2003 Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG - Images, Specifications and Information

i've been driving the car since may 2003. compared with my previous car, bmw 540 i sports, it is much faster and more stable on the road. however, the electronics interfere at unwanted moments and you feel as if the car behaving by itself, especially if you are not driving the car at a fast pace. better climate control and hi-fi compared to bmw and in spite of the harder suspension system a more comfortable ride, which i presume is due to electronically monitored suspension system. all in all this is a very fast and safe car and enjoying the terrific tork makes you feel good.

king of sedans

Bad-Ass-Benz
6-6-2003

After watching the road tests ef the new E55 in Car and Driver and Road & Track, it's a fact that there's no match for this sedan. 0 to 60 in the 4.2 - 4.3 segond range and the 1/4 mille in 12.4 - 12.5 seconds, this is Viper territory, and an unskilled person driving a Viper would lose to the Benz. I don't even mention Ferraris and Vettes cause they have no chance, onlu when the E55 hits the speed limiter at 155 mph (way sooner than the others) they would be able to pass it. Not that i would take the Benz over a Viper, cause the Viper is a sports car far more exhilarating. If the Benz only got a 6 spped manual, it would blast them all. But it's enough to leave far behind the M5, RS6 and many so-called sports cars. Benz rules!!!

Proud E55 AMG owner

MotorXPlazaEuro
25-5-2003

"I, just purchased a 2003 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG it is quite the most amazing car that i have ever driven. I also own a 2002 LeMans Blue BMW M5, that is a gentlemans car. I believe that both cars are great vehicles and both have their places in the ""ubersedan"" power struggle. Both cars have the power delivered very well. I owned many Mercedes such as the ever popular SLK32, or the CL600, and have gotten the chance to own a 1954 SL ""Gullwing"" (one of the most refined classics i have ever owned. I strongly recommend that if you have 85 thousand dollars and a feel for more power, please do your self the favor and buy and E55 AMG. The interior is luxurious, the styling is conservative, and may i say the engine clearly speaks for it self."

new m5

Mdriver
11-4-2003

yeh..the E is amazing...buh i'm just waitin foh the new M5.. gunna burn all. i'm just a little worried about the styling bmw is gunna give it.. i'm not really complaining about the 7-series styling, but i dont think that it'll go at all with 5-series.. damn..hope it dun look too ugly.. i wish bmw stuck with a style like mercedes does. when the new m5 does come out tho..all those e55's bettah watch out..haha (itz wuhz in the car that countz)

Exceptional

iPaQ86
6-4-2003

This is a cool car, especially in Black (think Men in Black II). Look at the performance figures, look at its specs, look at the car! This is the car that will be able to leave the current M5 in the dust on the autobahn. One thing though, M5 is manual, E55 is auto. Can't really compare. M5 is too rough round the edges and not a good grand tourer (harsh ride, boomy engine etc.) whereas all u hear in the E55 is... a whisper (from the engine). I'll take the E55 anytime.

Fantastic Car

Tjibbe
24-3-2003

"I own a BMW 523i executive from mai 1997. But this BMW 5-series looks old-fashioned next to this great new E-class. I always adored those great BMW M-types. I have driven M3, M5 and 850csi. Great cars to drive. But the phenomenal ""Beschleunigungseindruck"" as the germans say can only be given by an turbo-or mechanical-compressed engine. I agree with those who say that true craftmanship is still the atmospheric engine. There is no substitute for cubic inches. But the turbo- or compressorblast gives you more feeling of power. I have driven the E55 AMG Kompressor and i think that mercedes is taking over the place of BMW as the producer of Autobahn rulers."

