CLS owners...just curious??

[pekay]

Howdy all....Always had my eye on the CLS, mainly down to the gorgeous(imho) lines and looks, could be getting a bit closer to owning one and i'm pretty much set on a 55 (M113) and was just curious, why are they quite a few grand more expensive than the 500, the 500 is only missing the supercharger after all! there seems to be a raft more 500s up for sale at reasonable prices than the 55s is there some reason behind this i'm missing?. owners opinions on both models greatly appreciated!.

 

[whitenemesis]

It's an AMG ....

 

[AMGeed]

There's a bit more to it than slapping a supercharger on a 500
Uprated suspension, possibly the brakes, an intercooler and associated plumbing, an AMG bodykit as standard, and a host of other differences.

 

[pekay]

I suppose i should add a bit to the post really!! or put it differently at least, apologies.....is there anything majorly wrong with the 500 which would put you off buying one...reason i ask is purely that there seems a hell of a lot more available, I understand the obvious differences in the models as i have done a bit of research.

 

[Howard]

No , nothing at all wrong with a 500.

Never feels underpowered to me , and is lovely to drive. 500's come with airmatic as standard. Not had a point yet where I've thought ' I wish I had more power'

That said , the AMG's are addictive lol

 

[StuartK]

I suppose i should add a bit to the post really!! or put it differently at least, apologies.....is there anything majorly wrong with the 500 which would put you off buying one...reason i ask is purely that there seems a hell of a lot more available, I understand the obvious differences in the models as i have done a bit of research.

There are three things wrong with the 500...

1. The fuel consumption is not millions of miles from the 55 so therefore if your not having the 55 buy the oil burner instead.
2. The 500 is not an AMG
3. One day you will find yourself glancing at the car next to you, a CLS55 AMG and you will get that sinking feeling of what if? What if I had bought one of those?

 

[Howard]

Can't say I agree.

I've never pulled up next to a 55 and thought ' I wish I'd bought one of those'

Fuel economy doesn't really come into it with these big buses.

It may surprise you to learn that not everybody wants an AMG model ?

That said , when I upgrade next , it'll be for a 55 or 63 CLS lol

I bought my 500 because it came along at the right time , massive spec , low low miles , one owner from new , full service history for the right money.

 

[StuartK]

Can't say I agree.

I've never pulled up next to a 55 and thought ' I wish I'd bought one of those'

Fuel economy doesn't really come into it with these big buses.

It may surprise you to learn that not everybody wants an AMG model ?

That said , when I upgrade next , it'll be for a 55 or 63 CLS lol

I bought my 500 because it came along at the right time , massive spec , low low miles , one owner from new , full service history for the right money.

I'm not saying they do but if the OP has a choice then ultimately buy the best you can.

For example if I was presented with a C250cdi and c350cdi I would take the 350 all day, everyday.

 

[AMGeed]

Drive them both. The 500 is quick, the 55 is very quick

 

[StuartK]

Drive them both. The 500 is quick, the 55 is very quick

For the record on this note I think the 55 is better than the 63

 

[toffee-pie]

There are three things wrong with the 500...

1. The fuel consumption is not millions of miles from the 55 so therefore if your not having the 55 buy the oil burner instead.
2. The 500 is not an AMG
3. One day you will find yourself glancing at the car next to you, a CLS55 AMG and you will get that sinking feeling of what if? What if I had bought one of those?

precisely why I ditched plans to buy a 500, I am still in no rush to buy an AMG but its not for lack of effort.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Without getting into the AMG vs Non AMG debate, one thing I've noticed since getting mine 2 years ago is that prices have slightly increased. Should I sell mine today at roughly average selling price I'll have actually made a profit, which for a 10 year old car is virtually unheard of.

 

[toffee-pie]

could be due to no small fact to people wising up about diesels and the gap between large cc and people shying away from then is slowly going back to 'normal' levels.

A few years ago no one was touching large CC petrol cars but I think they are slowly gaining traction to previous BD times, petrol prices reduced also.

Before Diesel.

 

[Howard]

I only do tiny miles a year ( usually around 4000 between mots ) so I happily tool around in a big engined car.

If I was 25000 miles a year though ... Different matter lol

 

[AMGeed]

For the record on this note I think the 55 is better than the 63

It's the torque that's addictive. The 55k has so much even as stock.

 

[Howard]

I'm not saying they do but if the OP has a choice then ultimately buy the best you can. For example if I was presented with a C250cdi and c350cdi I would take the 350 all day, everyday.

Oh for sure buy the best you can , but an AMG is a much sportier , noiser , firmer beast. It might not be what someone is after.

C250/350 are broadly the same car ... Same spec etc.

Better comparison would be a c350/c63 ... Not everyone wants the AMG experience

 

[StuartK]

I only do tiny miles a year ( usually around 4000 between mots ) so I happily tool around in a big engined car.

If I was 25000 miles a year though ... Different matter lol

Must admit I've done 7k miles since November in the 63 and it is getting a tad silly I'm being told by the boss

I dare say I'll be pushed into an oil burner soon but nothing excites me much in that field.

 

[Iceviolet]

When I was looking to buy a CLS I initially wanted a 55 AMG. I test drove a few, and found one that I wanted. I was 27 years old at the time and the insurance quotes I was getting were ridiculous! The cheapest quote I got was just under £1600 per year, which I refuse to pay! I'm from Yorkshire! So if you are thinking of getting the 55 AMG I would inquire about insurance first.
Then I test drove a few 500's and found a 500, with the AMG factory styling pack, the newer 5.5 M273 engine, 2 years newer than the 55 AMG, £4k cheaper and in better condition. Insurance down to just under £500 per year! With 388hp it is still a quick car and on the public roads its hard to extract the extra hp from the 55 to be honest.
The 500 without the AMG tuning is very refined and so so smooth and quiet! Where as the 55 was a little stiffer and noisy,albeit good noise!

So I think you would be best to have a few test drives and decide what you prefer and what you could live with day to day. If looking at a 500 I would say look at the later 5.5 engined ones, such a noticeable difference in power and power delivery.
Also bear in mind that the running costs and price of parts for the AMG will be much higher. The only thing cheaper on the earlier 55's is the road tax.

 

[whitenemesis]

Iceviolet sums it up very nicely...

Accept the bit about extracting the hp from the 55k. The AMG will get to very illegal speeds in a very short distance, sometimes all too easy to be a hooligan. The massive low down torque from the 'charger is very intoxicating...

The best advice as always is to try a few examples from both camps. The 500 is refined and comfortable cruiser, the AMG can cruise but it is always champing at the bit to be given it's head.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The 5.5 engine in the newer 500's is a very underrated engine, 388bhp is plenty enough for most people.

For me though, the M113K is the best AMG engine, once you've driven a supercharged V8 everything else feels a bit flat.