Broker

Does anyone know of a particular resource of the differences in any AMG upgrades for these cars, or any reviews comparing the way they drive differently?

I know the weight is less in the E than the others, I figure that it handles somewhat better than the others, but I'm also wondering how the S CL ad SL compare to each other with the way they perform since the specs all appear to be similar.

I'm mainly referring to the range of 2003-05

Blacksport350

Wow, try the search function!

Here are my views on the 55's in a nut shell:

SL: The sweetheart of the bunch with the sexist interior and most versatile package as it is both a coupe and a roadster. They handle well.

E: The other sweetheart of the bunch. It is a world class sedan that is a bit lighter and can be had with ALL the techno toys you would ever want. A good handling luxo rocket but it is still a Benz, not a sports car.

CLS: Unique styling but an acquired taste. Heavier and not quite as agile as the E but basically a 4 door E with avant guard styling.

CL: I have always like the looks but it is begging to look very dated. Also, I have always found the interior controls, switches, etc, to be more dated than any of the other modern benzes which is odd as this is the flagship in the range. It is heavy and does not handle like the others. I would personally go for an SL and leave the top up if I wanted a coupe.

S: A bigger version of the E that to me is far more dated on both the inside and out. It is heavy and built to be the ultimate in a fast luxo tank that is quite and isolates you from the harsh realities of the world. This takes a toll and handling just as in the CL. To me, this is the least desirable of the bunch.

If you want 4 doors or 4 seats, a loaded E is the way to go. If you want 2 doors and don't need more than 2 seats, it should be SL all the way!

Option availability is virtually the same between the E and the SL.

jmf003

No, I've never seen such a resource.

I'll add that a big difference between the E and the other three is the E has an Airmatic suspension while the CL, S, and SL have Active Body Control (ABC). Compared to the Airmatic, ABC reduces body roll which increases cornering speeds. That enables the SL55 to run faster than the E55 at some tracks (e.g. the Nurburgring) in spite of the E55's weight advantage.

On the downside, a lot of drivers find ABC to feel very artificial and it's painfully expensive to service ABC out of warranty.

Broker

I usually always search before making a new post but just like jmf003, I've never seen a specific resource comparing the models.


I thought that the S, CL, and SL would handle similiar... as different as they look and appear, the weights are similar, with the S only being 65 lb more then the SL. Is there any particular thing making the SL handle better than CL/S?


Personally I've been leaning more towards the E and SL. The E feels like it's just the perfect sedan size whenever I've sat in one and I prefer the lower weight for performance (although lack of ABC suspension seems to diminish this advantage, but I suspect it has better road feel/driver experience because it can be hard to feel how ABC is reacting?).

The E is the cheapest (I think I could get a similar used one for 10k less than SL, or even get an E63 for under 50k now) and even though it's not one of the flagship models, apparently all the same features are available as the others,other than ABC (is there anything else?)

The price difference new seems to be close 40k between the E55 and flagships, even though a similarly equipped e500's compared to another 500 CL, S, or SL doesn't seem to be such a big price difference. It almost appears as though the flagship amg models would have more amg upgrades because of the pricing? The only difference I see is that the E has 469 hp and the others @ 493. Does anyone know what gives the other cars more hp? New, to go from E500 to E55 is only about 21k, where to go from S500, SL500, CL500 to the 55 AMG model of these is over 25-28k more (at the time in 03)

I know it's a lot of questions but with these cars costing very similar prices (except SL, being several thousand more average, but I'd be willing to pay extra for the hardtop convertible option) used but much different prices new, I don't want to buy an E and not get as much car as I'd get with one of the others

I Like Soup

I own an E. If I were to get a two seat set up I would have to go the SL route, albeit the SL65.

As far as the CLS, I think it is beautiful and contrary to what Blacksport wrote, I'm thinking they are better handling than the E and have better braking. But, that is just from magazine numbers I've seen, not my own personal experience.

jangy

Having driven them all at the AMG challenge or Calmexico, there is NO WAY that the CLS handles as well as the E. The E is simply more agile hands down.

As stated before, the SL is heavier but also has a shorter wheelbase, which is the one discerning factor that nobody is considering.

Whoever said the S55 handles anywhere NEAR as close as an SL55 needs to consider wheelbase AND weight distribution. Same reason why the SL dusts the CL55.

As far as the SL, I think it is a real toss up between it and the E for handling. I felt like the E was a more solid car on the high speed oval, but that the SL55 had sightly better turn in and less "push" on the tighter transitions. Also, I felt i could add power sooner in the turn than on the E because the weight of the SL is more in the rear.

Blacksport350

The CL and S handle nowhere near as well as the SL. It's all about the total package, not just the numbers on paper.

ENTIZY1

i have to agree with Jangy, ive driven all three. i drive my E55 every day, i love it, and its my second one, i couldnt bring myself to buy a different car. i love the SL55 because of its nimbleness, but keep in mind that im only 5'9" and i find it to be crammed inside. My buddy has the CLS55 which i like the interior but don't like the exterior styling and it is a little more sluggish in regards to handling. The E and SL handle much much better. I would definitely go test drive all three one after the other and decide based on experience being that you are going to hear differing subjective opinions.

Blacksport350

Just to clarify, I posted that the CLS is an acquired taste and I happen to like it so don't assume that I am bashing the CLS. I was just pointing out that due to it's unique styling, people either seem to love or hate it.

