I do love a CLS...AMG

[Alex225]

My C43 estate was once featured in Performance Car and Dan Trent was the journo. He'd recently ended up at the Ring in 211 E500 (the facelift one with the 5.5). He was a massive Scooby head at the time but said he'd been astonished at just how quickly the E Class would do a lap when he really went for it

I think people would be surprised. I recall a friend of mine going on a bit of a road trip, he was taking an E36 M3 and he really didn't conceive of the idea that my CLS63 would keep up. I like the underrrated-ness haha.

The 5g and 7g are tortoise slow in comparison to the mct transmission. Does really transform the engine/Car.

Undeniably so. I've driven a GLC300 and more recently a C63S, the latter being savagely fast. No doubt the gearchanges are virtually instant.

Only issue I take with many of these 7+ gear, gearboxes is unless you leave them in sport, they're never in the right gear for normal driving. Spent a couple of weeks with the GLC and you'd want to accelerate and it had to change down 2+ gears before it moved. Found the same with the DSG VAG gearboxes. I know it's all about fuel efficiency and being in a higher gear but annoying.

That said, few people change gear quicker/smoother than even a 5g box on an average change, so I can't grumble.

 

[350cls]

Unless you have it in manual. I find it to be just as intelligent as the slow but robust 5g and 7g. But with like said the much quicker changes. Still lacks one or two gears the 5g. But for it's time was ok.

 

[Will]

Personally I feel the 55K engine with the 5-speed box is a perfect match - there is just so much torque it doesn’t really need to change down and rev so high. Wafts about and has very good response when needed - it can pull well in almost any gear at any time.

A CLS or E-class is not a sports car at the end of the day - similarly to above these are large heavy 4-door cars with big engines that can put down some serious power when the opportunity arises

 

[Alex225]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the 5g is any more intelligent for emissions and fuel efficiency the later gearboxes are undoubtedly better. What I found from my old E class was that by having less gear to choose from, it often felt in the right gear at the time which I found the 9g boxes felt like in sport mode. Just held the gear better, in a similar way to how I'd drive if it were a manual car. That said, the torque from a mapped diesel probably helped that.

Put it this way, I'd rather the newer gearbox in manual mode in the likes of an A35/45 as it would suit the snappy, sharpness of those cars.

 

[Londonscottish]

I think people would be surprised. I recall a friend of mine going on a bit of a road trip, he was taking an E36 M3 and he really didn't conceive of the idea that my CLS63 would keep up. I like the underrrated-ness haha.

I blame the very narrow focus through which journos fixate on one tiny things. The ability to clip an apex on the Ring and shave 0.001s off the laptime. It's why I stopped reading Evo. I don't give a shit about the Evo triangle. Its totally irrelevant to me.

I once built up a 200SX. Engine & suspension mods. Followed what PC were going to theirs. I ended up with a quasi-track car which was incredibly harsh on a commute. Sold it a jumped in a C43. It was a revelation. MUCH more suited to my needs.

 

[Alex225]

Little after work tweak on the CLS this evening. The engine bay has clearly been cleaned in it's life but not for some time. Here's a little reminder.

Not awful but not good enough. So I busted out the Chemical Guys APC. First time using this one as I like their Nonsense APC but this is actually very good.

Cleaned up, plastics were then treated with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel. Not 100% but tonnes better.

 

[Alex225]

Popped out last night to the local docks to take a few better photos of the 55. Nice little national speed limit road down there so able to test the acceleration a little too. I am yet to clean the outside but it was clean enough for some photos.

I did also go for a good drive. Main impressions are, it's savagely quick. I've driven newer Mercs/AMGs but this still feels damn fast. To the point where actually, Comfort mode is the nicest balance for driving but having that acceleration on tap. Sounds a bit girly but that supercharger shove hits harder than the high revs of the 6.2. Plus, the exhaust sounds excellent. No drone when driving but a real growl when use the throttle, and enough sound when you're not heavy on the throttle.

