vlix

hey all, i am getting a E55 soon, gonna place my order in january and the dealer said its gonna arrive in may (i am in hong kong btw). i have done some search on this forum, and i still got a few questions:

1) what don't u like about the E55 so far? the interior quality? lots of minor errors? instrument cluster? ...etc.?

2) what are the must-have options?? the dealership told me that they can't put the glass roof (the one i saw on E500) on cuz the car is faster and it would be dangerous(???). and i wont be able to get NAV. cuz it doesnt work in hong kong...

3) is there a 2004 version of E55 coming out soon? hows the 2003 E55 so far? i know there are a lot of problems with the 2003 regular E-class. wonder if i should get the 2003 E55 or 2004.

afterall, i am very excited about getting an AMG. i am driving a 2001 w203 c320 in LA right now. its a pretty good car and i will sure miss it a lot (maybe not haha). i need a slightly bigger car since i will be graduating from college soon. thanks for answering my questions/ helping out in advance.

norb

Must have options? YES to all of the above.

MBE55AMG

Of course, '04's already out!

amg55

The 2004 E55's came out in the USA in October. The changes were few (drive dynamic seats come discounted with ventilated seat option in USA, a few minor pricing changes, no mechanical changes).

In the USA the glass (panorama) roof is an option. Yes, it is heavier. Risk does not seem to be an issue, and the contention that the car is too fast to make it safe is just dealer doubletalk.

MB's nav system is not one of the better systems out there. If you can't get it you're not missing out on a world class system.

As for the interior, it is one of the aspects of the E55 which very few people have complaints about. It's quite a step forward from the prior E55 (210) and since BMW's new 5 series has taken a step back in its interior design and quality (my opinion and that of almost every car reviewer I've read) it makes the E55 that much easier to appreciate.

Best options IMO are the panorama roof, CD changer and solar panel if you live in a very warm climate.

EDWARD CONROY

Whether the Harmon Kardon is standard for you or you have to order it, you want that. The CD changer is a must. In dash and very easy to load and unload discs. We have the Keyless Go and I would highly recommend it. The automatic trunk option doesn't cost that much so you may want to consider it rather than regret not getting it like me. So far I haven't found anything I don't like about the car. The interior is very nice, seats are quite comfortable. Oh, don't know your climate but we have found the climate control to be very good in this car so far. No more of this constant too hot, too cold stuff I had with other cars.

vlix

wow thanks guys. your replies really helped. the dealership called me this afternoon and confirmed that its gonna have everything u guys mentioned above except for the glass roof. he has also mentioned something about the air suspension or braking system??? which i wasn't too sure what he was talking about... any problems with those? or should i stick with regular suspension or braking system.

also, to all the current E55 owners, hows the throttle response of the car? is there a slight delay during acceleration??

Dave OH

I think Keyless Go is definitely a "Must Have". I'm a gadget guy so that helps, but it is also very convinient. Don't have to search for the key in my pockets in the rain etc. Plus, pushing a button on the gear shifter and hearing the beast roar to life is just so darn cool!

EDWARD CONROY

I agree, Dave. No more clicking for this or clicking for that. I will use the keys in the summer though to lower the windows and open the sun roof before I reach the car. I accidentally disovered you can do it with the door handle, but I want that heat escaping sooner.

vlix

alright. paid 10% deposit this afternoon, now all i can do is wait for 5 months and read this forum everyday. kindof excited!

brilliant silver, black/blue interior, most options except for NAV, whole glass roof, and distronic.

03E55AMG

I know I wouldn't buy one without the E1 package that's for sure. I hope Mercedes Benz put the Bi-Xenon headlamps in all the models as standard. It's kinda cheap from their side not to have that Standard.

W210

Smart move not to order distronic in HK. Are you sure you like the black/blue interior?

Make sure you get the active bi-xenons if they're available!

By the way, to answer your previous question, no delay in acceleration whatsoever. The E55 is amazing.

vlix

yeh i like the black/blue interior =)

active bi-xenons?? hmm. gotta check with that. shouldn't it be standard tho? i am sure it comes with bi-xenons, but i dunno if there are difference between active bi-xenons and just bi-xenons. can anyone tell me??

W210

http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cf...es-benz/1.html

vlix

hey thanks for the link. however, i just called the dealership and found out that active bixenons are not available in hong kong yet. oh well.

ALSO, can anybody post some pictures of the interior? i wanna see how the AMG steering wheel looks like. is it thicker than the lets say E500 sport?? i ordered the one without wood on the steering wheel cuz i am not a big fan of it.

W210

Sorry I don't have a pic of the steering wheel, good move not to go for the wood as it may be tricky to install with the steering wheel buttons at the back. I'll try to take a photo of the steering wheel tomorrow and post it.

I would prefer the E55 steering wheel to be even thicker but it's ok as of now.

EDWARD CONROY

Funny, but I was thinking the same thing. Does that guy really wanna go for the black/blue? Just individual taste. Few would opt for the burled walnut, but we did and love it. As for the steering wheel, it's fine, but the C32 had a neat pudgy little wheel that I kind of miss. Oh, another little thing I love about the car is the cruise control. I like how when you click increase or decrease it shows you the exact speed you're now at, and it keeps speed very smoothly.