terrence

Was at dealer yesterday checking out the CLK63 cab. Looked at it but it did not illicit any interest in me. However in front of the car was a new E63. Went for a test drive with my salesman.

Engine sounds a little more guttural. Low end torque no comparison to E55. E55 kicks you in the back as you step on it while this one pulls away much tamer. Acceleration seems to be more linear or even a little quciker as speed picks up. Should be as fast if not faster from 30mph to 70mph than a stock E55. However, engine seems reluctant to rev and revs quite slow. When it does get to higher rpm (5500 and up) it feels and sounds rough while the E55 engine feels quite smooth all the way.

Chasis feels very similar to my E55. Steering wheel is new and nicer then the stock E55 one. However, manual shifts are very slow. I was expecting much better shifts.

Overall, I think I made the right decision a few months ago getting my E55. I like the low end torque, smoother engine, and ability to modify it with pulleys and ECU upgrades.

m52e55

yes. thanks for detail. add stage 1 from any Merc tuner and the e63 will be no match to 60 & 1/4. you will go from even/slight faster to FASTER.

DarkStar

terrence were you on the M5 board years ago?

terrence

Not years ago because I never had an E39 M5 but I did have a E60 M5 up util a few months ago.

CLK500man

I assume this engine was not broken-in at all, correct?
just curious is all.... thanks in advance

AmenMercedesGo

E63 was sold by 5:00pm today when I picked up my car. Fortunately I know who bought it and he will gladly take it to the drag strip as soon as he breaks it in.

BUTCHEN

All I know is that I LOVE my E55. So time (and drags) will tell all...

sly55

thanks, been waiting a long time to hear the results of a first hand 63 drive!

So at the end of the day you are saying that if you had a last of production e55 and a brand new e63 sitting next to each other, you would take the e55??

im very surprised to hear the engine seems reluctant to rev, and revs quite slow! esp with the 7speed. Also surprised you werent impressed with the 7spd!

A quote from this months Merc Enthusiast RE the CLS63, makes me glad i didnt wait for the 63: "The extra gear ratio's mean the torque defecit is negated and the cls63 is actually a couple of tenths quicker to 62mph than the 55. Subjectively it doesnt feel quite so dramatically fast though, the low-down thump of the 55's SC engine instead replaced by more linear acceleration." It was an interesting article in the way that it didnt really go on and on about how much better the new model and new engine was. Given its development i wouldve expected raves and raves about its smoothness, sound, power etc, but they cant help but still give praise to the outgoing motor

and as we all know too well, the ease of modding the e55 should keep us ahead of the game for a while!!
Also about the traction off the line "even with ESP off it is able to put almost all its power down without disappearing into a cloud of tyre smoke. Extroverts with loyalty cards at the local tyre fitter and wallets big enough to cover such antics may miss this ability, but for the rest of us it makes driving quite a bit easier"

I think nearly every 55 owner on this board loves their car for its ESP off tyre smoking ability should the mood take us! And any owners that dont? well just leave the ESP on and you dont have to worry about traction!

BUTCHEN

E55 would be my choice..more enhancements available to pass up the E63. I would rather pay less and get MORE!!!

SleeperX

A COUPLE OF TENTHS QUICKER TO 62mph.
2/10, 3/10. So I would assume that based on these comments, the e/63 is at least a 1/2 second quicker in the 1/4 mile. I have a hard time believing this. oh!! would someone please take an E63 to the track.....

Fikse

yea, no way it will be .5 quicker at the end of the 1/4 mile.....

anyone in south florida with an E63 want to run an E55, let me know.... I'll make a trip up to Moroso as well if you want....

SleeperX

And anyone in NY/NJ with an E63 please let me know when you are going to Englishtown..

TFKompressor

I too am happy with my 06 E55, and glad i didn't wait for the 63.....I wonder if/when Kleemann plans to release a supercharger for the E63...that will be a beast.

bigjuice

You sound like a Lexus owner. None the less, I definately agree with you.

Beltfed

Drove the 63 today, was absolutely awesome........I've also driven the E55 in the past.

The E63 is my choice, I like the changes that were made.

Got the 2nd car coming.

Drove it for 30 minutes or so.

kchristos

I read in some other thread in the past that the torque rating of the 7speed transmission in the E63 is a lot lower so Kleemann would not only have to come up with a supercharger but also with some upgrates to the transmission as well.

terrence

Seems like there are more people NOT impressed by the new 63 than there are people that ARE impressed by it. I for one would gladly keep my E55 reagrdless of price over an E63. Now when I drove an SL600 that same day, now that was a TOTALLY different story.......

kchristos

Tell it to us! How does it compare to your E55?

terrence

Tons of torque. Quite violent off the line and also in gears, yet engine is supremely smooth. Feels immensely powerful. Broke rear traction as I left the parking lot without even trying. Faster than my K1 E55. Would be an absolute monster with a simple ECU upgrade.

BUTCHEN

LEXUS?? How insulting..speak for yourself dummy!

Grumpy666

Be careful with a comparison like this. There's a difference between time to reach a specific speed and time to reach a specific distance. You can see this in various magazine tests where they time two cars to incremental speeds (60 & 100 mph) and then time them to reach a 1/4-mile distance. For example, in the July, 2006 Car & Driver, they test a Vette against the Shelby GT500. The Vette gets to 60 and 100 mph in 5.3 and 12.9 seconds, respectively. The Shelby takes 5.4 and 13.4 seconds. So the Vette gets to 100 mph 0.5 sec quicker than the Shelby. But if you look at the 1/4-mile times, the Vette does it in 13.8 seconds compared to the Shelby's 13.9 - only 0.1 sec quicker.

Beltfed

Mostly from biased E55 owners........yeah that's something to go by.

terrence

Well, I think a lot of the E55 owners here actually could and would get a 63 if they find it to be a truly superior automobile. I myself ordered a CLS63 which just arrived at the local port. However after driving the E63, I now have no interest in it. If I want a faster 4-door sedan for daily driving, I would get the new S600.

Beltfed

Yes and no, most buyers are smart enough not to run to buy an updated cycle model year car. No matter what they did to it.

Yeah ok, a $100k CLS63 4seater vs. a $140k S600 (which is the size of the Titantic)......apples and oranges. To most buyers anyway.

FlyByNight

YES, more so than an M3 / STI owner who owns neither car and drove an E55 some time ago. Please, until you've lived with a 55 for a while, you couldn't possibly know the experience it brings. Same with the 63. I don't value you're quick little awesome test drive opinion nearly as much as any of these 55 owners. They have more knowledge and experience, and would immediately reveal any 63 advantages. We aren't biased at all, just very happy with what we have. To leave it, the 63 must be a huge improvement. Most people here have accurately guessed that it is not a night and day sort of thing.

In all honesty, I find you're E63 banner waving more indicative of bias than anything these long time 55 owners have said thus far. And many, many of them have other cars, and we all applaud the advantages in each without remorse. Hell, one member was just openly considering an M6 purchase and trading in his P-Car. People here didn't jump up and down and say traitor, etc...

When I drive a 63, I'm going to give it all the chance in the world to make me want it as others have. I won't feel guilty for not liking it OR liking it, nor will I consider myself biased along with others here if I come to prefer my 55 over it. I'm all for the new AMG-only direction. They just need to bump it up more for any of us to really take notice.



Loren