rkao

In reading all the threads on this board as a part of my research for my next daily driver, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon that based on all the posts comparing the 0-60 acceleration numbers of E55, E63 and the E60 M5, these cars seems to have become the Pony Cars of the new Millenium. Is that true?

The 0-60 time seems to have become the ONLY measure people are interested in when considering and comparing these cars.

Personally, acceleration times are interesting but by no means the only yardstick I consider when choosing my next car as I don't take my daily driver to a drag strip and the stop light derby doesn't interest me; so I find all these comparisons and the sometimes heated arguments on this one single statistic fascinating when discussing these cars.

jangy

What does interest you?

vader

Whats a pony car ?

BlkE63AMG

I too find it very interesting that so much talk settles around this very topic. I decided on an E63 (due next week :-) for the fact that it is very sporty and fast as well as very comfortable as a daily driver. I think there are many performance oriented owners here, which is absolutely fine, but some of us, and possibly the great majority of AMG owners, are not planning on the Kleeman, Renntech, Evosport tuning of our E CLASS. These are luxury/performance sedans, not sports cars. What good is a full on RennTech/Kleeman system for daily driving?!! Tracking an E or M5 is fun but clearly less than ideal (ZO6, P-car, Vipers, etc..) Are we simply planning on winning the stop light to stop light wars? Street racing is stupid and dangerous for you and the innocent people you kill. Besides, I see too many idiots from MVAs in the ER anyway (hence my ranting and raving).

How often do you guys really use the 0-60 max potential of your car anyway? Are you blasting away from every light, are you racing everyday, are you showing off your stuff to oogling fans?

I remain very excited about the E63, despite all the 'mine's still faster than yours' talk. A car is measured by more than just it's speed. MB/AMG seems to have figured this out (in terms of the changes in handling and the move from simple brute strength/acceleration to more linear, sophisticated accumulation of speed), but seems as though almost everyone here is dissapointed.

Let me be the 1st E63 AMG owner (or soon to be:-) who says, "WHO CARES if the E55 is faster?" You can have your stop light race wars. I have been in and driven 55s and 63s and there is a much more refined element to the 63s, which I am sure very few here really care about, but I love it.

RKAO, I blame you for this rant!!!! Guess I really didn't realize I felt the same way until you started asking the question. I'll let you all know, hopefully this time next week about my black beauty E63.

RJC

Very nice Yenko! Please remember to roll down the side rear windows to accentuate the cars pillarless lines...it just looks even better that way.

vader

Let me go out on a personal limb here. I grew up in a time when muscle cars were everywhere. I rarely saw a Porsche or Ferrari. In fact I never paid attention to anything European except VW's because my first lay happened in one of them ! It wasn't easy !...But now I'm all grown up and have this badass SEDAN called an E55. It kind of brings me back to the good old days. Its the coolest car I think I have ever owned for a daily driver ( well almost daily and only when its nice out ) . I'm sure the 63 is just as awsum. Just to get into a car like these in the morning , hit the onramp and get to work in 37 seconds is a trip. To me it handles awsum...it's heavy as hell but it still handles and rides like nothing I have ever driven. So enjoy whatever aspect of your car that you want to..the ride, the handling, looks, performance, whatever. These cars are killer and I'm in love ! Most AMG owners probably won't try and make them any faster...but for a select group...there will always be modding...some have different reasons but for myself...it's just because I have done it to nearly every car I've ever owned..in one way or another, engine, tires, wheels etc. It personalizes the car for me. And I am betting that even a full on Kleeman/Renntech modified car is perfectly docile in day to day driving which is something I can't say for the Yenko Camaro, Yenko Chevelle, COPO Chevelle or my trusty old 490 ci 64 Belair dual quad 409 ! Talk about a handful !!! OK...my rant is over now ! See what you guys started ?....NEXT !

rkao

Well, since you asked in such an unprovocative and polite tone, I don't mind sharing what would interest me in my daily driver.

Handling/agility - having a need to drive in the suburbs and the streets of Manhattan, a car that handles well on both streets and highways are a definite plus. And the occasional fun on the highway ramps is also important...when the infant seat isn't attached in the back that is!

