But I am bound and determined to prove the E55 is NOT one of the worst handling cars in the world that people tend to elude to on this forum.

Again, not saying it would EVER win against an M5 or Porsche or Audi..

But reading over the motor trend article just proves it. I think I have come up with my final theory.....the 55 is just a car you have to get used to. When a major car mag put the older M5 against the 55 and the Audi.....all they could talk about was the Benz brakes and how hard they are to get used to. I don't think there is a person in the world who could jump in the 55 and drive comfortably....you just have to get used to her...you put yourself through the dash for awhile, then you get used to it.

Read this Motor Trend Article.
The Audi extends its advantage with superior grip (0.89 g versus 0.83 g for the E55) *****quick note...that is .06 difference in g..."superior" tends to make it seem much more****** and more responsive steering. In posting the Audi's impressive 68-mph slalom speed, test-driver Chris Walton praised the RS 6's steering quickness (2.3 turns lock-to-lock) and reported that its chassis felt unshakably poised. Credit the sticky Pirellis and Audi's innovative new Dynamic Ride Control, a mechanical active suspension system that diagonally connects the front and rear shock absorbers (using hydraulic lines) to help keep the body level.

At 67 mph, the E55 was only slightly slower in the slalom,***only slightly slower than an RS friggin 6**** but our man Chris had to wrestle with its slower steering (2.7 turns lock-to-lock) and noted that the Benz also felt nervous at its limits--an observation shared by several other drivers after their on-road drives. ***again not saying it is the best handler, but even Andretti couldn't make a taurus do that....the E55 DID...it wasn't pretty...but she almost matched**** The Benz also was slightly edged out in braking performance, its electro-hydraulic binders stopping the car from 60 mph in just 118 feet--versus a tongue-straightening 113 for the RS 6. ***again..tongue reference makes it seem like the Benz took a mile to stop****Neither car's brakes knows the meaning of the word "fade."

Bottom line for drivers of either of these two wuendercars: The fabulon in the Ferrari 360 might be able to smoke you. But only if he works a helluva lot harder.


Please don't start talking about the new M5....the near 3 year old technology of the E55 is unfair to compare to the latest M5 tech. New CLS handling raves prove that.


Just trying to say that this car is NOT the 1972 Cadillac or 1978 Grand Marquis that is always is pegged to be. If you put those cars (RS6 VS E55) on the track...the Benz guy would be exhausted from the fight...but he certainly wouldn't be humiliated, again like many claim would happen.

All very good points. Thanks for sharing.

But couldn't they have made the handling a little sharper?

the car still weighs 4080 dry and corners like the SS love boat. The people who have actually had there car to the track can tell you that from
experience. I know your just trying to defend her and I'm on your side, but reality is reality. and I'm over the M5 thing yea its alittle faster stock but not faster than mine, and I'll beat 9 out of 10 people at track day in my old 03 anyday. everyone needs to stop comparing car to car cause 99% of the people who own both couldn't drive them on the edge with out crashing anyway.

just somthing to think about.

The e55 wasnt meant to feel like the m5 or rs6.Its exactly what MB wanted it to be.

Im sure the e55 would handle alot better if you install some coil overs and throw
that open diff away.

you can only go so fast around a corner with out crashing.MB didnt care about how fast that car can take corners in.

skratch...huh?

Anyhoo. I love the ride o my Benzo. i SMOKE most cars and motorcycles on open roads and twisties. What track? Against what cars? Ok, The 911 turbo will get an E55 by a few seconds per lap. SO WHAT!!! It should WHat the hell else can it do? Can it have my family of four riding along w/ DVD and AC kicking all with NO loss in performance?
LOL. Now I don't feel so bad for givin that snobby with a new Carrera S a piece of my tread

well the E is ok to drive but again i see no reason why it cannot be held to the same standard as the two cars it competes against.

a real test to determine how a car drives and how well the car is set up is to drive it without the stability program turned on. when you turn esp off in the E55 the car turns into a serious handful while the M5 and RS6 just go right along and feel just as fun (if not more) than when the system is off. the E55 needs all these computers to keep it under control and that just points to the fact that MB tuned the car only to perform well up to the threshold of the ESP system. after that they left you to fight the car and lurid slip angles of random under and oversteer.

the British magazine stated this best when it stacked the M5 up against the "better driving" CLS55 (but i dont agree the CLS is any better than the E55). they said the CLS was fine and got the job done with esp but it was down right scary when the system turned off. that to me is a big mistake and ESP is just a crutch to keep the seemingly poorly set up chassis under control.

All the tests discussed above were done with ESP on for the E55 and as I recall the article said the car was slower in every test with the system turned off. I think many publications have found this to be true.

ok i know i will get flamed up and down for this post but hey im ready. Bring it on!

well lets say the E55 is said to be slower than a RS6 around the ring (but i have never seen a time for the E55 so i cant post specific figures -- just texual reviews) in germany and it has way less power. maybe if it could carry a little of that massive speed THROUGH the corners (instead of boiling and killing the brakes) the car would be a "performance sedan" and not a "weekend luxo drag car."

