Mercedes CLS55 AMG - Another one!
Discussion
Some of you may know that I do technically own another AMG CLS, albeit a 63 model. The thing is I am by my own admittance a massive tart. The other one is a 17k, immaculate model and lives a very cossetted life.
I also have other cars but to celebrate a recent promotion at work (any excuse really) I fancied something with that 5.5 supercharged AMG engine. Considered the E55 and even SL55, but noticed the CLS55 was by far the best value and I do think they're better looking than the E Class and infinitely more reliable than an SL.
So I got routing through Autotrader and the whopping 9 CLS55s that were for sale. A couple being stupidly over priced, a couple with black wheels/tail lights and a few somewhere in the middle. This is the one I settled on.
If you're not familiar it has a 5.5 supercharged V8 so 480bhp/510lbs-ft. This example as 76k miles, full service history and has had a load of maintenance carried out in the last two years. Hell of a car for £12k!
Now, there was a little bit of a risk buying as it was a long distance sale, albeit with a fantastic dealer. I got info on the history, detailed videos and they were able to deliver as it was nearly 200 miles from me.
The 5.5 is known to be tougher than the later 6.2 and due to the torque, retained the older 5 speed auto which seemingly is a tough old gearbox.
Other than the condition and history, there were a few nice options that piqued my interest on this example.
Heated and air cooled seats and heated rear seats too.
Dynamic seats too, which massage your ar$e but also move with cornering. Will be testing them out properly tomorrow.
And a rear blind which is quiet funky.
So far, I am very pleased. The previous owner removed one of the resonator boxes on the exhaust so it sounds purposeful without being too coarse. All the wheels are refurbished and brake callipers repainted. It's ripe for a map and if I feel it necessary, new pulleys can see these go over 600bhp.
Next on the cards is driving the thing properly, brimming the tank and at some point give it a proper clean inside and out.
I also have other cars but to celebrate a recent promotion at work (any excuse really) I fancied something with that 5.5 supercharged AMG engine. Considered the E55 and even SL55, but noticed the CLS55 was by far the best value and I do think they're better looking than the E Class and infinitely more reliable than an SL.
So I got routing through Autotrader and the whopping 9 CLS55s that were for sale. A couple being stupidly over priced, a couple with black wheels/tail lights and a few somewhere in the middle. This is the one I settled on.
If you're not familiar it has a 5.5 supercharged V8 so 480bhp/510lbs-ft. This example as 76k miles, full service history and has had a load of maintenance carried out in the last two years. Hell of a car for £12k!
Now, there was a little bit of a risk buying as it was a long distance sale, albeit with a fantastic dealer. I got info on the history, detailed videos and they were able to deliver as it was nearly 200 miles from me.
The 5.5 is known to be tougher than the later 6.2 and due to the torque, retained the older 5 speed auto which seemingly is a tough old gearbox.
Other than the condition and history, there were a few nice options that piqued my interest on this example.
Heated and air cooled seats and heated rear seats too.
Dynamic seats too, which massage your ar$e but also move with cornering. Will be testing them out properly tomorrow.
And a rear blind which is quiet funky.
So far, I am very pleased. The previous owner removed one of the resonator boxes on the exhaust so it sounds purposeful without being too coarse. All the wheels are refurbished and brake callipers repainted. It's ripe for a map and if I feel it necessary, new pulleys can see these go over 600bhp.
Next on the cards is driving the thing properly, brimming the tank and at some point give it a proper clean inside and out.
Love it, you definitely do have a type !
Does you other half understand you having what are three very similar type cars ? Sort of Mercedes Pokémon !
Look forward to hearing your comparisons and inevitable thorough detailing, did consider looking for one but felt like I had done that with my 5.5 CLS500, did really enjoy that car.
Are you not paying for the NHS singled handed in VED now ?
Does you other half understand you having what are three very similar type cars ? Sort of Mercedes Pokémon !
Look forward to hearing your comparisons and inevitable thorough detailing, did consider looking for one but felt like I had done that with my 5.5 CLS500, did really enjoy that car.
Are you not paying for the NHS singled handed in VED now ?
Thanks for all the positive comments guys. And yes technically a 5.4 haha.
J4CKO said:
Love it, you definitely do have a type !
Does you other half understand you having what are three very similar type cars ? Sort of Mercedes Pokémon !
Look forward to hearing your comparisons and inevitable thorough detailing, did consider looking for one but felt like I had done that with my 5.5 CLS500, did really enjoy that car.
Are you not paying for the NHS singled handed in VED now ?