 

[350cls]

When I owned the 55k I always felt it packed that solid punch especially when the SC kicks in. But when on a cruise it did feel it lacked that 6th or 7th gear just to lower the revs that little bit. It always felt like it was on the edge, waiting to pounce. For me the 6.2 has both the brute force when needed. But at the same time can waft around like a 500. Again the mct gearbox has a massive factor on the overall performance of these power plant vehicles. It's nice to have rev matching shifts also. I was always waiting for the SC to ingage on the 55k otherwise it wasn't as much fun.

Fun engine the 55k

 

[Alex225]

Yeah the 7G and 6.2 does feel less frantic as that power comes in way higher, the 55 just feels that bit more immediate. It's interesting as in the E320cdi I had, I preferred the 5G as once it was mapped it always felt in the right gear to get moving. Less stirring around for gears like the 7G did in my S and other half's ML. When you double the horse power and add 100lbs of torque the need to drop down changes. Definitely think being light footed for day to day driving is key, that said it's a weekender at most.

On an oddly environmental note, it does better fuel than the 63 well judging by the gauge. Manages to do 19-20mpg over an indicated 14-15mpg but that said, in a V8 who really cares! haha

 

[350cls]

The the 320cdi I had definitely suited the 5g especially on a cruise it would sit in 5th at like 1700 1800 revs. The 55k I found wouldn't sit at them revs in 5th. It felt as if it wanted to downshift to suit the revs. It's an engine I feel just wanted to be pushed all the time. When was in the mood for it, it was fantastic but I feel it wasn't suited for driving conservatively. My experience of the 7g in the cls350 I had was ok but again more notchy than the 5g in both e55 and e320cdi. The e39 M5 I ran was just right with the 6th gear for the cruising aspect. But when you wanted to go for it, it was ready to pounce. Which is so much like the 6.3 albeit with a mct 7g+. The different variations of the 6.3 with different chassis and gearbox variations is also a factor. Would of been interesting if the M113k had different gearbox variations in different chassis vehicles, like the 6.3 has had over its production run.

It has to be highlighted the 7g and the 7g+ are night and day difference in performance. The 6.3 with the mct 7g+ is a different car to the 6.3 with the 7g transmission.

 

[W1ghty]

Little after work tweak on the CLS this evening. The engine bay has clearly been cleaned in it's life but not for some time. Here's a little reminder.

Not awful but not good enough. So I busted out the Chemical Guys APC. First time using this one as I like their Nonsense APC but this is actually very good.

Cleaned up, plastics were then treated with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel. Not 100% but tonnes better.

That’s more like it Alex ! Has the twitch and rash gone now ?

 

[Alex225]

The the 320cdi I had definitely suited the 5g especially on a cruise it would sit in 5th at like 1700 1800 revs. The 55k I found wouldn't sit at them revs in 5th. It felt as if it wanted to downshift to suit the revs. It's an engine I feel just wanted to be pushed all the time. When was in the mood for it, it was fantastic but I feel it wasn't suited for driving conservatively. My experience of the 7g in the cls350 I had was ok but again more notchy than the 5g in both e55 and e320cdi. The e39 M5 I ran was just right with the 6th gear for the cruising aspect. But when you wanted to go for it, it was ready to pounce. Which is so much like the 6.3 albeit with a mct 7g+. The different variations of the 6.3 with different chassis and gearbox variations is also a factor. Would of been interesting if the M113k had different gearbox variations in different chassis vehicles, like the 6.3 has had over its production run.

It has to be highlighted the 7g and the 7g+ are night and day difference in performance. The 6.3 with the mct 7g+ is a different car to the 6.3 with the 7g transmission.

It's funny you say that, had exactly the same feeling when my other half had a CLS350cdi, the 7G was never as smooth as the 5G in the E. I've not taken the 55 out for a long cruise yet, seems it sits at 2k rpm at 70ish but acceleration seems pretty immediate. I'll likely stick with cruise control where I can haha.