This is becoming pointless

threepoint141592
22-2-2003

What is with this endless bickering? Any one of any person�s points can be shot down by anyone else here! Debates on the internet are pointless. Any person can say �this car sux� or even �this car sux because of this..� But what would be better for all of us to hear is why you would or wouldn�t like any particular part of any of the three mentioned cars. �I would rather have the BMW because it�s normally aspirated and feels better to drive than blown cars. I�d rather have the trade off in power for the feel,� is a great example. Because I�ve seen and even debated many of the points being brought up, they don�t strike me as being too valid. The �power issue� is one of them. People who prefer BMW�s always make it a point to bring up the HP/Litre issue. I don�t blame them. Besides TVR, I can�t think of many producers that have the same ratios as BMW. But really, does it mean anything? I personally would be more concerned with torque and power curves. I�m not as concerned about how much measured energy is output from an engine. I would rather know how much torque, with which gear ratio gets to the wheels and where in the engines revs can I access this torque. That�s why in my previous statements, I mentioned that �printed specs� (such as those on this site) are nearly useless to me. Who cares how much HP/Litre is being produced and how it is produced. The E39 M5�s motor would have to be detuned to run reliable with a forced air introduction system. There is really no telling how much HP it could make nor what kind of torque and where in the power curve any of this lies. I�ve once heard an M3 owner trying to tell someone that the straight 6 motor used in his car was a vastly superior motor than that of the man he was debating who happened to own a Dodge Viper. All of this, of course, on the basis that his M3 was producing more HP/Litre. The owner of the Viper proceeded to point out that the motor configuration of the no doubt beautiful BMW was larger in external size then the Viper�s, ate the same amount of fuel, was a heavier cast iron block then the Viper�s all aluminum and produced less power at peak then his Viper did at 1800RPM. Doesn�t seem like the M3 motor is so vastly superior anymore. The point is simply that each manufacturer builds in it�s own unique style with very dissimilar methods. One cannot really judge any vehicle by any single specification. Rather the overall vehicle must be judged. Those who are the loudest, most opinionated people usually have the least to say. After all, Mercedes outsold both BMW and Audi even with being labeled as an �inferior car� by many very loud people, a higher price then it�s competition and less marketing. Numbers have a way of speaking for themselves. It may seem as though I�m a dire Mercedes fan but truth be told, I�m only trying to bring some good judgment back to people. If you follow what I�ve been saying then none of it makes any sense�. Ford outsold Mercedes 10 times over without even breaking a sweat and if the M3 motor didn�t have an advantage in the above comparison, why isn�t BMW just using Viper motors? I�m just hoping I can get people to think before they speak out. I would rather not read some of the dribble being produced from some of the minds here.

No more Audi's for me...

ex-audi
13-2-2003

Ok, I've been driving an Audi A6 2.7T for three years now, and it's time for a switch. Yes, I like the power. Yes, I like the AWD in the snow and rain. My current car will do things in the rain that the M5 can only dream of... BUT... that's when it works. Will all the Audi owners who have driven an Audi without any major mechanical problems or major time at the shop, take two steps forward... yah... that's what I thought. I've had enough. They suck. I've driven the current M5. I've thought about the E55. I've put a down payment on an E500. Why? A couple of reasons: The Benz is far more luxurious than the Beemer. The interior has finally caught up with the Audi interior - I'm sorry to the old loyal Benz fans, but the Audi's made the old Benz interiors look like cheap Japanese plastic. Finally, why not the E55? Well, I'm in the US, and I really want to take European delivery on the car and drive it around there for two months first. The E55 is a limited production run and you can't buy it with the European delivery option, believe it or not. So I'll take an E500 and load it up with every option I can (except for that silly and expensive distronic cruise control nonsense and that ridiculous trunk closer thingie) and be pretty damn happy. I wouldn't take the new Audi if you gave it to me. I would need two of those so that I could use one and have one in the shop at any given time. I need a car that is not in the shop one month every year, or makes silly clicking sounds they can't find, or destroys its transmission right after the 50,000 mile warranty expires. If I wanted the sportiness at the sacrifice of luxury that the M5 trades you, then I'd just get a real sports car and not pretend I want four doors and four or five passengers. The E55 would be just the ticket in terms of luxury and performance, but I really want a real car in Europe for a couple of months before I return to a silly commute in the states. The E500's not bad. Maybe I'll trade it in on an E55 in two or three years... but the Beemer or the Audi??? Fughetabodit...

