Juice it

What year did the sl55 go from having 469HP to the 493 it has in 05. I thought it was same engine since 03 but my buddy was looking at one today and the paperwork said 469. Anyone??

NOTKTS

It's been 493 since 03'
Must be a misprint or something....

E55AMG99

Prior to release (in the US at least) it was rated at 469. AFAIK, all were delivered with 493

Lov2xlr8

yup 493hp since '03. the E55 is the one with 469hp

IanSL55

The E55 and CLS55 have 469HP... though if you ask any of their owners they will tell you that's incorrect and it's some kind of marketing move by MBUSA to hide the true HP of their cars. When I hear that I tell them the SL55 actually has 535HP but MBUSA is also under reporting it.

~ Ian

sprins

That was from 2002 -> 2003 model year. Apparently when they introduced the E55 they wanted to have a difference in Hp as well as price.

I believe the 2002 model wasn't shipped t the US.

sporters78

Mine dyno at 503 hp with just airfilters

newton22

SL55? No yours didn't. :p

IngenereAMG

I bet that the E55 and CLS55 are rated at 469 v the SL55 @493 is a marketing ploy, since 0-60 times are virtually identical. They have to keep the top of the line more powerful....at least on paper. If its real its most likely ECU tuning.

sporters78

Hey newton22 , want to bet that i dyno that?

VelocitE55

It is a marketing ploy. Mercedes quotes the E55 and CLS55 as having 469 HP in order to justify the significant price hike of the other Kompressor models. Do you really think they could lower the power of the MK113K by 24 HP and yet somehow maintain an identical Torque output of 516 LB-Ft? The answer is no, all the 55K cars produce the same power output, MB just needs to justify the extra $30K-$40K that the SL55, CL55, and S55 are commanding. The dyno numbers that the E55 and CLS55 produce proved this long ago.

benzmodz

I tend to form the view that anyone who cant see the point in the extra may not have driven these cars.

VelocitE55

I am not at all trying to say that the SL55, CL55 and S55 are not worth the extra money because I would agree that they are worth the money. The point is some people might be swayed towards the E55 and CLS55 if they knew they could have the identical power output for $30K-$40K less.

doltmo

My understanding is that the E body (also CLS) has less room under the hood and accordingly it has a more restictive exhaust system than the S, SL, and CL bodies. The engines are the same, the exhaust sytems are different. The 469HP number for the SL is a misprint on some MB literature.

VelocitE55

How would less underhood room affect the exhaust system which is under the car? They make the same power, there are dyno graphs to prove it.

natec

I am not saying that the claim about the lack of space under the hood is true, in fact I doubt that it is.....however, if there were a lack of space under the hood it could potentially affect the exhaust system. I'm not sure how much you know about exhaust systems, but although they may be under the car, they do originate at the engine which is under the hood. The headers could be restricted by a lack of space, but I doubt it.

VelocitE55

Yes, I am fully aware that the exhaust system originates with the headers. In the end, the available dyno graphs showing that the E55 and CLS55 produce the same power as the more costly Kompressor cars puts that theory to rest.

natec

Ahh...that is good to hear Your original post sounded a little ridiculous by not accounting for them. Regardless, I don't think there is any significance to it because, as you pointed out, they produce the same exact power because they have the same exact motor, intake, exhaust.

IanSL55

I own both cars (SL55 and E55) and I've heard that same tired argument and it honestly has never made sense to me. If someone could come up w/ a better reason I might be inclined to believe it... but really... why would ANY manufacturer UNDERSTATE horsepower? Makes ZERO sense from a business perspective. Does anyone really think that MBUSA is more worried about justifying a price for it's flagship cars v. beating the competition (BMW, Audi, etc)? Is it even legal to misrepresent a car like that?

OK, the torque curve is a interesting point, however the exhausts on the cars are different for sure... one just needs to hear the exhaust note to realize that. And yes, I've heard the DYNO argument but it ALWAYS originates from the E55 owners and I've never seen any unbiased comparison (done on the same dyno under the same conditions). Maybe I should dyno mine back to back and put this whole thing to rest... though I would say my money is on the SL55 over my E55 under those circumstances (and reverse on the road - the E55 is faster).

~ Ian

VelocitE55

I never said the exhaust systems werent different. At the very least the exhaust systems differ in length. If the E55 and CLS55 were detuned from 493 HP, then not only would the Dyno Graphs support that, but the Torque number would have had to fall as well. Dyno your cars and see what happens, I am open to either conclusion.

In terms of Marketing, MB is likely looking at it from the perspective that some sales of the SL55, CL55 and S55 would undoubtedly be lost if everyone knew they could get the same power from a lesser model. True its all profit for them either way, but it would be MORE profit if people werent swayed by the fact that they could have the same power output for significantly less money by going with an E55 or a CLS55. Obviously only so many people would go this route but nonetheless, there are people out there who would. Its business, and your aim is to make the most profit possible.

sprins

If you say that dyno-ing the cars proves exact torque and power I beleive you. However I think it is entirely possible to (electronically) tweak the car so that one of those numers changes while the other stays the same.

Look at the SL65. Detuned torque, but not detuned power. As I understood.

E55AMG99

No it isn't. The German TUV and the US as well have regs that force manufacturers to be more accurate in their ratings.

IanSL55

Obviously only so many people yes... maybe like 10 in the world? The SL, CL, and S are in a totally different class than the E... People are not even looking at the E55 when they're looking at these cars.

The E's competition is the BMW 5-Series, the Audi 6, and every other 4 door performance sedan... not the CL, S, or SL. What's at a greater loss to MBUSA? Losing a SL55 sale to a E55, or losing a E55 sale to a M5? It doesn't take a Ivy League MBA to understand if you want to make the E55 as profitable as possible (from a sales perspective), your BEST STRATEGY is to market successfully against your direct competitors (i.e. BMW, Audi, etc.).

No E55 product manager worth his salt who's success is measured by sales is going to sign off on understating HP for the sake of other cars in his company. I mean really? Why not say it runs slower and has less legroom as well? What otehr manufacturer understates their car in any way? And now w/ the new M5 out and rated over 500HP why isn't MB upping the E55 to 493HP on paper to keep it right there? My guess is because they'd get called on it...

I'm more inclined to believe it was a typo than some screwy marketing plan.

~ Ian

VelocitE55

The bottom line is that I dont know exactly why MB would claim a lower output and a typo would not be allowed to stand year after year. The fact is E55's and CLS55's clearly produce more power than stated, putting them right up there with the likes of the SL55, CL55 and S55 in terms of output.

I am not trying to put down anyone or anyone's car. I live for 3 things, family, friends, and AMG vehicles! Enjoy your cars!