I respect your argument. I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder as I think the CLK55 is one of the sexiest cars around and would still take one over my previous box shaped E55 lump. However, in all fairness I must add that out of all the cars I have ever owned, the E55 got the most comments and stares.
The same possibly goes for whether or not you like convertibles (vomit) over coupes.

 

Honestly that's purely your opinion. You can make any car look mean with the right tools. Get blacked out rims, carbon fiber accents, resonator delete/aftermarket exhaust and you have a bangin car. I don't think the narrowness of the car is a big deal, if anything it makes it feel more sporty for me. To be honest, I would like an E55, but the maintenance that I have heard on it will be the death of me. Plus coupes aren't bad, and I wouldn't even consider a convertible. I don't get what you have against CLK's so much?

 

I beg to differ

 

Well I did say that the Black Series was an exception and I so is the DTM I guess. Hell if you're into convertibles, this Black Series conversion is SEX!!! I was talking about the standard CLK AMG.









If I knew where to buy this kit I would actually build a CLK63 Black Series Cabriolet but I'm not sure who makes it. This widebody takes a turd and turns it into a DIAMOND. It's STUNNING!!

As for width not having to do with a car's sexiness.....

 

You know you have a bad a$$ car when you Armor All the tread of your tires!

 

 

I never realized how much of a big deal the width of the car was. I never once heard about this complaint before now and I definitely never thought of it once since I have owned my car.

The CLK55 has never attempted to be anything other than a luxury coupe with some performance. I am not sure why you are comparing it to a supercar. I drove a Gallardo in the weekend, they couldn't be more different with completely different purposes. The CLK is a fantastic daily driver, the Lamborghini is nice to have as a second car but almost never use since it is impossible just to get in and out of let alone park it anywhere and the gear changes....

 

CLK55 is slow? The fastest 55 is a CLK55

 

Your car doesn't count Ahmad I'm talking about stock CLK55s, not ones that run on pure crack coke.

Luxury, yes luxury. Have you seen a new luxury vehicle that is narrow? Name me ONE. Presence is luxury. Luxury cars need to STAND OUT and look big and imposing. You love your car and that's great. It's a great car, definitely better than alot of cars on the road but the OP was asking for advice to decide between the CLK and the E and there is just no comparison. The E is better in every single way.

 

Why are the CLK55s not as quick as other n/a 55s? I held onto the rear of a 209 55 convertible in my 220 S500 months back, thought it was a fluke...he was not pulling.

 

First of all you have to define narrow. The Elise is a couple of cm narrower, the 997 991 is a couple of cm wider than the CLK but I doubt you would call them narrow. Secondly no thanks, I have better things to do than try and think of every luxury car I can and find its width online. A finally the E is better than the CLK in many ways but not all of them hence you are not really helping the OP, you are simply trying to reinforce perhaps an insecurity in your own car choice. I can't think why else you would be so narrow (like a CLK) minded.

w220 S500 1855kg, 302hp, w209 CLK55 1657kg 362hp. I am not sure how they would not win by a large margin. The cabriolets are heavier and slower than the coupes.

 

The way I would put it is this:

it can be a easier to find a cool looking W211 E than a CLK. The CLK needs the black interior, and black on black and silver on black look good but the rest can be meh. The grey C class interior can be terrible.

But it can be easier to find a CLK with lower expected total cost. The CLKs often have a lot less miles for the price, there is no turbo, there is less power and torque pulling on the same transmission, no air suspension.

I spent some time in a black on black CLK500. Feels good, good power, but wobbly. I would probably willingly pay for the air suspension (but then I might pay for ABC in a SL).

 

The 997 and 991 actually are narrow. I don't like them. The GT3 and the Turbo on the other hand are not narrow and are ALOT wider than a CLK. More than 4 inches is ALOT. I parked next to a Maserati in my W211 the other day and it made in look tiny. I felt really bad. I can't imagine what a CLK would look like next to a Maserati, like a pencil. I've always said time and time again the W211 is extremely narrow so I'm just telling the OP to consider this characteristic.

I do get your argument though because this is just my personal opinion and what I want from a car. Maybe the OP wants something different so yes, I am extremely biased, who isn't though, that's what OPINION is. For me big V8s are muscle cars and so presence is part of the appeal.

