W215 CL500 vs CL55 (na engine)
Discussion
Hi all, I think I'm going to get myself a W215 CL of some kind. My priorities which have narrowed it down to a CL are:-
1) comfort and refinement,
2) I love the way they look,
3) amazing value; although of course I've read about the potential running costs!
It looks like there isn't much difference in asking prices between the CL500 and CL55 AMG so bearing the above priorities in mind and that I'm not fussed about going fast (if they did a CL350 I think that's the one I'd go for), I'd love to hear if anyone has real world experiences of the differences between the two?
1) comfort and refinement,
2) I love the way they look,
3) amazing value; although of course I've read about the potential running costs!
It looks like there isn't much difference in asking prices between the CL500 and CL55 AMG so bearing the above priorities in mind and that I'm not fussed about going fast (if they did a CL350 I think that's the one I'd go for), I'd love to hear if anyone has real world experiences of the differences between the two?
I had a CLK 500 306 bhp that I think was also fitted in that generation of CL. Worthy but not special. Be less so in bigger and heavier CL.
If you want to waft about, 500 will be fine. If you want to be lively, it has to be the AMG. I appreciate that AMGs are about double the cost to buy and a bit more to run. But they are special enough to justify the extra. They probably cost £20-30 k more when new.
If you want to waft about, 500 will be fine. If you want to be lively, it has to be the AMG. I appreciate that AMGs are about double the cost to buy and a bit more to run. But they are special enough to justify the extra. They probably cost £20-30 k more when new.
Just the other day I was reading Car's review of the S55 AMG with the NA engine. They described something quite revvy and raucous and significantly more zesty than the 500. As well as the capacity increase (which is down to a longer stroke, which would make the engine more rev-happy, albeit is still over square), I imagine it has "hotter" cams and presumably a different fuelling map. Both power and torque are up by about 20% on the 500. I think, though, that at this age, the best car is the one that is in better overall condition, not the one with any particular engine.
The AMG.
As I remember the NA '55 is 367 bhp (hand-book rating), but it's also the torque as we all know that makes the material difference. Used to be the F1 Pace Car at one time didn't it?
Of course, when you go supercharged, then you are sitting in another animal altogether. That's just a thug in an Ede & Ravenscroft suit.
The standard 500 is a fine car, but in my humble opinion, the styling accoutrements of the AMG model (wheels, gentle fender extensions, front bumper, exhausts) really set off what's one of the most elegant designs with a dab of sharpness and edge. And...that NA AMG engine is well, Car Connection said it quite succinctly in 2001:
"We’re gliding from square to square like the world’s most elegantly powerful chess piece, an AMG-modified Mercedes-Benz CL55 two-door. What makes it so special? There’s the absurdly powerful, 354-hp V-8 engine. Then there’s the equally absurd $101,145 price tag...."
For the kind of money these models go for now, then I'd genuinely advocate the little extra to secure an AMG over a standard car. Sure the ride in an AMG is tweaked compared to a 500/600, but it's all relative, like procrastinating over who to spend the night with: Jennifer Walcott or Karen McDougal?
Whatever avenue you take, there a few nicer things in life than being fully pillar-less, allowing the hand-built engine to charge you imperiously through Liguria at the height of summer. I miss my W215. Enormously.
As I remember the NA '55 is 367 bhp (hand-book rating), but it's also the torque as we all know that makes the material difference. Used to be the F1 Pace Car at one time didn't it?
Of course, when you go supercharged, then you are sitting in another animal altogether. That's just a thug in an Ede & Ravenscroft suit.
The standard 500 is a fine car, but in my humble opinion, the styling accoutrements of the AMG model (wheels, gentle fender extensions, front bumper, exhausts) really set off what's one of the most elegant designs with a dab of sharpness and edge. And...that NA AMG engine is well, Car Connection said it quite succinctly in 2001:
"We’re gliding from square to square like the world’s most elegantly powerful chess piece, an AMG-modified Mercedes-Benz CL55 two-door. What makes it so special? There’s the absurdly powerful, 354-hp V-8 engine. Then there’s the equally absurd $101,145 price tag...."
For the kind of money these models go for now, then I'd genuinely advocate the little extra to secure an AMG over a standard car. Sure the ride in an AMG is tweaked compared to a 500/600, but it's all relative, like procrastinating over who to spend the night with: Jennifer Walcott or Karen McDougal?
Whatever avenue you take, there a few nicer things in life than being fully pillar-less, allowing the hand-built engine to charge you imperiously through Liguria at the height of summer. I miss my W215. Enormously.
Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff