cls55 - what next a45 or e63 5.5

[chris-durham]

hi guys,

currently own a cls55amg, was at the local mb dealer buying an e-class for the mrs and was nosing around at some of the newer AMG's.

I'm not particularly keen on the 6.3 E-Class, but the twin turbo looks interesting. From what I can gather these start about £30k at a MB dealer.

I also quite like the look of the A45, i know a completely different animal - but all the same looks an awesome piece of kit.

These I can see start about £25k at a MB dealer. I guess the CLS may be worth £14k-£15k given the work been done on it.

what im interested in, is the scope for depreciation on the e-63 vs the A-45.

So, in a nutshell, what will it cost me to own either for 24 or 36 months, so i can compare to the minimal depreciation of the CLS, but much larger maintenance bills due to age....

 

[st13phil]

Depreciation on the W212 E63 in the early years is eye-watering: cars that were close to 100k at list price new are trading for around 30k at 3 - 4 years old. The good news is that this makes them something of a bargain buy, and the depreciation over the next 2 - 3 years will be nowhere near as precipitous.

My guess is that after a CLS55 an A45 will be great fun for all of the first 4 weeks, at which point you'll be looking either for an E63 or another CLS. I don't think future retained value will be a deciding factor.

 

[Cyclone1]

E63 or CLS63 regardless of depreciation, but then I’m biased. The A45 is a cracking car though.

Nice choice to have and look forward to seeing what you decide.

Jules

 

[Alex]

Haven’t you just bought the CLS and carried out all the repair work... why get rid of it?

If you must, I’d skip the 45 and go for the 63. That said, don’t see the point honestly unless you’re just bored of the car which you cannot be because superchargers are fun and 219 is the best looking chassis to date made by Mercedes. Even the latest iteration is based on the first model.

M157 in standard form is not better than the M113K. Properly modified, both are fast. No point in swapping.

 

[JDL60]

I’m with the others- E63 or CLS63 , coming up to 12 months in my E63 and it’s been supreme

 

[Merc55k]

Depreciation on the W212 E63 in the early years is eye-watering: cars that were close to 100k at list price new are trading for around 30k at 3 - 4 years old. The good news is that this makes them something of a bargain buy, and the depreciation over the next 2 - 3 years will be nowhere near as precipitous.

My guess is that after a CLS55 an A45 will be great fun for all of the first 4 weeks, at which point you'll be looking either for an E63 or another CLS. I don't think future retained value will be a deciding factor.

Funny you should mention that, my workmate went from an E92 M3 to and A45 and after a brief spell of loving the A45, got bored and is back looking at Larger AMGs and M3's again.

 

[C240Sport97]

keep the CLS55 .. it is a classic, and won't depreciate nearly as much as the other 2.

I still miss mine after selling it 2 years ago.

 

[jayboy222]

I'd go for the E63 as well. Helluva lot of car for the money and as others have said the bi-turbos will have had their major depreciation by now.

I've driven an A45 and while they are great cars, I found the interior a wee bit lacking in quality and found the pops and crackles a bit tiresome after a while. The mid range thrust from the E63 bi-turbo is breath-taking even now imo.

That being said, I am prob biased being an E63 owner.

 

[Jrattan]

E63 for a few reasons:

My dad went from a CLS55 to C63 and said it's too small and doesn't have enough presence. So can't imagine how the A45 would feel

A45 is a pretender... get a proper engine!

Depreciation probably similar as a percentage of residuals but there are probably more A45s on PCP as they were cheaper which will flood the market over the next few years causing a potential further drop. But really try to avoid that talk.

 

[eight]

keep the CLS55 .. it is a classic, and won't depreciate nearly as much as the other 2.

I still miss mine after selling it 2 years ago.

Only had my CLS55 for a couple of months... would I swap it for a newer E class at double the price? Nope. Never. Not unless I really needed an estate anyway.
A45 is a great hot hatch from what I've read, but I would imagine you'd get bored very quickly unless you're constantly flat out. Plus it looks a bit, erm, Fast&Furious. The noise and the feel of a V8 even just pottering in traffic can't be beaten. A45 is probably very clever, but just doesn't appeal.
My conclusion : stick!

