J-dub87

firstly let me say i do think the E55 is a powerful and very machine, - but in essense thats all it is.
the E55 uses horsepower to beat the competiotn, and ok it does beat comparitive cars such as the rs6, m5, jaguar stype-r in a straight line. BUT as soon as the E55 sees a corner it is utterly dreadful.
I think the E55 is for posers who think horsepower is way of proving the size of their manhood!
Endless reviews have highlighted that the E55 performs dreadfully in corners and still gets beaten by the 6 year old m5.
the e55 is not the beast- the M5 is the true beast as it is blisteringly quick in a straight line but also is so balanced in corners and gives the all round package.

AMG FANATIC

Why are you telling us this?

EDIT
OK, I see why you post this. You drive a 2002 M5. Nice car.

JAYCL600

Interesting how this is this persons first post...obviously here just to get under our skin with his "first rate opinion"....statements like his relative this being his first post are better left unanswered....just my opinion.

Jay

deuce zer0

wow, what a first post! I guess there is only one thing to say.... Welcome. I know everyone will make you feel right at home.

MBE55AMG

Like we didn't know that the E55 isn't the best handling machine...

You're telling us because...?

absent

Welcome to MBWorld and thank you for enlightening us .
Indeed, M5 used to be a great performing and good looking car when it was in production a few years back.
However,I'm not into old ,used cars.

Blocktrader

The usage of beast implies brutality here. Sort of like hammering nails with a sledge hammer. The M5 is not brutal. It does have its own advantages though. It is more like a tiger. Some people like excess. Troll somewhere else.

P.S. put some equal tires on both cars and the E55 will dust the M5 on a track.

PeterUbers

[I take back my previous comment, I apologize]

Most of the people on this board have plenty of $$$ to throw around at M5's, E55's, SL55's... I doubt they were uninformed as to the handling characteristics of the E55 when they put down their $90,000. Clearly, they could have had your superstar M5, but not everyone drives their sports sedan on regular roads like they do on a closed, S-track.

95% of all E55's will never see a track in its ownership. Hell, the Cobra 'Stang SVT probably has better handling characteristics in some respects than the E55, but these fine people didn't go out and buy three of those!

Jon200

give us a break

J-dub87

sorry to start a post like that, and i totally agree that a majority of buyers will not take thier car to the track and not need to, just use its power to get to and from work.
I just feel the strategy employed by amg to compete by raising horsepower numbers is a fairly unessesary, i feel amg need to start offering a full package. I owned a C43 a few years back and altohugh it wos great fun, it was very uninvolving, i clearly see AMGs have unrivaled grunt and power but i think they need to focus on other area.
oh and my fellow MB owners- i just heard news that the latest power figures for the new M5 are 507hp, with a peak torque of 520nm. LOL bmw are copying AMGs approach to cars now! - but anyways the ongiong battle between E55 and M5 will be escalated once this baby is released.

shoes

I have owned 15 Mercedes (4 of which have been E55's) and 10 BMW's including a 2004 545i.

I suppose if I picked on individual characteristics of any car, I could find fault with anything at any price. Try looking at the overall picture and you will see that the great company that made the M5 has lost its way. My ownership experience with the 545 was awful, the car was harsh, ugly and just plain weird, and while there were certain things I liked about it (handling is among them), I wouldn't consider another BMW until the hand of Chris Bangle has been exorcized from its design and engineering.

J-dub87

i totally agree bangle has changed BMW's merits and turned the company into one that is willing to take risks. With regards to the 545i, i know a few people who own them and they agree that is a harsh ride and is very unlike bmw. ibut i do think amg need to start changing their operation because most of the amgs are far overweight and are being compensated with over revving high horsepower engines. Simply Amg should reduce the weight of their cars.

norb

You obviously hadn't driven the E55. Power corupts, abosolute power corupts abosolutely. Anyway, its not about the HP, its about the torque. When driving the E55 its so nonchalant about acceleration it feels like royalty. Why should a luxury car have to work hard to go fast? That's pedestiran.

