c55 amg?
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Otherwise they don't have nearly the number of engine/drivetrain issues that the C32's had.
The thing gets far fewer stares/comments/etc from other folks which in my experience has its advantages
22mpg with mixed city and highway driving. OTOH, I drove to work this morning in a bit more of a 'mood' and got 15.9
The thing gets far fewer stares/comments/etc from other folks which in my experience has its advantages
22mpg with mixed city and highway driving. OTOH, I drove to work this morning in a bit more of a 'mood' and got 15.9
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Wow, nice to see so many positive reviews/comments about the C55 in a Porsche owners dominated forum. If this was a BMW forum (specifically M3 forum), the C55 (or any C-AMG car) would get bashed with comments like "it's sucks because it has an automatic transmission, or it can't handle nearly as well as the M3", etc, etc.
I've driven a C55 for 3 years now as a daily driver and occasional track car and I just had routine service performed on it yesterday at the dealer. No major issues other than some blown external bulbs and a faulty sunroof control unit which was replaced. The suspension bushings were also replaced because of some wear issues. The engine is a tank and has been completely trouble free.
As many have mentioned already, the C55 is pretty fast when it comes to acceleration, especially in-gear acceleration, as it has abundant torque even in the low rpm range. It is slightly (if at all) faster than the C32 it replaced, but it handles a LOT better. I think this car is a GREAT compromise between handling and comfort, whereas the C32 was biased towards more comfort.
Not many people realize this, but the C55 objectively has handling that is very close to the benchmark E46 M3 coupe at the time as indicated by skidpad grip, slalom speeds, and laptimes around a circuit. Compared to the softly sprung C32, the C55's wider front track, revised suspension, more direct steering ratio, and revised ESP settings all helped to significantly improve in the handling department. However, from a subjective driving "feel" point of view, the M3 was still superior. Ultimately, you feel more insulated when driving the C55 compared to the M3, which means more comfortable as a daily driver, but not as involving when it comes to spirited driving.
Styling wise, the C55 is unique in that it had the CLK front end structure to house the 5.4L SOHC V8, so it looks different from every other W203 C-class from the front. The exterior is styled very conservitively with subtle AMG body kit and subtle trunk lip spoiler and quad exhausts, and it really does not attract a lot of attention. The interior of the C55 benefitted from the facelift the W203 C-class had for the 2005-2007 model years with much better build quality and materials and much more supportive seats. It even came with alcantara shoulder inserts on the seats to help grip you better during hard cornering.
The AMG Speedshift 5 speed automatic transmission is pretty good. Unlike most automatic transmissions, it has torque converter lockup even in first gear, so you don't feel that "mushy" throttle feeling you get from conventional automatic transmissions. Power transfer from the engine to the drive wheels feels very "direct", if you know what I mean. It has a true "manual" mode, which means the transmission will really be in your control with steering wheel buttons or the shift lever.....no automatic upshifts if you hit the rev limiter, and no dowshifts even if you kickdown. In automatic mode, it shifts pretty fast too, although not as fast as the newer, current AMG 7 speed unit in the newer AMG models. On the roads and on a twisty track I actually found it works best in the "sport" automatic mode.
Fuel consumption is pretty good if you can drive at reasonable speeds without flooring the throttle. Official measurements of fuel consumption in Europe and North America reveal that it has very similar fuel consumption to the E46 M3, even though the C55's engine is much bigger and has higher output.
C55's are relatively rare, as there was not much fanfare or press/advertising from MB when it was released. As such, most thought it was simply a C32 with a bigger V8 engine.
I've driven a C55 for 3 years now as a daily driver and occasional track car and I just had routine service performed on it yesterday at the dealer. No major issues other than some blown external bulbs and a faulty sunroof control unit which was replaced. The suspension bushings were also replaced because of some wear issues. The engine is a tank and has been completely trouble free.
As many have mentioned already, the C55 is pretty fast when it comes to acceleration, especially in-gear acceleration, as it has abundant torque even in the low rpm range. It is slightly (if at all) faster than the C32 it replaced, but it handles a LOT better. I think this car is a GREAT compromise between handling and comfort, whereas the C32 was biased towards more comfort.