I do definitely have a type. My first Merc being the CLS63, presented such an epic car that was like new I then ventured into other Mercs of the era. E Class, S Class etc. Typically all silver but there aren't many options of anything too adventurous on these models. Does you other half understand you having what are three very similar type cars ? Sort of Mercedes Pokémon !
Look forward to hearing your comparisons and inevitable thorough detailing, did consider looking for one but felt like I had done that with my 5.5 CLS500, did really enjoy that car.
Are you not paying for the NHS singled handed in VED now ?
The CL and CLS look similar and they're not a million miles apart but the CL is like a sporty S Class but has big seats, airy interior etc. The CLS is feels much sportier though. Hard to explain but definitely a different feel. CL wafts, the CLS' want to tear off haha
As for the VED, I tend to SORN and tax as and when, wouldn't bother through winter etc. Although this particular car being a 2005 isn't in the highest band.
NordicCrankShaft said:
Love the CLS and always coveted a CLS 55 after having a 320cdi, chewed up some miles in that and in comfort!
My other half had a CLS350cdi so basically same engine as the 320cdi and it was excellent. Reliable, good on fuel, comfortable. She used it daily for a couple of years and other than tyres and some camber bolts, it cost nothing other than servicing. I managed to get the car out for a bit more of a proper blast today. First stop was filling the tank, it arrived with the fuel light on and showing a whopping 11 miles range. That dropped to 9 but thankfully went up once on the move, considering my nearest Shell is about 8 miles away.
£110 of Vpower later and a nice full tank. Not sure how long it will last but did display 19mpg which seems reasonable as I tested out the power.
As for the drive, it's pretty savage in one way and very refined at the same time. Burbles along nicely at normal speeds and despite it's size doesn't feel that big to drive. Oddly when you put your foot down in a straight line it surges but you don't realise how quick until you look at the speedo.
The dynamic seats are an interesting option, it's like being interfered with mid-bend but they do work well at keeping you in place. I assumed they'd be moving on really tight bends at speed but just pottering around they move. Novel certainly.
As this is me, I couldn't help but have a go at the interior. It's clean but can always be cleaner so busted out the Dr Leather products.
The leather is in great condition, couple of marks but for nearly 20 years old it's good. That said, I was able to clean them up as there was definitely some dirt and then sealed the leather with the dye block.
Gave the interior plastics some tlc too.
The Android headunit is a decent touch. Can stream Bluetooth music to it which is good and works with the steering controls.
It came with an original set of mats but these already fitted. For general use I'm a big fan of rubber mats.
I've also been put in touch with the previous owner who's more than happy to answer questions on the car. Turns out he fitted a set of LED tail lights off the later model, which is seemingly quite a tricky job to do.
£110 of Vpower later and a nice full tank. Not sure how long it will last but did display 19mpg which seems reasonable as I tested out the power.
As for the drive, it's pretty savage in one way and very refined at the same time. Burbles along nicely at normal speeds and despite it's size doesn't feel that big to drive. Oddly when you put your foot down in a straight line it surges but you don't realise how quick until you look at the speedo.
The dynamic seats are an interesting option, it's like being interfered with mid-bend but they do work well at keeping you in place. I assumed they'd be moving on really tight bends at speed but just pottering around they move. Novel certainly.
As this is me, I couldn't help but have a go at the interior. It's clean but can always be cleaner so busted out the Dr Leather products.
The leather is in great condition, couple of marks but for nearly 20 years old it's good. That said, I was able to clean them up as there was definitely some dirt and then sealed the leather with the dye block.
Gave the interior plastics some tlc too.
The Android headunit is a decent touch. Can stream Bluetooth music to it which is good and works with the steering controls.
It came with an original set of mats but these already fitted. For general use I'm a big fan of rubber mats.
I've also been put in touch with the previous owner who's more than happy to answer questions on the car. Turns out he fitted a set of LED tail lights off the later model, which is seemingly quite a tricky job to do.
Totally agree with your reasoning about the CLS as the best way to try that 55k engine, and with the desire to run one for a while.
The dynamic seats are great, as my daughter said she thought it was a gimmick but then she hadn't realised how much effort it was to sit upright in the car until you didn't have to bother trying
5G box is not as tough as all that, very common for them to s
t themselves at 70k - 90k miles in the V12 TT cars, I did mine in at around 84k. They're making 830NM to 1000NM but your 55k is putting out 700NM so it's still a big ask.
It'd be interesting to hear how you find the engine compared to the 6.2.
The dynamic seats are great, as my daughter said she thought it was a gimmick but then she hadn't realised how much effort it was to sit upright in the car until you didn't have to bother trying
5G box is not as tough as all that, very common for them to s
t themselves at 70k - 90k miles in the V12 TT cars, I did mine in at around 84k. They're making 830NM to 1000NM but your 55k is putting out 700NM so it's still a big ask. It'd be interesting to hear how you find the engine compared to the 6.2.
carinaman said:
Congratulations. Thanks for putting the price. It informed me about whether I could afford one or not. I am not good at resisting temptation so maybe a slower one would suffice.
To be fair having driven my 63 and the other half's 350cdi, I'm a fan of the CLS in any guise. You're looking at £8-13k for a CLS55 depending on the mileage. There's a couple for sale, one at £18k and one at £24k but they'll never sell. The mileage on each is around 50-60k. Low but not low enough to warrant huge prices when one with 70-80k is thousands cheaper and potentially similar condition. The CLS500 has the same engine as my CL500 and that's lovely. Not as powerful but gives that V8 noise and smoothness. They're even cheap to buy. Even the V6 diesel is a great engine just hindered by the anti-diesel rules round Cities etc.
GeniusOfLove said:
Totally agree with your reasoning about the CLS as the best way to try that 55k engine, and with the desire to run one for a while.
The dynamic seats are great, as my daughter said she thought it was a gimmick but then she hadn't realised how much effort it was to sit upright in the car until you didn't have to bother trying
5G box is not as tough as all that, very common for them to st themselves at 70k - 90k miles in the V12 TT cars, I did mine in at around 84k. They're making 830NM to 1000NM but your 55k is putting out 700NM so it's still a big ask.
It'd be interesting to hear how you find the engine compared to the 6.2.
Yeah the dynamic seats are novel, I'd live without them but they definitely work. I was just surprised how much work they do just driving normally. The dynamic seats are great, as my daughter said she thought it was a gimmick but then she hadn't realised how much effort it was to sit upright in the car until you didn't have to bother trying
5G box is not as tough as all that, very common for them to s
t themselves at 70k - 90k miles in the V12 TT cars, I did mine in at around 84k. They're making 830NM to 1000NM but your 55k is putting out 700NM so it's still a big ask. It'd be interesting to hear how you find the engine compared to the 6.2.
Good to know on the gearbox. I would like to tune it a little, map/pulleys perhaps but I'm more than happy with how it goes for the time being. It's certainly no slouch but you know how power becomes normal after a little while.
As for the 55 vs 63, my initial impression is that the 55 feels more immediate. The 63 needs to be revved to get into the power band, I guess more a typical n/a engine. Also I do wonder if with the 55 having less gears to pick from it's on the power band a bit more readily when it drops down. Both epic to be honest, the 63 is such a characterful engine and sounds amazing. The 55 sounds damn good too with that added supercharger whine. I've never owned a supercharged car, definitely feels different to a turbo.
Congrats. These are mega cars, I loved mine to bits. The M113k is an under appreciated engine. The torque and delivery is something to behold.
I sold my CLS55 and now have a C63. The C63 is noticeably less urgent from low revs but comes on a tad stronger top end. Doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as the M113K in my opinion. Supposed to be very reliable also. Watch out for those air shocks 👀
I sold my CLS55 and now have a C63. The C63 is noticeably less urgent from low revs but comes on a tad stronger top end. Doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as the M113K in my opinion. Supposed to be very reliable also. Watch out for those air shocks 👀
These really are fantastic cars. I sold mine the end of last year and do kind of regret selling it. In fact apart from my Cosworth (owned 20+ years) this managed to hang around for quite a while. The first thing I done was secondary cat delete and added an X pipe just to emphasise the V8 sound track. Sounded great IMO and the cold start sound really is something else.
They're very capable cars in standard trim with a good long press on the accelerator you will see it doing silly speeds in a short amount of time. Pretty good on fuel as well for something close to 500bhp and weighing slightly less than Musk's wallet. I really do miss the dynamic seats which were perfect. Great package of a car despite now been 20 years old. I remember when the CLS first came out and they looked like they were doing 100mph stood still although very Marmite cars in the looks department. You'll love the shape or hate it.
Mine didn't come without having my wallet thrown at it a few times. Six months after buying it on came the dreaded SBC reduced braking warning light - that was quite a daunting experience as the brake peddle went rock hard and never mind reduced braking, it simply just didn't want to brake at all. At the same time it needed a new air compressor pump, pump relay, front discs and pads (previous mot advisory), a service and a couple of other bits and pieces and hey presto, £2.5k later. Followed by yearly £700-1000 invoices that I didn't mind as it was a lovely solid car that looked great and went well. The price of parts from Merc weren't cheap. Although talking of parts I've still got the OEM grille and secondary decat/resonators somewhere. I just couldn't drive mine slowly and enjoyed every drive out in it.