 

[ChrisCLS55]

Hi Chris, I went from a CLS 55 to an E63 and although the E63 is undoubtedly a great car, I do miss the CLS. If you are looking for a newer E63, you can get a car thats only a few years old, 20k miles or so, for under 40K. I’d buy from MB themselves and get an Amg warranty. Despite the work you’ve done on your CLS, don’t expect a good return money wise as they are not easy cars to sell despite being worth every penny if in good order.

One thing about the E63, or at least mine anyway, is the hard ride compared to the CLS and the noisier cabin which I’ve now started to notice even more the more I drive it and it is kind of off putting and something I’ll be looking into. Maybe it’s the size of the wheels or tires who knows.

The 5.5 bi turbo doesn’t seem as rapid as the CLS 55 at lower speeds, but 70 onwards and what an animal, it eats up the road and you could be doing 155 easily within seconds. It feels reassuring and handles well too. The trim is nicer and more modern. But compared to the new E class 17 onwards it’s already looking dated IMO.

I just wish I had had a few more quid for the E63 4 matic in estate version preferably but they are 80k plus used, almost double what I paid for mine.

My advice, if you can, keep the CLS. I regret selling mine and would happily have another one tomorrow.

 

[Cyclone1]

I loved the CLS55 that much I bought 2!

It’s a great car no question and to some degree I agree with the comments on the comparison with the E63 bi-turbo. Standard versus standard the sense of occasion in driving the CLS55 is better. It’s not faster, for that it needs a pulley and map, but this makes it an even better choice! However once the E63 is mapped it puts it in another league performance wise. It handles better, has better features / options, is much more modern inside and really gives you the grin factor. On looks the CLS55 wins, but that’s why I went for a CLS63 as it’s replacement and not an E....

Tough choice and from a financial perspective the CLS55 is the better option. If you crave outright speed then not much trumps an MSL tuned E or CLS63......

 

[chris-durham]

so, some interesting feedback and the trend seems that the a45 would be a non starter. OK fair enough. In terms of the newer shape cls, i dont really like them tbh, but love the look of the e63.

One key factor that is making me look around is that we have a 5 week old baby now, so time is at a premium. I am finding to get/keep the cls in the condition that im comfortable with is consume a lot of time i dont have.

Currently all the rear running gear is off and being stripped and am doing a rebuild. the main issue here is the rear subframe (front bushes). the handling has been horrible since i bought it and the loud thud when you lift off the gas wasnt the best...

I think nature of the beast at this age. Ive also got one of the mustang engined mgzt260's in my collection. Last owner spent £6500 in maintenance over last 3 years.. so it soon mounts up.

Just looking around at the mo to be honest, but interested to hear from you e63 tt owners re what they actually cost to run, any big bills so far? servicing? etc

 

[eight]

Currently all the rear running gear is off and being stripped and am doing a rebuild. the main issue here is the rear subframe (front bushes). the handling has been horrible since i bought it and the loud thud when you lift off the gas wasnt the best...

Chris - that's interesting. Mine feels very loose at the back (57k miles) with quite a corkscrew-ey motion on bumps and I'd like to tighten it up somehow - it is just a case of replacing a couple of bushes or is there more to it?

 

[chris-durham]

Chris - that's interesting. Mine feels very loose at the back (57k miles) wi
th quite a corkscrew-ey motion on bumps and I'd like to tighten it up somehow - it is just a case of replacing a couple of bushes or is there more to it?

hi, might well be, but there are tens of bushes back there that can also cause issues. i have a build thread that shows my progress. I would class it as quite a big job for which you need a lot of different tools..

05 CLS55AMG project brutus #2

 

[ChrisCLS55]

so, some interesting feedback and the trend seems that the a45 would be a non starter. OK fair enough. In terms of the newer shape cls, i dont really like them tbh, but love the look of the e63.