This car is awesome

Blaze_667
3-2-2003

The M5 possibly has the greatest v-8 on the planet? Theres no possibility involved. It is one of the greatest engines known to man. Anyone whos ever driven the M5 knows that there are no holes in that engine, the power jsut never ends. But good job to mercedes. The new E55 AMG is not only one of the fastest sedans on the market (even while utilizing full automatic transmission), but is one of the smoothest riding, and nicest looking sedans ever to grace our planet. So what if they use superchargers? Im not complaining about 479 horsepower. And as for your RS6, not only is it lagged by the quattro 4-wheel drive, but it is heavier and slightly less powerful then the benz. However, the new M5 which will be coming out within the next few years, you better believe will blow the doors off every super sedan on the market today, and according to bmw, it will no longer utilize manual trasnmission, but a second generation SMG. In the mean time, in warm climate areas without much snow, The E55 AMg is king of the hill, but in montreal where i live, where there is tons of snow, the RS6 would rain supreme, as the best all around sedan seeing as it has quattro all-wheel drive.

Audi, BMW, MB

jmadey1
28-1-2003

Motorhead- You seem pretty confident that the RS6 is going to blow out the BMW and the Benz. Audi - 450hp, twin turbo. Benz - 476hp, supercharged. BMW - 394hp, naturally aspirated. I think its sad that Audi and MB needs some for of artificial aspiration to achieve that hp. The M5 V8, possibly the best V8 on the planet could easily be tweaked to achieve either of those numbers. Im not talking turbos and superchargers, Im talking enlarging intakes and exhausts, things that you could technically do yourself quite easily. Lets say that someone does decide to throw some form of twin turbo or supercharger system to their M5. Guess what? We are talking 911 territory. In other words the Audi and the Benz would get shit on. And considering that by buying the BMW you would be saving some decent cash, maybe enough to do one of those things. And NO the Audi doesnt blow away either of its competitors, its barely if at all faster than the BMW and the Benz. Quite personally I think it is sad that Audi and MB need to bring turbos and superchargers in the mix to produce that amount of hp. It just goes to show that BMW has the best engineered vehicle of them all.

Oh Really?

IBrake4Rainbows
12-1-2003

Motorhead, i freely admit i have driven neither the New E55 or the RS6, but i can quote a few of my car-magazine friends when i say that the RS6 has a more remote driving experiance than the E55. The E55 is an Iron Fist in an Armani Suit, the RS6 is more of a soft touch, capable of cruising effortlessly, but keepijng the driver remote from the action. Now, these two cars may keep you closer to the action than say, my dad's accord, but in reliative terms, the E55 rockets. And the M5 is still in the running. Now, considering both you and i are 14, i have a fair guess no-one at an audi or Mercedes Dealership has the guts to give you a test drive, the same can be said for me, through no lack of trying... but be more informed before you begin to argue against the norm.

forgot something.....

motorhead
11-1-2003

the audi rs6. It will smoke both the e55 and the M5 no matter what and the other strange thing is that you can but an estate too. The audi is the ultimate drivers car. The velocity you get in the rs6 is unbeatable and the interior is miles ahead of the e55 and m5. Now it is time for audi to show these 2 german marques how to do things right. If mercedes wants more sales they better make manual an option instead of just offering an automatic and if BMW want more sales they better make an automatic an option instead of just the stick. The other facinating audi has done is offer an estate form too. Mercedes and BMW does not offer an estate form. I know this e55 and the next m5 has more horsepower than the rs6 but hp is not everything. The other thing is the looks. The rs6 has 450hp but looks so normal and that is what fasinates me. If you are not a proper car freak you may mistake the rs6 as a normal a4 estate. I think the nicest wheels i have ever seen is the five spokes on the rs6. It looks so simple but it shows the threat clearly. The feeling you get when the two turbos start spooling up is awesome. Watch out mercedes benz and BMW drivers, you may see a 4 ringed badged car coming closer and closer to your rear view mirror!!!!