We have a car here where I live that's not available in the US. It sort of is but the Pontiac G8 is very different although they share the chassis. It's called a HSV and it's made by Holden. Let me tell you, this car is ****ing MEAN!!!! I mean in black they way it looks is just PURE MUSCLE. It's big and wide. This is a car I HATE because everytime I pull up next to one I feel my car is inferior. The engine, interior, performance, price...all that doesn't matter when you're just sitting at the traffic light next to a car that looks like it's overdosed on ROIDS and LIVES in the gym. Everytime I see one I curse Mercedes and their dumb design department for making my car so small.












Why don't I buy one? Because it's not a Merc, it's not a luxury car and it drives like **** and looks like **** inside. It's also a.....lower class vehicle. Let's just say the people who drive these aren't going to be invited to have dinner with the Queen if you catch my drift.

 

Haha i actually agree with you totally on that point. Being in NZ we have HSVs everywhere. Most of them are pretty ugly with cheap plastic interiors but they do have road presence.

 

I am really surprised that in a case where the choices are E55 or CLK55, there is no discussion about the logical inbetween, the CL55.
You get a beautiful coupe that is more spacious than the CLK, and the low end grunt of the E (if you pick the correct years) Hell, if you're brave enough, get a twin turbo v12.

 

I have considered these but looking at the repair costs with the ABC suspension makes me reconsider.

 

Had one of those (yes we get them here in South Africa). Mine was also black on black and it was the biggest POS I ever owned. I sold it after 2 months! Mine was badged as the Chev Lumina SS and was not the HSV supercharged version, but the N/A 6.0 V8. The interior was huge and crap, the car was massive and heavy. The motor was asthmatic (LS2 or LS3 - can't remember or care). The suspension was crap, the brakes non- existent, I could barely hear the V8! The gearbox was the worst of all. I needed to spend at least another $15 000 to get a bolt on S/C, stiffer coilovers, big brake kit, bigger 19" wheels, new headers and full exhaust, new intake, new engine and gearbox software, heads needed porting, bigger cams and the list went on. Even a slightly modified Golf7 Gti could drop that tank. The only thing a Holden is good for is drifting! I cannot stand big cars. Everytime I parked it I worried about someone dinging the door because it took up soooo much space in the parking bay. It was a pig to maneuver around in tight spaces. The seats were made for someone who weighed 120kg plus, with an *** like a rhino and offered zero lateral support during cornering (not that this ungainly beast could ever attempt anything resembling cornering). As you mentioned, it takes a certain type of person to buy this POS.

 

They are all N/A. I think only the Walkinshaw ones were supercharged, I have seen a 480 and a 500kW version at the local Holden dealer for getting close to new E63 biturbo prices. From seeing them around and talking to people, it is generally older, overweight, guys in the blue collar professions who have dreamed of owning one forever. I guess that answers your seat question.

The last one I went in had the rough edges still from the plastic casting for the interior pieces and the components don't quite fit together properly.

 

I am sure I saw them on 'Top gear UK' out of the factory with a supercharger?
Single cam & push rod, 2 valves per cylinder rubbish. Surprised they didn't come with a dual twin choke carb setup. Reminds me of the Ford XR6 from the 80's (appealed to the same crowd) or the Sierra RS V8.

 

Mine had a Blaupunkt stereo system in it - didn't know they were still in business or survived the 80's. That is how outdated that dreadful car is.

 

VXR8 Bathurst Edition

 

This is 100% true. They are RUBBISH cars. They are HORRIBLE. They run like ****, interior is TURD and they're very blue collar, very.....rednecky (no offense to rednecks). I do love their presence and size though. They're INTIMIDATING. I wouldn't ever own one because they're not rare, which for me is a no-no for a car and they're ****. Rarity is probably the thing that prevents me from getting one the most. I like that we have so little AMGs here. C63s are quite common but other AMGs aren't.

Which one did you own by the way, the Commodore or the HSV because the rear is different, they have completely different taillights design and position. The Commodore looks **** but the HSV's taillights are very sexy.

 

So how do you chaps really feel about the Commodores?

 

Honestly the CLK55 just ain't in the same league as an E55. I'd be looking at a CL55 if I was you. MUCH more power, more spacious, more luxurious interior, and considering what they were worth new they can be picked up at excellent prices. The only possible negative is the shape which is not to everyones liking. As for the suspension this isn't an issue so long as the maintenance has been performed on schedule and oil changed in the SBS system at regular intervals as this is what deteriorates and corrodes the lines.

 

pffttt!