That’s more like it Alex ! Has the twitch and rash gone now ?

Just but that's car related! hahahaha

I'm due to give the outside a clean today since I've not had a chance since it arrived. Silver is such a forgiving colour though as it doesn't look too bad but will get a proper shine out of it today.

 

[Alex225]

I haven't really added much to this thread but I did manage to get my hands on it properly, have cleaned it myself which I always find gives you the chance to look it over properly. I must say, for it's age there are a couple of little stone chips which have been touched in but otherwise it's mint. A very lucky find I think.

I've not driven loads of miles in it but I have been out a few times and taken my daughters out on separate occasions in it. I picked my youngest daughter up from school, she liked the noise but goes, "It's not very fast". Well no, I'm not going to aim at the lollipop lady outside school. But she liked it when I did get to put my foot down and liked the noise. She has since told me I'll be taking her to prom in that car, only 10 more years to go. My eldest daughter yelped and told me off so I take that as a good sign it's got some go.

It's noticeably better (marginally) on fuel than my CLS63, I assume perhaps because of the low down torque. My other half commented that every thing feels kind of on or off, but that's perhaps my driving and getting used to how immediate it feels. Still 19mpg isn't bad.

The car has been really well taken care of, and kept very clean. This will be a fair weather/Spring-Autumn car for me so should stay that way too.

Looking forward to getting the car out to a few meets at some point. There's a really good local meet I keep meaning to get to. Not many AMGs turn up, a couple of C63s but we're thin on the ground it seems.

 

[W1ghty]

I haven't really added much to this thread but I did manage to get my hands on it properly, have cleaned it myself which I always find gives you the chance to look it over properly. I must say, for it's age there are a couple of little stone chips which have been touched in but otherwise it's mint. A very lucky find I think.

I've not driven loads of miles in it but I have been out a few times and taken my daughters out on separate occasions in it. I picked my youngest daughter up from school, she liked the noise but goes, "It's not very fast". Well no, I'm not going to aim at the lollipop lady outside school. But she liked it when I did get to put my foot down and liked the noise. She has since told me I'll be taking her to prom in that car, only 10 more years to go. My eldest daughter yelped and told me off so I take that as a good sign it's got some go.

It's noticeably better (marginally) on fuel than my CLS63, I assume perhaps because of the low down torque. My other half commented that every thing feels kind of on or off, but that's perhaps my driving and getting used to how immediate it feels. Still 19mpg isn't bad.

The car has been really well taken care of, and kept very clean. This will be a fair weather/Spring-Autumn car for me so should stay that way too.

Looking forward to getting the car out to a few meets at some point. There's a really good local meet I keep meaning to get to. Not many AMGs turn up, a couple of C63s but we're thin on the ground it seems.

Very nice Alex , great work as alway !
But to correct you , 19mpg is a horror story .

 

[whitenemesis]

Still 19mpg isn't bad.

You're not trying hard enough, I often saw 10-12 mpg

 

[Alex225]

Very nice Alex , great work as alway !
But to correct you , 19mpg is a horror story .

Haha thanks mate. To be fair, my 63 would see 15mpg just pootling around so 19mpg surprised me. To be honest, I admire anyone who's willing to run a V8 as a day to day car. My diesel Saab does 50mpg everywhere and more on a run, so that's way more palatable. I don't mind low numbers if it's just driving for fun! haha

You're not trying hard enough, I often saw 10-12 mpg

I really should, admittedly that was a brief blast on the M5 so might have averaged a bit higher. Like I say, my CLS63 would be on 15mpg just by existing!

 

[Alex225]

Not much to report on the CLS55 but I must say I'm very bowled over with it. Puts a smile on my face that's for sure.

Hooked up a C-tek since I'm only using this on the good days and after a couple of weeks it'll show the convenience features are off for a minute or so when it's fired up. Having used one of these on my CL which fires up without question every time no matter how long between uses, these are invaluable.

Found this in boot too, saves me buying one!

Got some details of the headunit in the car too. The previous owner wasn't aware but with a bit of Google image searching I found out it's an Xtrons IA model, I mailed the company who sent over a manual too. To be fair it's quite a bit of kit, despite them being inexpensive.

I'm old school so not fussed by apps but do want plenty of music to hand. Managed to get a USB full of MP3s loaded up no problem. Also tested out a DVD of music I'd burned to disc (yes people still do it! haha) and that worked brilliantly too!

Anyone looking to replace a unit in a CLS/E of this era, I highly recommend these units! It even works with the steering controls, dashboard display and reverse cameras. The screen will even come on if the unit is off!

I'm not big into modifying cars like this but there are some I'd consider OEM+ where this, at a glance looks standard but offers modern features which are actually worth having.

 

[badgx]

Not much to report on the CLS55 but I must say I'm very bowled over with it. Puts a smile on my face that's for sure.

Hooked up a C-tek since I'm only using this on the good days and after a couple of weeks it'll show the convenience features are off for a minute or so when it's fired up. Having used one of these on my CL which fires up without question every time no matter how long between uses, these are invaluable.

Found this in boot too, saves me buying one!

Got some details of the headunit in the car too. The previous owner wasn't aware but with a bit of Google image searching I found out it's an Xtrons IA model, I mailed the company who sent over a manual too. To be fair it's quite a bit of kit, despite them being inexpensive.

I'm old school so not fussed by apps but do want plenty of music to hand. Managed to get a USB full of MP3s loaded up no problem. Also tested out a DVD of music I'd burned to disc (yes people still do it! haha) and that worked brilliantly too!

Anyone looking to replace a unit in a CLS/E of this era, I highly recommend these units! It even works with the steering controls, dashboard display and reverse cameras. The screen will even come on if the unit is off!

I'm not big into modifying cars like this but there are some I'd consider OEM+ where this, at a glance looks standard but offers modern features which are actually worth having.

Hi Alex, you able to post a link to the head unit? Im assuming the factory cd unit behind the wood panel becomes dormant with the aftermarket unit? Also does the fader and balance work?

Im looking to replace my door speakers, as they are old and could do with new technology. My rear left door speakers definitely needs replacing.

 

[Alex225]

Hi Alex, you able to post a link to the head unit? Im assuming the factory cd unit behind the wood panel becomes dormant with the aftermarket unit? Also does the fader and balance work?

Im looking to replace my door speakers, as they are old and could do with new technology. My rear left door speakers definitely needs replacing.

Here you go mate, this is I think the same or at least very very close to the one I have : Linky Link Link

I'm not sure on the fader/balance, it shows the options but I've not tested it but no reason to think it wouldn't. It has a slight overkill of features on it but it certainly integrates well with the car. I'm not aware of the speakers being swapped out in mine but it sounds decent enough. I've now got a couple of thousand songs in the car so that should keep me going haha.

I believe this unit can connect via USB to your phone and do the whole Carplay from iPhones and equivalent off Android. For the likes of Waze that wouldn't hurt and at some point I may have a go at connecting to Wi-Fi, logging into my Android account if that works and seeing if I can download apps to it.

 

[badgx]

Here you go mate, this is I think the same or at least very very close to the one I have : Linky Link Link

I'm not sure on the fader/balance, it shows the options but I've not tested it but no reason to think it wouldn't. It has a slight overkill of features on it but it certainly integrates well with the car. I'm not aware of the speakers being swapped out in mine but it sounds decent enough. I've now got a couple of thousand songs in the car so that should keep me going haha.

I believe this unit can connect via USB to your phone and do the whole Carplay from iPhones and equivalent off Android. For the likes of Waze that wouldn't hurt and at some point I may have a go at connecting to Wi-Fi, logging into my Android account if that works and seeing if I can download apps to it.

Thanks buddy, features look impressive . Just one more question, can it adjust the dashboard clock or is there a way to adjust the dashboard clock without the factory head unit.