It's always the same thing....

threepoint141592
11-1-2003

"It seems to me that it always comes down to buyer loyalty. ""BMW's are way better"" or ""My Mercedes will beat your BMW"" or something like that. You can make all the excuses you want ""Mercedes doesn't have a stick shift so it must suck!"" or ""Too many BMW's on the road"" Well, this is my opinion on the matter so read carefully as not to jump to any conclusions that you're right therefore I'm obviously wrong. I am a Mercedes customer for life. What I like about this car is that it has the Mercedes feel to it. It handles just like a Mercedes should. Lot's of low end torque with an old fashioned engine through one of the best automatic transmissions ever made in my opinion. It screams classic Mercedes design and elegance through and through. A typical Mercedes style that ages with much grace and user delight. And to the issue of the automatic, if I remember correctly, the reason that Mercedes doesn't put a manual in this car is that so many of their customers are return customers which highly approve of the automatic and Mercedes would lose money through the R&D if they developed a manual as good as BMW's. Yes, I admit that BMW does make one of the finest manuals around. Anyone who's used to the hard shifting numbers game that the Mercedes transmission plays has great respect and may never go back. Even if this car did come with an 6 speed stick, I'd rather have the tried and true MB auto with nearly 40 years behind it's development. I also think that shaving hundredths of a second off textbook ""performance"" levels (i.e. 0-60 times) is kind of worthless. Both this E55 and the M5 will smoke just about any car on the road. Both are way, way, way more than is needed. Both are a blast to drive. So it comes down to driver preference. BMW has a more racy, exotic look and feel to it, whilst the Mercedes had a more elegant and refined look and feel. They may technically be in the same ""class"" to a magazine editor but anyone who drives these cars will tell you that they are not at all built with the same ideas in mind. So which one's the ultimate drivers car? Depends on the driver. I drive a Mercedes. Let's leave it at that. """

new M-5

rwmj5
2-1-2003

people are talking about not being able to wait for the new M-5 with it's new body style. Has everyone actually seen a picture of what the new 5 series looks like? It's the same type of design that they used for the new 7 series and Z4 which a lot of people hate. You have to really like the new 7 series if youre going to have any hope of loving the new body style 5 series, otherwise you're in for a severe disappointment.

The new king?

Atton
1-12-2002

Until i read a road test in a magazine, i thought the only car to beat the current M5 would be the '03 model, but it seems i have been proved wrong. It would seem that way but in these days of gatso cameras and speed traps, are 76 extra ponies going to improve your enjoyment? and isnt an automatic performance car an automotive oxymoron?!

super saloon

energy2
8-11-2002

I just read a test in a uk publication between m5, holden hs-v, rs6, xjr, and e55. The rs6 won, e55 second, and m5 still third. This car i dont think competes with the m5, its a automatic whilst the m5 is more of a drivers tool with 4 seats. i think the bhp game is getting out of hand, what we have now on the market are cars relatively cheap compared to supercars, yet they are more powerful and even faster! before people bought a mercedes and a ferrari, now who needs a ferrari except for posers when the mercedes is more powerful, faster, cheaper and desirable.

German state of art

Sir Firekahn
8-11-2002

"I heared the sound of the E55 in a german TV-Show called Motorvision... Incredible. Just incredible. The howling of the ""Kompressor"" supercharger, the brozzling of the mighty V8. And BMW may try to build a V10 to beat Mercedes but in Germany a facelift is ready, including the 557 HP 800NM V8 Evo III of the SLR, dated for 2004 or 2005. Now who?s the king of road?"""

Nice, but not excessive.

Lachlan J
24-10-2002

This is one of the nicest luxo cars ever made, and I would definatley be seen in one of these, they look very cool. The power under the bonnet is awesome, I have barely ever seen something like this brom Mercedes Benz, AMG did a great job.

It's Coming.......

IBrake4Rainbows
9-9-2002

Yay!!! The new E55 AMG has finally arrived, but will it be king for long? Rumours are spreading that BMW, in an attempt to keep the M5 at the top of the ?bersaloon tree, will be installing a V10, yes you read right, into the next M5, Can't wait......

SIMPLY THE BEST!!!