I do however wish the interior of the CLS was more like the E as I am really not a fan of the large dash panel (also a love it or hate it thing).

Improviz

Same publication, same driver, exactly two years apart, both tested in January so weather should be similar:

CLS55:
http://www.einszweidrei.de/mercedes/cls55amg2005-1.htm
Test in sport auto 01/2005
Gewicht 1958 kg
0 - 80 km/h 3,2 s
0 - 100 km/h 4,7 s
0 - 120 km/h 6,0 s
0 - 130 km/h - s
0 - 140 km/h 7,9 s
0 - 160 km/h 10,2 s
0 - 180 km/h 12,3 s
0 - 200 km/h 15,4 s
Vmax 250 km/h
100 - 0 km/h (kalt) 36,4 m
100 - 0 km/h (warm) 36,9 m
Hockenheim, kleiner Kurs 1.17,8 min
Querbeschleunigung 1,05 g
Slalom 18 m 63,1 km/h

E55:
http://www.einszweidrei.de/mercedes/e55amg2003-1.htm
Test in sport auto 01/2003
Gewicht 1944 kg
0 - 80 km/h 3,3 s
0 - 100 km/h 4,6 s
0 - 120 km/h 5,9 s
0 - 130 km/h - s
0 - 140 km/h 7,6 s
0 - 160 km/h 9,8 s
0 - 180 km/h 12,2 s
0 - 200 km/h 14,6 s
Vmax 250 km/h
100 - 0 km/h (kalt) 38,0 m
100 - 0 km/h (warm) 38,3 m
Hockenheim, kleiner Kurs 1.18,0 min
Querbeschleunigung 1,05 g
Slalom 18 m 61,5 km/h

In this case, although the CLS55 slalomed and braked better, the E55's superior acceleration probably helped a bit, although ultimate grip was pretty much the same.

Later E55s received the same suspension/steering upgrades as the CLS55, and it showed: despite having slower acceleration numbers than the 2003, it pulled a faster lap time (may have also been higher track temps helping grip here, as this one was done in November, so test probably run in Oct.):
http://www.einszweidrei.de/mercedes/e55amg2005-1.htm
Test in sport auto 11/2005
Gewicht 1953 kg
0 - 80 km/h 3,3 s
0 - 100 km/h 4,7 s
0 - 120 km/h 6,1 s
0 - 130 km/h - s
0 - 140 km/h 7,8 s
0 - 160 km/h 10,0 s
0 - 180 km/h 12,6 s
0 - 200 km/h 15,3 s
Vmax 250 km/h
100 - 0 km/h (kalt) 37,3 m
100 - 0 km/h (warm) 35,6 m
Hockenheim, kleiner Kurs 1.17,6 min
Querbeschleunigung - g
Slalom 18 m 64,2 km/h

This definitely handled transitions better, judging by its slalom, and also had the fastest lap time. Still, the three are all very close, as one would expect given that they're built on the same chassis.

But out of this trio, the SL55 was da king of da lap time:
http://www.einszweidrei.de/mercedes/sl55amg2003-1.htm
Test in sport auto 4/2003
Gewicht 1988 kg
0 - 80 km/h 3,4 s
0 - 100 km/h 4,6 s
0 - 120 km/h 6,0 s
0 - 140 km/h 7,8 s
0 - 160 km/h 9,8 s
0 - 180 km/h 11,9 s
0 - 200 km/h 14,3 s
Vmax 250 km/h
100 - 0 km/h (kalt) 37,7 m
100 - 0 km/h (warm) 36,0 m
Hockenheim, kleiner Kurs 1.15,9 min
Querbeschleunigung 1,15 g
Slalom 18 m 62,7 km/h

Although, judging by its slalom and braking, the faster time was in no small part due to the warmer April temperatures (or March, as it was probably tested some time before the mag came out...which would also hold true for the others, but that would still put them in the Dec. timeframe, still very cold!).

Broker

really? I've never heard this before. I thought that the SL had a decent amount of room. I figured the SLK would be a tight fit, but I'm 5'9" as well and never suspected the SL of feeling crammed inside.

itsmeek

The e55 does NOT have 469 hp, it's also 493 with similar torque as the other 55's.

C2 Turbo

I thought it was E63 that has 493 HP...but then again...what do i know....

itsmeek

E63 is 514..

Carl Lassiter

507bhp (514 is ps)

LOVEMYBS

I own both, an E55 and an SL55. The SL is the clear winner - JMHO. My E55 is a great daily driver, roomy, comfortable, handles very well, and very fast. The SL is a luxury convertible performance car that handles very well and will beat my E55 (but only by a very small margin). I would compare my E55 to my former M5 and my SL to my former M3 convertible. Both AMG's are GREAT cars and you can't go wrong with either one. The choice only depends on what you're going to use the car for - family and friends or fun n' sun.

MJ50

E55 = sedan
S55 = sedan
CLS55 = 4dr coupe
SL55 = roadster
CL55 = coupe

Broker

Can anyone comment specifically on the differences between Airmatic based AMG sport suspension models and ABC based AMG sport suspension models? From what I see, this seems to be one of the biggest differences in the different AMG models.

Busta Riles

Why does everything published say 469? Not trying to be a smarta$$, just wondering what i should be telling people.