Not many people realize this, but the C55 objectively has handling that is very close to the benchmark E46 M3 coupe at the time as indicated by skidpad grip, slalom speeds, and laptimes around a circuit. Compared to the softly sprung C32, the C55's wider front track, revised suspension, more direct steering ratio, and revised ESP settings all helped to significantly improve in the handling department. However, from a subjective driving "feel" point of view, the M3 was still superior. Ultimately, you feel more insulated when driving the C55 compared to the M3, which means more comfortable as a daily driver, but not as involving when it comes to spirited driving.
Styling wise, the C55 is unique in that it had the CLK front end structure to house the 5.4L SOHC V8, so it looks different from every other W203 C-class from the front. The exterior is styled very conservitively with subtle AMG body kit and subtle trunk lip spoiler and quad exhausts, and it really does not attract a lot of attention. The interior of the C55 benefitted from the facelift the W203 C-class had for the 2005-2007 model years with much better build quality and materials and much more supportive seats. It even came with alcantara shoulder inserts on the seats to help grip you better during hard cornering.
The AMG Speedshift 5 speed automatic transmission is pretty good. Unlike most automatic transmissions, it has torque converter lockup even in first gear, so you don't feel that "mushy" throttle feeling you get from conventional automatic transmissions. Power transfer from the engine to the drive wheels feels very "direct", if you know what I mean. It has a true "manual" mode, which means the transmission will really be in your control with steering wheel buttons or the shift lever.....no automatic upshifts if you hit the rev limiter, and no dowshifts even if you kickdown. In automatic mode, it shifts pretty fast too, although not as fast as the newer, current AMG 7 speed unit in the newer AMG models. On the roads and on a twisty track I actually found it works best in the "sport" automatic mode.
Fuel consumption is pretty good if you can drive at reasonable speeds without flooring the throttle. Official measurements of fuel consumption in Europe and North America reveal that it has very similar fuel consumption to the E46 M3, even though the C55's engine is much bigger and has higher output.
C55's are relatively rare, as there was not much fanfare or press/advertising from MB when it was released. As such, most thought it was simply a C32 with a bigger V8 engine.
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My brother has a C55 and he gets around 12-13mpg in town. It's a beastly engine for such a small car, makes all the right sounds and has gobs of torque.
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I just did a quick eBay scan and sure enough a whole bunch for 30K +- 5K. I have a '96 C36 that I bought in 2001. I couldn't get a C43 at the time as they were still above 40K. Then the C32 came out..... then the C55..... Its amazing how time (major factor) and the latest AMG model pushes down the value of the previous one.
It might be cheaper to get one of those nice C55s than to try and fix the C36's exhaust rattle that been driving me crazy for a while now!
It might be cheaper to get one of those nice C55s than to try and fix the C36's exhaust rattle that been driving me crazy for a while now!
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Even though the 362HP/376ft-lb C55 is about 200lbs heavier than a E46 M3, it can still pull on the N. American spec 333HP E46 M3 most of the time. And to even have any chance of keeping up, the M3 driver has to drive and shift to the best of his ability to keep the high reving 3.2L I6 in its powerband as much as possible. The 5.4L V8 of the C55 has plenty of torque throughout the rpm range.
Last edited by PC Valkyrie; Apr 11, 2008 at 07:40 PM.
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Yeah, that video was posted quite a while ago on many MB and BMW forums.
Even though the 362HP/376ft-lb C55 is about 200lbs heavier than a E46 M3, it can still pull on the N. American spec 333HP E46 M3 most of the time. And to even have any chance of keeping up, the M3 driver has to drive and shift to the best of his ability to keep the high reving 3.2L I6 in its powerband as much as possible. The 5.4L V8 of the C55 has plenty of torque throughout the rpm range.
Even though the 362HP/376ft-lb C55 is about 200lbs heavier than a E46 M3, it can still pull on the N. American spec 333HP E46 M3 most of the time. And to even have any chance of keeping up, the M3 driver has to drive and shift to the best of his ability to keep the high reving 3.2L I6 in its powerband as much as possible. The 5.4L V8 of the C55 has plenty of torque throughout the rpm range.
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