G55 - how do they ride

[911Thrasher]

Been looking on and off for a G55, look and sounds awsome.
BUT how do they ride? They few comments i had is: rough, defender style, etc.
And are they as reliable as our old R107 300SL?

I use to have a full fat range rover supercharged which was flawless.

[QP Noor]

They dont ride too badly...

But not the same as a modern SUV. Alot of the guys change the AMG shocks for G500 shock to make the ride less harsh.(Ive done this myself). My ride is perfectly acceptable and im using bigger wheels aswell (20"). With standard/smaller wheels i presume the ride will be even better as you will have even more tyre profile to absorb the bumps.

Its a great bit of kit and way different to your usual SUV!!!!

For further info, check out:

Pointed Three forum
Benzworld
GWOA

[911Thrasher]

Thinking of this one - looks great value, any commment on reliablility?
http://pistonheads.com/sales/3298720.htm

[QP Noor]

G55's from 2001 to 2004 were the normally aspiarted AMG engine, same used in the w210 e55, slk and clk. After 2004 they switched over the the kompressor version of the engine.

I personally prefer the NA engine but is horses for courses. Thats very strong money for a 2003 G55 but thats just my opinion. (Recently came across a 2002 G55, with brabus bumpers, lights, wheels and matt paint for around 35k)

Engines are bullet proof and so is the gearbox. The electronic are generally very reliable aswell but you might get the odd glitch, theres alot of electrics controlling alot of the stuff (3 locking diffs etc)

PM me if you need any further help

[rubystone]

I've driven a fair few miles in G300s and G500s. They all exhibit the same traits - woeful understeered, bordering on the dangerous, uninspiring brakes, enormous thirst, sloppy handling and a feel of great weight.

I still adore them though and look forward to driving the G500 every summer. Countering the above are excellent build quality, especially on the later ones (which also have better..and more...trim) and a lofty driving position. Oh, and of course their best feature is that they are not a Range Rover...

I have coveted a G55 for some time..my question to G55 owners is..aside from the fuel consumption, have AMG solved all the other issues I list above and what else have they improved?

[joelk]

The ride is pure quality. I've been in mine for three months now, and use it as my daily drive. It's fast* when you need to be, comfortable all the time and can do anything / go anywhere. The centre of gravity is clearly higher than a Ferrari, but it still goes round most corners without making me nervous. Plus it sounds amazing and I selfishly love the fact that it is so very rare.

I would therefore heartily recommend - as long as you don't live near me ;-)


Joel.

Even when in comparison to exotica.

[Chad_Hugo]

I have always wanted a G55 AMG, first came across them when traveling in Eastern Europe on business (where the G class appears to be a lot more popular) and was amazed by how menacing they look, and the overall road presence and style. For me one of the coolest cars I have seen, purely on an aesthetic level.

It is an incredibly rare car in the UK- I have only ever seen 2 and I do a reasonable amount of travelling!

For exclusivity factor they are up there with just about anything short of hyper cars and true exotica.

They have however always been a bit out of budget until more recently, and even now that one is more within reach, considering that a good one costs more than a ferrari 360/maserati granturismo/bently continental gt it's not easy to justify.

Most amg's seem to depreciate quite heavily, and certainly by the time they are 7-9 years old with 50k-60k+ on the clock are not such an expesive car in terms of purchase price. The G55 seems to be the exeption to the rule though- why are they so expensive in the UK other than rarity and are they genuinly worth it?

Is the straight line speed impressive enough?

Edited by Chad_Hugo on Friday 28th October 14:33

[joelk]

The straight line speed is fair: I easily get sub 5 seconds to 60; and sub 8 to 100. Not too shabby considering it weighs 3 tonnes and has the aero dynamic efficiency of a brick wall. And that is with wife, kids, dog, push chairs, luggage, etc - all loaded in too. Something not always possible in other cars of that category, which is certainly one of the reasons it is as unique as it is.

I've just done 400 miles in mine in the past 30 hours; and I was overtaken only once. Jump out, feeling fresh as a daisy.

:-)

[clived]

joelk said:

I easily get sub 5 seconds to 60; and sub 8 to 100.

60 to 100 in 3 seconds - blimey! :-)

[Chad_Hugo]

I think there's a bit of a mix up with the numbers.

Mercedes official figures rate the G55 as 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, so with a few passengers/dogs/luggage I think around 6 seconds would be possible, and massively impressive for a car that weights around 3200 kg!

Around 4.5 seconds is the sl 55/cls 55/cls 63/c63 etc

I would love a G55 but the prices are just crazy for any RHD model.

There seems to be only one available at the moment in RHD and it is priced at 80k. Makes the 2004 G55 which was for sale for around 45k-50k about year and a half ago seem like an absolute bargain as there was not much of a difference in age/miles/spec.

I would not want to pay more than 40k for a very good example, so that pretty much rules it out as far as RHD cars are concerned. Even G500's with massive miles on them (100,000+) are being listed at 30k or over, seems crazy to me considering what a 2007/2008 ML 63 AMG can be bought for- essentialy your paying the premium just for the exclusivity factor and if that's the case I can think of better and faster cars I would rather spend the money on.

[joelk]

Hi. I know what you mean about making the leap. Kind of a leap of faith really.

I spent a fair amount of time, on going, on and off for circa 18 months, looking for one within a price bracket similar to what you have mentioned. I waited and watched, until one finally came up; and I was able to secure it. Now I feel that what ever I spend on it in terms of detail upgrades and customisation, I will not only enjoy, but get to watch it appreciate in value. Which is a nice, rare bonus.

Happy hunting!