about here but rev to 8500 so if you want to embarrass a pretender, you just drop a gear (or two) and floor it.

It's a simple case of whether you want your car to be a luxury or harder-edged sporting drive, whether you spend most of your time on freeways or like to master the twisties.

Two road tests here recently compared the S600 and S55 AMG and concluded - for a luxury sedan - the S600 was more appropriate. The S55 added character which was at odds with the nature and purpose of the car and almost compromised what the S is good at.

Another comparison I read on the CL600/CL55 preferred the '55. As for the SL, I do not expect to be trading mine for an SL600.

Bottom line is that it's great to have a choice of two engines across a range of three cars, there's no absolute right and wrong, it's just down to personal preference.

///MB

"Ferrari V8s have much lower torque than what we are talking about here but rev to 8500 so if you want to embarrass a pretender, you just drop a gear (or two) and floor it. "

However, the Ferraris are much lighter...
You need more torque as the car gets heavier. But, yes for sports cars, on a track, high revving is usually better.

For real world, everyday driving, you can't beat having loads of torque. The 600 will be really fast and especially once you get to highway speeds. The enormous torque will just pull the car away.

The S55 also has a lot of torque... and both cars get their power at fairly low RPMs.

In any case, due to the extra power, a limited V12, and luxurious interior appointments that are not available on the 55, I would take the 600.

blueSL

The most an SL55 driver will need to do to keep up with an SL600 will be to drop a gear to move the engine into a slightly higher rev range. The power to weight ratio of the two cars, the best yardstick of performance, is comparable.

The only area I see the SL600 being frighteningly faster than an SL55 is the rate it will depreciate. The old 600s were not widely sold either and they still depreciated like a stone in free-fall.

Not sure what these luxurious appointments you're talking about are - ruffled leather? Very 80's. What else?

jswedberg

I think ther real differences are not in the engine power (they are pretty close on that point, and if you are being an S based on 0-60 time maybe you should get an E55 instead).

The AMG has stiffer suspension does it not? (I am not sure if that is true on an S.) The standard wheels and tires are different.

The AMG has the sportier transmission, the 600 will be smoother.
The AMG has sport seats, if you like that sort of thing.

The 600 has some very nice luxo interior features (more wood, etc) , and the AMG has some different ones.

The exhaust note will be different, as well.

It really depends if you want a sporty or a luxo S.

Like blueSL said, ain't it great that you have a choice!

theine

originally posted by blueSL

The only area I see the SL600 being frighteningly faster than an SL55 is the rate it will depreciate. The old 600s were not widely sold either and they still depreciated like a stone in free-fall.

I agree!!

///MB

I believe, unless the 2003 models are different, the S600 comes with alcantara headliner, leather wrapped dash and door panels and a lot more wood trim than the S55, 500, or 430. However, I think you can get the leather dash with the designo packages.

Also, I think if there were "old" SL55s, which also had comparable performance to the SL600s, they would have dropped in value too. New models do that to just about any car.

AmgBoy

Hey question for all you guys out there. I have been thinking about this lately and my question is what is the point of an S55 or S600? They are great machines I'll give you that. But as all the big car magazines has stated is an M5 the best sedan in the world. Great suspension, power, versatility and can carry 4 people and luggage. Maybe it's I just don't buy into the whole ultimate luxury thing. Is it that the car is made specifically for the Autobahn and for cruising at 120 for hours? Even in that situation I would really wanna have an E55 or M5, more fun and more of a drivers car.

So my question to you is whats the point? Give me an S55 and 65K for mods I could make it really cool but still wouldn't want one. On a side note I see 50 year old men and women driving S55's which makes me cry!!

Later Guys,
Amgboy