Mid-range acceleration - very important and, to me at least, more so than 0-60 numbers for daily cut and thrust driving. The ability to acclerate from, for example, 50 up to 70-80 MPH for a safe pass of slow moving traffic on 2-lane or 6-lane highways are of vital importance on a regular basis.

Braking - it wouldn't matter if the car can accelerate or handle well if it can't slow down and stop!

Fun factor - yes, this is a bit of an intrinsic factor that can be hard to quantify, but I'll bet you'll know it when you feel it.

Comfort - this is a relative factor, as buying a sports sedan automatically means it's a bit of a compromise compared to say and S550. But then again, the steets of Manhattan aren't exactly well maintained so some thought for comfort would help delay my visit to a physiotherapist. And this includes having a decent sound system that I can hook my iPod to.

Safety - now having a family with a 4-month old daughter, safety is of paramount importance for both front and rear seat occupants.

Utility - even though we have a full size SUV, it'd still be nice to have a decent sized trunk for storage if we take mine (as the Land Rover ad says) and some comfort for rear seat passengers.

So, those are some of the areas, in no particular order, that I'd consider as important, if not more so, than singular 0-60 acceleration figures.

Oh, and for TOTAL fun? I have a '99 M3 that is a stripped track car with only 240 bhp (barely adequate for today's sports coupe market) but that is F-U-N on the track!

vraa

LOL Don't insult our cars by calling them 'pony' cars.

That's like calling the E60 M5 a Beast. It's wrong. The E55 W211 is a beast, the E39 M5 is a beast, the E60 M5 is a breast.

rkao

I do apologize for getting you started on this rant, but I do agree with you on the majority of your points.

I guess the one thing that affects how people see cars is how and what they're used for. My daily driver is a lease, 36 months at the most usually (though I got suckered into a 42 months with the current A8L and I'm BORED!) so I don't put any more money into it. My track car is a keeper - I've never kept a car anywhere near 8 years (come November) but it did start as my daily driver and has now morphed into a trailer queen. And then I keep a fun car that is the SL500, but now need a fun car with a backseat for the infant seat so maybe a 911 or M3 couple/convertible.

As for modifying cars, there is definitely a market there and the creativity of the tuning industry is awesome, but it's not for me in the case of a daily driver - it's a PITA for me just to consider buying a set of winter tires and wheels, which I do religiously for every daily driver I own.

So, yeah, I understand why people compare acceleration numbers; I just don't get why it seems to be the ONLY factor they consider.

vader

Man don't mention the W word around all these California people. .This car would have to be a joke in the snow and ice...I would not look forward to that. In fact soon I will have to start looking into laying this car up for the winter

Kev04C320

Err.... I find our car very maneuverable in the snow with a set of snow tires. I had the Blizzak LM-25 on last winter.

lauer87

Our cars go as good as a RWD 500hp car could. I bought AMG 5 spokes and put 245/35/18 Pilot Alpins on and didn't have even a scare last winter.

vader

Surprised to hear its decent...then again if I think of the stuff we used to drive in the winter it makes sense. Since FWD and AWD I bet a lot of us forgot how to actually DRIVE a RWD car in snow. I couldn't bare the thought of all that salt on mine though....nasty stuff...

Ted Baldwin

...............I think you make a good point.........but the other parameters are even less useful in a daily driven car, with the possible exception of the braking distance. On your daily drive, you are more likely to out accelerate another driver than out corner, out stop or out run them aboce 60mph. On most roads, by the time you hit 60mph, you will encounter another stop sign and have to stop. The other parameters are only really applicable if you go to a real race track, which even fewer people go to. So for now, as admittedly imperfect as it is, the 0-60mph time is a pretty good parameter to haggle over.


Ted

oblax4

Yes.

Multiple times per day during the aforementioned "stop light wars".

Kev04C320

Doc, that's why your wife is scared to ride with you in your beast.

oblax4

You got it, Kev!!

Kev04C320

I start to have the same problem too. Wife complained about feeling sick after riding with me a couple weeks ago.

oblax4

Slap a meclizine patch behind her ear and tell her to keep her eyes closed!