One key factor that is making me look around is that we have a 5 week old baby now, so time is at a premium. I am finding to get/keep the cls in the condition that im comfortable with is consume a lot of time i dont have.

Currently all the rear running gear is off and being stripped and am doing a rebuild. the main issue here is the rear subframe (front bushes). the handling has been horrible since i bought it and the loud thud when you lift off the gas wasnt the best...

I think nature of the beast at this age. Ive also got one of the mustang engined mgzt260's in my collection. Last owner spent £6500 in maintenance over last 3 years.. so it soon mounts up.

Just looking around at the mo to be honest, but interested to hear from you e63 tt owners re what they actually cost to run, any big bills so far? servicing? etc

I’ve only had my E63 a few months and it’s much cheaper to run fuel wise than the CLS, I got almost 29mpg a few weeks back and around the doors it can be anywhere from 15 to 20. It’s not due a service for a good few k miles so I can’t comment on that.

Comparing it to the CLS the ride is harder and the cabin a tad nosier, but it feels much more better built the cabin and the car itself feels more taught and handles better. The hard ride could be due to the 19 wheels and PZero tires. The noise again could be down to the tires. Traction is much better than the CLS and although it doesn’t feel as rapid pulling away or as powerful, it is much quicker higher up the refs.

It’s a great car, a great all-rounder, but for me it’s kind of boring compared to my old CLS and doesn’t have that wow factor. Maybe it’s because it’s new and I had the CLS for 4 years.

I’ll probably keep the E63 for 2 years and maybe upscale to the new 4matic one, again hopefully in estate format.

For my everyday me car I’ll probably always stick with an AMG because I love them. I won’t rule out getting another CLS 55 in the future, but it would have to be a mint example. Sorry you’ve been having issues with yours which I imagine hasn’t helped you truly enjoy and appreciate what is an amazing car.

I too am not keen on the facelifted model and even the new one I’m not keen.

If you can get an E63, I’d go for a facelifted W212 5.5 bi turbo model if you can and get one well specked, they are very handsome cars with a great presence and do all the right things. Superb all-round family car and then a beast when you want it to be.

The A45 to me looks like a little pocket rocket and seems immensely fun, but I imagine fun in a package that would quickly wear off. I do like the CLA45 in terms of looks, but again they are not V8s which is something when fully experienced can get a hold of you and have you hooked.

Good look either way.

 

[John]

It’s a great car, a great all-rounder, but for me it’s kind of boring compared to my old CLS and doesn’t have that wow factor. Maybe it’s because it’s new and I had the CLS for 4 years.

I found the same after I'd sold my E55K (after 5.5 years), bought my current CL and tried a 2014 E63 "just to see".

Totally underwhelmed for whatever reason(s) compared to my E55 and actually disappointed with the ride quality and way the gearbox behaved.

Shame because I love the look of the facelift W212.

 

[S2000Paul]

I found the same after I'd sold my E55K (after 5.5 years), bought my current CL and tried a 2014 E63 "just to see".

Totally underwhelmed for whatever reason(s) compared to my E55 and actually disappointed with the ride quality and way the gearbox behaved.

Shame because I love the look of the facelift W212.

Not jumping to the defence...really...but I find the different modes of the gearbox superb...but took me a month or two to really understand the different modes..

And then another month to set the AMG button to the modes I wanted...lol

Lazy comfort mode is superb..

Can't comment on the E55..sounds like it could be a future classic...

 

[John]

Not jumping to the defence...really...but I find the different modes of the gearbox superb...but took me a month or two to really understand the different modes..

And then another month to set the AMG button to the modes I wanted...lol

Lazy comfort mode is superb..

Can't comment on the E55..sounds like it could be a future classic...

I just found the gearbox in the one I drove quite harsh and changes were too abrupt in some modes - especially accelerating hard. Maybe there was an issue with that particular one.

E55K is the same more or less as a CLS55 with a different body and back boxes...