Ian

I recently placed a deposit on an 03 E55 AMG but have never actually driven any E55. The dealer had an E500 for me to test just to give me an idea of how an E class behaves.....please tell me the E55 is A LOT better!

I currently own an 02 BMW M3 SMG and it was night and day.

I know it is not a fair comparison but the E500 was very boring, it seemed over engineered and was quite a vague driving experience.

I dont expect the 03 E55 to be the same as the M3 but i hope it is a VERY sporty, powerful 4 door sedan, which is what i am looking for....not a woolly 4 door sedan with gobs of power.

To those of you that currently have E55's can you tell me if they are a LOT better than E500's and in what areas.

Not looking for a debate on BMW v's MB!

Thanks

Bilal

Well they will be sporty, but for BMW type drivers, and owners, like yourself, stick with teh Audi/new BMW M5.

AMG always have comfort slightly above sportiness. you should get the BMW, but me ill stick with the AMG.

richard brown

Ian, I agree with you, before I purchased my '02 E55, I wanted an M3-SMG, after test driving one I found it a little on the hard side for me, I commute 160 miles a day and I felt that it might become too much on a regular basis. I then drove an '03 E500 and found exactly as you did a soft/wooly driving experience all be it with plenty of power. I then test drove the E55 and found it was exactly what I was looking for( bearing in mind my commute), I would peg it around the middle between an M3 and a E500. So is it an M3? no, but it is a great compromise if you want a liitle more comfort and space, 4 doors and an edgey driving experience. This is of course an '02 I have no experinece with the 03's.

mikE55

I own a W210 E55 and have driven both the W210 E430 and the W211 E500. The difference between the E430 and E55 is night and day. The E500 is a nice improvement in ride and sportiness over the E430, but still does not match the old E55 for driving excitement. I'd expect the difference between the new E55 and the E500 to be even greater (than the old E55 vs. 430) given the supercharger and the adjustable suspension.

I've also owned many BMWs, including an E36 M3. I've test driven the current M3 both with SMG and 6 speed stick. But I'm so satisfied with my current E55 I would never dream of trading it in. Would get the M3 as weekend car for some fun tho.

Anyway, I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the new E55. It's been rated higher than the new Audi RS6 and the current M5 in several European car mags.

Ian

Thanks for the feedback.

The Audi looks too boring and doesnt really appeal to me.

I like the M5 but hate stick shift and dont really want to wait 12 to 24 months for the new M5.

I went on the Renntech site to look at some of the mods for the 03 E55 and boy do they LOVE their products....what a ripoff!

A chip for any car should be no more than $500, and an underdrive pully is about $80, this combo should in no way cost thousands of $$$$$$$!

rroberts

Not exactly the same, but...

I replaced an E420 with my current CLK55, and I have spent a lot of time in my secretary's new E320. There is a night and day difference in the AMGs.

After 30K+ miles I still have have no regrets. In fact, for the holidays we drove from San Francisco to Fort Worth rather than fly. I enjoy the CLK55 so much that at this rate I may max out the 100K warantee before my new E55 arrives.

ajoe

You can't compare the sportiness of the M3 wheelbase to an E55 or M5. Owned both 01 M3 and 02M5 and sold the M3 because I enjoyed the acceration and added comfort of the M5 over the "sportiness" of the M3. I now own an E500 with a E55 on order. I don't think you're a good candidate for this car. If you're looking to move to a longer wheelbase car with emphasis on sporty handling you might want to consider the Audi RS6 and wait for the BMW M6 coupe. Good luck!

bagwell

no you're talkin !!

just kiddin!

E55 KEV

How did you and your Secretary enjoy driving to Dallas? Quite a distance to go for a bang!