If the E55 was so great it would ride well and drive well. The M5 is said to have a ride equal to the E when the E is set in sports 1 with AirMatic. One issue is the M5 kills it when the road turns. its all about ride/handing and the E really does not ride that well in sports 2 and well it does not drive all that well either (when stacked up against a M5 or RS6).

My friend drives an M3 and I have tried to explain these points to him but he just says they handle like ****.

Good points...Mercedes will always be more luxurious cruiser and straight like Rocket, it will never handle like M5, not talking about RS6 which is glued to the road...but M5 is more fun to drive on track...

E55 handling is not bad or CLS55 but not like RS6's and M5's...But neithe of those 2 offer same level of refinery and comfort as E55...

Different marketing strategies and sligtly different target audiences...

IMO handling is more than just outright speed through the corners, how easy is the performance is to extract, how poised and controllable is the car aproaching the limit is just as important as pure g's.

Take a look at this. These are the lap times that Top Gear has gotten on their track. I have the video of the run that got this time if anyone wants to host it. BTW, these times are achieved by a professional driver.

1st Maserati MC12 - 1.18.9
2nd Ferrari F60 Enzo - 1.19.0
3rd Ariel Atom - 1.19.5
4th Porsche Carerra GT - 1.19.8
5th Mercedes McLaren SLR - 1.20.9
Ford GT - 1.21.9
Ferrari 360 CS - 1.22.3
Porsche GT3 RS - 1.22.3
Murcielago - 1.23.7
Zonda - 1.23.8
Koenigsegg - 1.23.9
Noble - 1.25.0
Gallardo - 1.25.8
Lotus Exige - 1.26.4
Chevrolet Corvette - 1.26.8
Mercedes CLS 55 AMG - 1.26.9
Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
TVR 350C - 1.27.5
BMW M3 CSL - 1.28.0
Dodge Viper SRT-10 - 1.28.5
MG SV - 1.28.6
Porsche 911 Carrera S - 1.28.9 (very wet)
Mitsubishi Evo VIII - 1.28.9
BMW Alpine Z8 - 1.29.0
Mercedes CL65 - 1.29
Alfa 3.7 GTA - 1.30.0
Subaru Impreza STI - 1.30.1
Aston Martin DB7 GT - 1.30.4
Audi S4 - 1.30.9
Porsche 911 turbo - 1.31.0
Vauxhall VX 220 turbo - 1.31.3
Honda NSX Type R - 1.31.6
BMW M3 - 1.31.8
Nissan 350Z - 1.31.8
Mazda RX8 - 1.31.8
Ford Focus RS - 1.32.2
Lotus Esprit V8 - 1.32.5
Audi TT V6 - 1.32.7
MG ZT - 1.33
Noble - 1.33.1
Mercedes SL 55 AMG - 1.33.2
Volkswagen Golf R32 - 1.33.2
Volvo S60R - 1.35.0
Ferrari 575 - 1.35.2
Alfa 147 GTA - 1.35.6
Lotus Elise - 1.35.6
Aston Martin Vanquish - 1.36.2
Renault Clio v6 - 1.36.2
Honda Civic Type R - 1.36.5
Saab 95 hot aero - 1.37.9
Mazzer - 1.38.0
Bowler Wildcat - 1.39.4
Bentley Arnarge - 1.40.8
Overfinch - 1.44.0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/powerlaps/index.shtml

cls did pretty good! can't complain about that!

So true... bragging rights seem to be more important than driveability, comfort, and now style (*cough*bmw). My M3 was relatively quick and capable, but 90% of the time I wasn't able to drive it that way, due to traffic or ability, and usually wishing my seat was more comfortable and my head wasnt hitting the roof, and all my rattles would go away.

2 Average drivers would probably make the same times with the BMW, Audi or E55 be it 0-60, 1/4, or a track. Margin of error in skill with an avg driver is way bigger than the difference in performance potential among these cars.

Just be glad that you have a classy, well poised, fast as hell land rocket that is one of the best lookin cars out there. Everyone else will naturally try and bring it down.

I own an M3 and E55. The M3 will outhandle the E55 any day but in going from point A to point B, in the real world not a autocross track, the E will smoke the M3 every time. The M3 can't make up for being 150HP down on power.

For what I use my car for, driving comfortably every day, it is perfect. I want a MB smooth ride with excellent handling even if it needs the ESP to do it. BTW I drive mine routinely with the ESP off. You just have to get used to it. It's definitely easier to handle at the limit than my Vette.

Some of those times were in the wet...

It does compared to a M3 but compared to the E55, the M3 rides like sh*t. I think the E handles surprisingly well for it's weight, purpose, and setup. My signature photo is the E winning the novice class at a mini-prix/autocross. I did a run after the competition in my M3 and beat my winning time by a second, but that ain't much, especially when the E beats my M3 by 2.5 seconds in the quarter mile.

I think the E55 also was considered the superior car against the RS6, from Sports Car International. Come on, the RS6 is absolutely dated, at least the North American models. You can't even get navigation with a map in that car.