mikE55

The August 26 issue of Autocar has a very interesting article on Britain's Best Handling car. They tested 32 models, including a wide variety of cars (EVO, Z4, RX-8, Murcielago, 911 GT3, S4, Accord etc. etc.). In the "Thundersaloons" category, the E55 was pitted against the XJR. Sadly, they did not seem impressed with the E55's handling (but they were very impressed with its speed.)

"E55 was faster than the XJR per se, but the Jag was the handling king."

"Go for it and it feels nose heavy, reluctant to turn in, dull-witted and, well, a helluva handful"

Ouch. I think the AMG boys need to spend less time thinking about how to increase horsepower and more time in the suspension tuning department. Instead of creating an E63 or E65, I'd rather see a leaner and meaner version of the E55 that's more like the M3 CSL or 911 GT3.

Incendently, out of all the cars, the two finalists were the 911 GT3 and the Mazda Miata MX-5. Ultimately the Miata won the Best Handling Car title! Chalk one up to the little guy.

pocholin

Miatas are very light and small, they always do really good at autocross events!

I agree with you AMG should beef up suspension rather than engine at this point.

tendons

oh, not again. there was another comparo with the old m5, and the rs6 and the e55 was felt to be sluggish in the slalom. And while lateral g's probably don't mean much in real life and a one second difference in the slalom also doesn't mean "much" I wonder what that translates into for everyday driving. With my
01 e55 I thought that it was floaty and put on Bilstein sport shocks and hr springs which made it much tighter, basically like my 93 500e. so yeah, I'd like more stick, at least on paper; I don't know if I'd realize it in daily driving. The other cars are minicoopers and z8

TMC M5

Mike:

I am not sure that a "leaner" version of the E55 is necessary. Yes, the E55 weighs alot (about 4200lbs) but AMG will not ...and should not make a GT3 or M3 CSL-like version. What would be the point? If someone wants an automatic car with back seats and luxurious appointments, that runs 4.2 seconds to 60 mph and weighs 3,600 lbs.... they should buy a 996 TT with a Tiptronic. I think AMG is happy building the E55 the way it is. The E55 is not meant to be a clubsport model...it is the most devastating luxury sportsedan on the market. It is tempting me to start counting the days until my M5's lease is up.

I think the Autocar article should be taken with a grain of salt. I had a subscription to Autocar for two years...they always seemed to lean towards British cars.

Regards,

Tom

norb

And with the wait lists as long as they are, why would AMG think they don't have a winning formula?

I'll admit the M5 and RS6 probably handles better than the E55 but that still won't sway me from getting the E55. As I'm sure most other owners of the E55 are in agreeement.

hmrdwn

BFD! I heard the H2 can pull a bigger trailer too! Quit wishing the E55 was something it's not.

Want a sports car? Buy one.

Want to race Jag sedan through you nieghborhood or local town? Get your freaking head examined.

You manhood and self-image is dependent on what some auto rag says about your car? It's too late -- Do the world a favor and check out.

mikE55

OK I agree, a 911 GT3 was probably the wrong car to compare with. But I simply meant that I wish AMG would work on making the car lighter on its feet, and focus more on the chassis and handling dynamics. They currently seem hell bent on winning the HP war by having the biggest howitzer cannon they can stuff in the engine bay. A Jag should not be able to out handle an AMG!

absent

XJR did outhandle the E55 but lost in the end anyway due to superior power of the latter.

trock3155

I think the biggest problem is that MB refuses to use lightweight aluminum parts in any of even its newest models. That XJR is bigger than the E55 i believe, yet it weighs about 250 lbs less. Even the new 5 series will have many aluminum parts and the M5 will obliterate the E55 in the handling department, and have the power to leave it in the dust as well.

mikE55

I agree, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not out to start a pissing match with the W211 lovers, 'cause I think the new E55 is an awesome machine. But aside from its blistering speed, the W211 E55 actually has tested to have poorer braking and cornering abilities compared to the W210 E55. The old E55 would pull .90 g's while the new one gets .83 g, even worse than the new E320. I believe it's due to the greater heft of the new E55 weighing in at 4200 lbs vs 3700 for the old one. That's why I really hope they do more than stuff a big 500+ HP 6.3L into the E60. More aluminum, perhaps special lightweight body panels, and anything else that can be done to strip weight while still maintaining the luxury MB buyers expect. Upgrade the suspension tuning, refine the brake by wire system, and the new M5 will have a true rival to contend with.

Mr.PS

The XKR is a nice car but I was never impressed by its accelration times the car is nice and handels great but acceleration wise it looses.

easyyy

This dude is freakin out

I agree with "mikE55".
I share your concerns from the very begining. I was looking for the fastest, best handling 4 seater the market could provide. This was where the handling issue popped up. The 2004 E55 stats were sluggish when it comes to handling. The weight and other factors have prevented it to do the "knock out" punch to the critics and the competition. To bad.

Will it stop me? No. I ordered it and cant wait to drive it. It looks like a winner to me. However I am thinking short term though because of the handling issue. In a year or two there might be a V10 M5 pushing 500 plus horses that weights much less and screams around corners that cant be handled with the e55.

Opinions.