J-dub87

yes but thats all the E55 is, just horsepower. if u want a powerful car go buy a TVR tuscan for £40k, saving £30k on the E55 price.

Chappy

Your responses are very predictible. Looking forward to your next post

J-dub87

good for you my son, i need to share my wisdom u see

Chappy

Your guiding light leaves me speechless

HarveyKorenzo

...Had to throw in my $.02.. being a new E55 owner, one thing I love about the E55 is how EASILY it drives fast. I'm not talking track use here and i doubt if MOST buyers of this car take it to the track and thrash it around... just running aournd town and freeway use. The E55 is hard to compare to the M5 at this point you CAN'T BUY A NEW M5 right now.

The e55 is fast... but it has sooo many other reasons I love it.. brakes, handling, cornering, luxury. Another thing I love about the E55 is the LOOKS... I dont care how many BMW lovers say they are learning to not hate the new BMW designs the more they see them... I would hate to spend this kind of money on a car and have to apologize for how ugly it is... can you imagine showing your neighbors your new M5 and being in the position to have to say "I know it's ugly and the interior looks like a $30,000 car.. but it's really fast". LOL As far as who would win a race between the BEAUTIFUL E55 and the FUGLY M5 when it finally comes out... Who cares?

HarveyKorenzo

...Had to throw in my $.02.. being a new E55 owner, one thing I love about the E55 is how EASILY it drives fast. I'm not talking track use here and i doubt if MOST buyers of this car take it to the track and thrash it around... just running aournd town and freeway use. The E55 is hard to compare to the M5 at this point you CAN'T BUY A NEW M5 right now.

The e55 is fast... but it has sooo many other reasons I love it.. brakes, handling, cornering, luxury. Another thing I love about the E55 is the LOOKS... I dont care how many BMW lovers say they are learning to not hate the new BMW designs the more they see them... I would hate to spend this kind of money on a car and have to apologize for how ugly it is... can you imagine showing your neighbors your new M5 and being in the position to have to say "I know it's ugly and the interior looks like a $30,000 car.. but it's really fast". LOL As far as who would win a race between the BEAUTIFUL E55 and the FUGLY M5 when it finally comes out... Who cares?

PeterUbers

J-dub,

I took back my initial comment towards you, and I apologize for its immaturity.

w/ your second post, I understand you a little better and have an idea of where you were coming from w/ the initial post. I think that the first thing MB would have to do w/ their AMG line would have to be to add the option of a 6-speed manual tranny. I think this feature alone would help bridge the the huge gap b/w the fun level of the M5 and the E55, etc. The ability to Drive the car, rather than have the car drive YOU is the difference b/w the terms "touring" and "sports sedan" in my eyes.

I also think, however (in terms of handling) that MB knows it's been outmatched, and probably will always be outmatched by the near perfectly balanced BMW's. The BMW has been the benchmark for handling since the dawn of its American existance (or so it would seem), and I doubt MB would attempt to take a stab at that accolade only to realize that the company would always come short of superceding BMW's throne.

BMW attracts a different crowd, simply, than M5 and M3 owners. It seems clear to me that this is the case, what is everyone else's opinion?

PeterUbers

For the record, the E49 M5 was beautiful,

the '05 M5 looks hideous.... 500 naturally aspirated horsies are nice and all, however, I can't justify that money if I can't appreciate every angle of the car's exterior.

The ONLY thing I have against the MB E55's exterior is that AMG didn't incorporate the fogged tails in '03 as they has previously been doing. I think it nicely adds to the distinction b/w the E500 and the E55 and it a nice cosmetic touch if nothing else.

I1 ULOOZ

wow this is so boring

Chappy

Agreed. I'm having this done on my W208 CLK55 to match the W210 E55 tail lights....

PeterUbers

Please post pics when you're done, I'll be interested to see how you did it, as I'd like to do this to my w211 as well.

PeterUbers

Thanks for your input, it was definitely worth reading,