E55 AMG
2-9-2002

The fastest and the most powerful sedan ever built! The torque is up to 700Nm!!!! That's much more than the M5's 500Nm! With this spec. we can say that its the KING OF THE ROAD!!! Unique... Amazing acceleration (approximatly 4.5sec...)!!!

very powerful

bbb
1-9-2002

this car has not been road tested by anyone !! so i guess we'll jst have to wait and see let us not forget that the new M5 is on the way

mercedes beats all

hegazy
31-8-2002

i think that mercedes is now answering on the audi&bmw by very good looking disgn,a powerfull car must not look aggressive and again i see that mercedes beats all

agressive?

henk4
23-8-2002

"What is the purpose of a car to have to look ""agressive"". It is to ""blow away"" other road users? We are seldomly alone on the road, and seeing a car in the rear mirror showing blazing lights (including the foggies such as the car above) will only make people more reluctant to move over. Agressive holds a negative connotation and should therefore not be considered in car design. If we like cars we want to make friends on the road, not enemies. """

Fuel consumption

kudosdude
21-8-2002

Let's just say it takes 5 minutes to fill a tank, at high speeds you will do it more often, by then that diesel scenic will have passed you... Ah sod it, who wants a scenic anyway... Actually A BMW 330D would probably do...but then again who wants to another BMW driver...ah sod it I haven't the money anyway.

Looks boring to me .

amenasce
20-8-2002

The car might be very powerfull , faster than any other 4 doors around , i still think it looks boring . And wasnt it supposed to be a manual ? I remember reading that Mercedes was going to propose a 6 speed manual version of this car ? Make it look more aggressive and give it a manual gearbox , then i will consider it as an M5 alternative .

A long awaited debut....

JORDAN23
19-8-2002

Mercedes finally came up with something more potent than the BMW M5. I only hope that BMW don't use a 500hp V-10 next year which will make M5 above all again.

It already is the fastest break and 4-door sedan in the worl

car_thug
19-8-2002

The fastest 4-door sedan and break are Brabus E V12 and Brabus E V12 T. 7,3 liter motor and 330 km/h limited because of the tires

Fastest

GeoBem007
19-8-2002

I've read in a magazine that they will make the fastest break on the planet (offcourse, with the break model) and the break model will have the same engine as the regular one, so I don't think that the BMW M5 will be able to beat this... (the current fastest break on the planet goes about 312KM/H if I'm correct)

fantastic sedan!!!

motorhead
19-8-2002

This car is the best mercedes ever rolled into production. It is also the best looking merc ever. This is the only sedan which has become my wallpaper except the Audi RS6 which I prefer to the E55.The interior is very nice but the build quality is not as good as the audi's which could last till the next millenium. The alloys look great as it shows the cars potential. Rumours said the car will be limited like the RS6 but the limiter could be taken off if you ask mercedes nicely.The mixture of the xenon and normal lights are excellent. Brilliant!!!!!!!!

M5 better then E55

ferrari**enzo
19-8-2002

i think that it is a nice car and very powerful but i still think that the 02 BMW M5 can still bit these 03 MERCEDES E55 AMG. I cant wait for the 03 BMW M5 with the new body to come out

Just make it shift like it should

MoonR
19-8-2002

I have not yet had the pleasure of sampling this new engine, but I hope it is matched to a better shift logic. My bone stock 2001 E55 has decent acceleration, but the shift logic doesn't seem to make the best use of the torque characteristics. It needs to be more aggressive, the downshifts should be quicker and with less throttle. Plus, an AMG should always start in first gear, instead of second, as in all touchshift MB's. My 98 355 F1 spider has much less torque (268 vs. 391 lb-ft) developed at a much higher RPM, yet the low RPM punch feels the same (it is only about 300 lbs lighter). Furthermore, why doesn't AMG put on a 4 or even 5 valve head? The point about using a 3 vavle head to allow the catalytic converter to heat up quicker seems odd to me. No other manufacturer, specifically BMW, has found it necessary to do so.

the new uber sedan

scuderia360
19-8-2002

Mercedes manages to top the Audi RS6, Jaguar S Type-R, and certainly the M5 with the new E55 AMG. A handsome car all around- I just wish it was a little more aggressive looking- details like the bland rims really don't get the job done in this respect. The interior is impressive, it looks quite a bit like the SL55 AMG- a car which I think the E55 will emulate in many ways. One can only hope the handling won't be too bland. A manual transmission or sequential manual would be nice, too, but Mercedes and Jaguar just don't seem to buy into this concept- what a shame.

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