You've got a great collection of cars, enjoy
They're very capable cars in standard trim with a good long press on the accelerator you will see it doing silly speeds in a short amount of time. Pretty good on fuel as well for something close to 500bhp and weighing slightly less than Musk's wallet. I really do miss the dynamic seats which were perfect. Great package of a car despite now been 20 years old. I remember when the CLS first came out and they looked like they were doing 100mph stood still although very Marmite cars in the looks department. You'll love the shape or hate it.
Mine didn't come without having my wallet thrown at it a few times. Six months after buying it on came the dreaded SBC reduced braking warning light - that was quite a daunting experience as the brake peddle went rock hard and never mind reduced braking, it simply just didn't want to brake at all. At the same time it needed a new air compressor pump, pump relay, front discs and pads (previous mot advisory), a service and a couple of other bits and pieces and hey presto, £2.5k later. Followed by yearly £700-1000 invoices that I didn't mind as it was a lovely solid car that looked great and went well. The price of parts from Merc weren't cheap. Although talking of parts I've still got the OEM grille and secondary decat/resonators somewhere. I just couldn't drive mine slowly and enjoyed every drive out in it.
You've got a great collection of cars, enjoy
8 to 12 grand for these, and the E55, they do seem a conspicuous bargain.
When you see some tired looking 80s hot hatch go for more than a 500 bhp supercharged monster, it does make you wonder why.
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
When you see some tired looking 80s hot hatch go for more than a 500 bhp supercharged monster, it does make you wonder why.
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
[quote=J4CKO
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
[/quote]
I know the gangster-look CLSs (gah...) and also the super-expensive ones that Alex_225 refers to. I obviously have the same AT search set up.
The CLS55 pretty much tops the list of my fantasy toy list. That period of cars represents a high water mark in cars for me and the fact you can now get an Android system in one is brilliant news. In terms of 2 door cars I do like X150 XKs and a nicely-specced 5.0 comes at a similar price point. That's my other permanent toy search.
I ruled out SL55s when the owner of one I was very vaguely thinking of buying told me in no uncertain terms not to leave it outside in the rain. At the time he was trying to revive an SL500 that had been left out for a long time and had soaked electrics. It was in a right state. I'd happily have a tin top SL if such a thing existed but the only one was the Black Series and that doesn't really count.
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
[/quote]
I know the gangster-look CLSs (gah...) and also the super-expensive ones that Alex_225 refers to. I obviously have the same AT search set up.
The CLS55 pretty much tops the list of my fantasy toy list. That period of cars represents a high water mark in cars for me and the fact you can now get an Android system in one is brilliant news. In terms of 2 door cars I do like X150 XKs and a nicely-specced 5.0 comes at a similar price point. That's my other permanent toy search.
I ruled out SL55s when the owner of one I was very vaguely thinking of buying told me in no uncertain terms not to leave it outside in the rain. At the time he was trying to revive an SL500 that had been left out for a long time and had soaked electrics. It was in a right state. I'd happily have a tin top SL if such a thing existed but the only one was the Black Series and that doesn't really count.
T0M said:
Congrats. These are mega cars, I loved mine to bits. The M113k is an under appreciated engine. The torque and delivery is something to behold.
I sold my CLS55 and now have a C63. The C63 is noticeably less urgent from low revs but comes on a tad stronger top end. Doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as the M113K in my opinion. Supposed to be very reliable also. Watch out for those air shocks ?
That's exactly how I'd describe my CLS63, low down it's calmer but not in a bad way but peaks high up in the revs. That said the C63 being lighter must be quite a tear away! haha I sold my CLS55 and now have a C63. The C63 is noticeably less urgent from low revs but comes on a tad stronger top end. Doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as the M113K in my opinion. Supposed to be very reliable also. Watch out for those air shocks ?
Nath911t said:
These really are fantastic cars. I sold mine the end of last year and do kind of regret selling it. In fact apart from my Cosworth (owned 20+ years) this managed to hang around for quite a while. The first thing I done was secondary cat delete and added an X pipe just to emphasise the V8 sound track. Sounded great IMO and the cold start sound really is something else.
They're very capable cars in standard trim with a good long press on the accelerator you will see it doing silly speeds in a short amount of time. Pretty good on fuel as well for something close to 500bhp and weighing slightly less than Musk's wallet. I really do miss the dynamic seats which were perfect. Great package of a car despite now been 20 years old. I remember when the CLS first came out and they looked like they were doing 100mph stood still although very Marmite cars in the looks department. You'll love the shape or hate it.
