ajoe

Currently own an E500. Bought it as a testbed for upcoming E55. I passed on an 03 and waiting for 04. Salesman called and asked if I wanted to drive a new silver/charcoal E55 and so I did. My observations are as follows.

The acceleration is awesome, but you see it more on the speedometer than feel it in the seat of your pants. My viper was the same way. There were some disappointments in this test drive. Throttle response is just okay, not as quick and responsive as I would like. The steering feel to me was too light at higher speeds and much too slow (not direct enough) when making quicker moves like fast lane changes. Yes I was using the "sport mode" during this test drive. The E55 drives "lighter" than my E500 which is a good thing, but it also drives significantly noisier. I have no problem with hearing the engine roar on acceleration but on a longer drive I wonder whether those road noises would be welcome. Now to what I consider the biggest negative, the seats. I am of average build and the seats are great until you get to the top of your back. The are HEAVILY bolstered which is great for side support but they carried the bolstering and curvature up too high! My shoulders were resting on top of the bolsters such that the piping or edge of the bolster was cutting into my shoulders right above the armpits and actually prevented sitting completely back into the seat. Yes the bolsters were completely deflated. Yes, I will buy the 04 because I'm an accelration junkie, but other than that my current E500 is a better ride.

derekp

Thanks for the info , whats your height and weight if i may ask? Besides the power does the E55 seem to offer any other significant advantages over the E500 in regards to handling and ride?

Pierre32///AMG

Thank for you honesty!!, excellent report

AMGB

I was also concerned about the bolstering on the seats. It seem like it was cutting into my sides. And, I already lost 40 pounds. I couldn't image what it would be like if I was my old weight.

What noises were you hearing? Was it road noise? Noise from the tires or the engine or just wind?

Somebody mentioned that they had the E55 chipped out and had better throttle response. Do you think that would be necessary?

amgB

ajoe

derekp - I'm 5'10" 185lbs med frame. My extra weight is around the gut so should have no impact on seat fit. My lower back could reach the seat back and the deflated side bolsters were snug, which is the way I like them. My first thought was that if these were the drive dynamic seats they could break a rib upon inflation. My upper back could not comfortably reach the seat back because of the top part of the side bolster and their angle.

The only significant advantage over my E500 was the acceleration which could be worth the price of admission. I didn't think the handling and ride were as good overall as my E500. The steering felt lighter - maybe it was the tires? Now there's the possibility that I got a particularly good version of the E500 while this E55 was a poor representative. I've heard owners say this is a luxury ride. Maybe when compared to a Porsche but not to a E500.

AMGB - No wind noise. Light background engine noise, not the supercharger. Road noise was the main culprit, probably the tires. I was on an interstate that had a pretty grainy surface treatment in the area that I was driving.

Throttle response - It's better than the E500 but still not what you'd call great. It seems like a combination of the tip in delay of the gas pedal and the downshifting of the transmission. I have no knowledge of what chipping could accomplish. The trottle response of an M5 (without downshifting) is much more immediate.

Ian

The MB dealership here in Tampa, FL just got their first one and let us 'sit in it'..yehaaa. No way will they let you drive her. They even had a used SL55 amg with 4k miles and they would not let us drive that either

Anyway, i thought the interior of the e55 was a bit of a let down compared to our Lexus LS400.

I will still buy one and would hve considered the sl55 but no drive, no sale!

norb

If it was a new car maybe they didn't let the air out of the tires. During shipment they over inflate tires to keep them from flat spotting. Its my custom to check the inflation rate at delivery as its often overlooked at prep.

Blocktrader

I take it you have stock wheels and tires on your E500. I had 18 inch wheels on my E500 with Potenza S0-3's and it was louder than my E55. I also found the steering on the E55 to be heavier than my E500. Both were much heavier than My W210 car. My neighbor has a W210 E55 he drives daily. He drove my E55 and the first thing he noticed was how much heavier the steering was. I agree on the seats. The bolster, while I love it (I am 6' 0" 200Lbs), is a bit tight at the top. Probably a compromise to use the standars frame and not have it look too much like a race oriented seat. You will really notice the power when the tranny kicks down. Acceleration through the gears is so smoth it never really hit's you hard.

ajoe

Thanks for that feedback. The road noise and steering would definitely be affected.

Blocktrader - where do the top of seat's side bolsters fit. Do they come on the outside of your shoulders or do they hit into any part of your shoulders?

Pbglas

This discussion is very useful for those of us who have ordered or contmplating ordering an E55 --- particularly since most of us will not get a proper test drive.

I appreciate it. I would really like others with experience with the new E 55 to let us know their impressions.

On a lesser point, I am sort of hung up on the ride quality of the 55 after having recently been in a 500. I was just in a 320 and I liked its ride. Can someone tell me where the 55 ride fits in.

absent

Owned all M5's,'02 S8,"02 c4 cabriolet and CL600(03) among many others.
The worst seats were in my 03 C32,the best in my 03E55,period.
Love the noise of the engine,wish it was as loud as SL55 though.
Steering is totally inadequate for a race track but is absolutely perfect for highway/daily driving.(It's not supposed to be a track car anyway)
The car is faaast!,stable at any speed like no other car.
Racing from 60mph to 150 mph against friends 02 996 tt(stock manual)E55 was steadily and surely pulling away,to end 6 car lengths in front(last night on Edens at 4:30 am).
E55 is stock with just 600 miles(don't give me this crap about proper breaking- in)996 has 12k miles.
Will dyno the car soon at Semersky and then put Renntech ECU and pulley in it and dyno it again.

Pbglas

surely pulling away,to end 6 car lengths in front(last night on Edens at 4:30 am).

On Edens at 150 mph!! Wow!

The cops can hide many places and 150 mph could not be just a traffic offense!

I am impressed.

BTW what do you miss about quattro. Road grip on cornering? Or better traction on acceleration.

I had a Saab turbo some years ago and loved it. But I htought a manual was essential to have fun with it. How was the RS6 with auto.

JAYCL600

How is the power compared to your 03 cl600?

sledgehammer

Great post. I also live in Chicago (Gold Coast) and was curious as to where you had the tuner work done on your cars. I'm picking up my 03 E55 on Friday and would like to check out some options as to modifications. Please include any recomendations on sales associates at tuners. I'll see you on the Edens.

absent

Knauz does Renntech,
stock CL600 felt even faster(seat of the pants feel),but was limited to 130mph(ECU has to be replaced) and felt more disconnected,too silent even at full throttle.Was breaking traction in dry all the way to 60-70mph,which sounds like fun,but in a daily driving becomes annoying.
In short,E55 offers similar performance,more accessible all the time,better traction in rain and way more fun.
Having the car for 10 days now I can attest that the brakes are excellent with brake" feel" being non issue,the fit and finish is also excellent.
My only gripe is only the stupid and unreliable Tire pressure monitor(waste of money) and lack of ventilated seats and keyless-go feature(order was screwed-up)
I miss Quattro only when thinking about next Winter(better traction),so I'll get some winter tires.

Pbglas

I miss Quattro only when thinking about next Winter(better traction),so I'll get some winter tires.

Thanks for the response. I appreciate it.

Blocktrader

The upper seat bolsters fall around armpit width. You notice them in the beginning, but I think it is more because it is different than uncomfortable. I don't notice the seats at all now and they are my favorite stock seats. I agree with absent that this is the most stable car at high speed I have owned.

P.S. I also agree with absent that the tire pressure sensors stink. My car is in service right now for problems with them.