Mine didn't come without having my wallet thrown at it a few times. Six months after buying it on came the dreaded SBC reduced braking warning light - that was quite a daunting experience as the brake peddle went rock hard and never mind reduced braking, it simply just didn't want to brake at all. At the same time it needed a new air compressor pump, pump relay, front discs and pads (previous mot advisory), a service and a couple of other bits and pieces and hey presto, £2.5k later. Followed by yearly £700-1000 invoices that I didn't mind as it was a lovely solid car that looked great and went well. The price of parts from Merc weren't cheap. Although talking of parts I've still got the OEM grille and secondary decat/resonators somewhere. I just couldn't drive mine slowly and enjoyed every drive out in it.
You've got a great collection of cars, enjoy
It certainly picks up pace and is deceptive being overall a very refined car. It doesn't feel as fast as it is, if that makes sense. They're very capable cars in standard trim with a good long press on the accelerator you will see it doing silly speeds in a short amount of time. Pretty good on fuel as well for something close to 500bhp and weighing slightly less than Musk's wallet. I really do miss the dynamic seats which were perfect. Great package of a car despite now been 20 years old. I remember when the CLS first came out and they looked like they were doing 100mph stood still although very Marmite cars in the looks department. You'll love the shape or hate it.
Mine didn't come without having my wallet thrown at it a few times. Six months after buying it on came the dreaded SBC reduced braking warning light - that was quite a daunting experience as the brake peddle went rock hard and never mind reduced braking, it simply just didn't want to brake at all. At the same time it needed a new air compressor pump, pump relay, front discs and pads (previous mot advisory), a service and a couple of other bits and pieces and hey presto, £2.5k later. Followed by yearly £700-1000 invoices that I didn't mind as it was a lovely solid car that looked great and went well. The price of parts from Merc weren't cheap. Although talking of parts I've still got the OEM grille and secondary decat/resonators somewhere. I just couldn't drive mine slowly and enjoyed every drive out in it.
You've got a great collection of cars, enjoy
Bills wise, I'm hoping nothing major comes up but I know it's definitely possible. The S Class I had before and my CL I have now has that potential. But I do think these cars are so worth it. Inexpensive to buy but worth keeping alive. I just love a V8 engine and the more kept alive the better haha.
AC43 said:
I had those dynamic seats in my S211 E500. As everyone says, they are fantastic. The regular ones in my S212 aren't a patch on them.
I don't think I'd have spec'd them but they are nice. The overall design of the seats is very good anyway but it's definitely a cool feature. J4CKO said:
8 to 12 grand for these, and the E55, they do seem a conspicuous bargain.
When you see some tired looking 80s hot hatch go for more than a 500 bhp supercharged monster, it does make you wonder why.
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
They are a bargain really, the E55s I saw were a little higher price wise, more £10-18k even for a high miler and especially the estates. Admittedly a monster V8 estate is always a very cool thing. When you see some tired looking 80s hot hatch go for more than a 500 bhp supercharged monster, it does make you wonder why.
Looks a nice one, quite a few seem to have gone for a sort of Eastern European gangster look, but standard they look spot on. Also seem pretty robust and not that expensive to keep on top of based on my experience with the CLS 500.
I guess these haven't hit that classic status so not quite as collectible. Also, they're not revered like the M badge equivalents either. I do wonder if they'll creep up in value but time will tell.
Exactly that with the styling. Previous owner to this one installed later model LED tail lights, thankfully not tinted tail lights. It doesn't take much make them look rubbish. Black tail lights, wheels and windows it seems does it.
andy43 said:
Ace cars. They must be getting collectible by now - I sold mine about five years ago so prices should start going up soon. That one looks very tidy and a good set of options there too.
I never worked my mpg out
I'm not sure if they're a bit too left field as people don't have much idea about them. Even the E55 is a little unknown. The AMG that really hit the mainstream was the C63 despite many other models with that engine being as good or perhaps better. I never worked my mpg out
Alex_225 said:
I'm not sure if they're a bit too left field as people don't have much idea about them. Even the E55 is a little unknown. The AMG that really hit the mainstream was the C63 despite many other models with that engine being as good or perhaps better.
Journos have historically focused on things like track times and road cars that seem to be related to racing machinery - eg the M3. When the C63 came along it slotted nicely into that dialogue and so suddenly generated thousands of column inches for the AMG brand..Great cars though C63s and M3s may be, back in the real world more GT-focused cars (like the CLS55) get slightly ignored. And yet there they are with switchable suspension, vast amounts of low-down torque and an ability to crush continents in sybaritic style.
Since the 90s I've always loved reading about big-engined Mecs and Jags as I think they absolutely nail that GT brief And, for most of the journeys I do, that's exactly what I want.
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