What 'purpose' does your big AMG Saloon serve?

[S2000Paul]

Really - the cashiers as the local Shell garages know you and your car..... and ask about it.......come ooonnnnn!

Yep - more so when I turn up in the S2000 and they wonder where the E63 is...

Only go to Morrisons petrol when I use the daughters for shopping...

We really do talk to everyone up here ya kna

 

[AMV]

I bought my c63 saloon for the following reasons.

1. The W204 Body, absolutely love the wider arches.
2. Engine / Exhaust Note.
3. Childhood icon since the fifth gear video vs RS4/M3.
4. Practicality (Reasonably fit 4 adults, i wouldn't take 5)
5. 3rd Car not daily, every drive was an occasion!

I've scratched my itch and personally for me to keep this car any longer would warrant me to go down to MSL and hand over my wallet.

As others have mentioned unless your doing moon salesman mileage the MPG difference is negligible at least over 12 months.

I would of loved to have moved on to something like @AMGeed maybe in the future, when i need a wagon for you know!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I suspected as much!

Similar story in the CL - voluminous once in. It was getting in and out, especially with wide single-hinge doors in parking spaces and an SWB S Class size overall that made things harder.

Perhaps a smaller (I presume) AMG GT would be easier in that respect although I've not looked and they are probably a lot bigger than I think... maybe E Class size.

I'd go and sit in one and try it before I considered one anyway.

I just love the look of them now and the sound - they've really grown on me over time.

On the inside they’re huge, there’s noticeably more space than an ML/GLE across the cabin, the seats are wide and the centre console is absolutely vast. A telepass would be essential for solo driving on the contintent because even an orangutan would struggle at the toll booth!

With the seat in it’s rearmost position there’s plenty of legroom, probably generous for the type of car, but having a horizontal driving position - legs quite literally horizontal - means that you naturally need more leg room than a more vertical driving position.

On the outside they’re vast too. I think the body (excluding mirrors) is 2.05m which is around 10cm wider than an ML/GLE63. That coupled with having to open the door wide to get in and out makes tight parking spaces a nonstarter.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I bought my c63 saloon for the following reasons.

1. The W204 Body, absolutely love the wider arches.
2. Engine / Exhaust Note.
3. Childhood icon since the fifth gear video vs RS4/M3.
4. Practicality (Reasonably fit 4 adults, i wouldn't take 5)
5. 3rd Car not daily, every drive was an occasion!

I've scratched my itch and personally for me to keep this car any longer would warrant me to go down to MSL and hand over my wallet.

As others have mentioned unless your doing moon salesman mileage the MPG difference is negligible at least over 12 months.

I would of loved to have moved on to something like @AMGeed maybe in the future, when i need a wagon for you know!

“Childhood icon” just made me feel old, very very old!

 

[AMV]

“Childhood icon” just made me feel old, very very old!

Trust me i was in two minds about writing about that.

 

[Sam87]

I don't own an AMG but it's still a big Mercedes. I own an S600 V12 Twin Turbo.
The purpose of the car? It has no purpose to be honest. I don't need it and I wasn't looking for one but i bought it and after i drove it ( I had never driven an s class V12 before ) I fell in love with the power and all the luxury it has... I then decided to keep it and get the car to look the way I wanted it to look... You're probably thinking it doesn't make sense to buy a car with no purpose and you're right. Sometimes I just buy a car without thinking too much

I done 3000 miles last year and the car averaged between 9mpg - 11mpg around town but I don't care. It drives so much different to my other cars. It puts a smile on my face every time I put my foot down because it really moves for such a big car and i love the way it looks.... it has so much road presence and being a long wheel base model really is a waste for me as it's only me and my wife that get in the car..... rarely I would get friends in the back.

There will come a time that this cars will not be on the road so we might as well enjoy them while we can

 

[amzchhabra]

My W212 E63 Saloon to me is pretty much a car for all occasions.

• It is understated enough I can take it anywhere, park it anywhere, and nobody will look at it twice
• Its calm and comfortable on any long journey
• Perfect size car when required for a family of 4
• Quick enough to give pretty much anything a hard time
• Handles itself extremely well for a big car around fast b-roads
• Not as thirsty as some would think

Based on my current life situation, this serves much better all round purpose in comparison to having two cars to insure, tax and run.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Hi folks,

Thanks so much for all your feedback. I've read all the comments and lots of them highlighted my points. For example, what is your family situation, what other cars are available, how much income/disposable income do you have, and so on.

If I could have an E63 daily/practical/family car and a 911 as a sports/fun/weekend car, and run them both and not worry about petrol costs etc (and you probably wouldn't if you could afford those two), that would be ideal! But alas...

If you're not bothered about the petrol costs - well, that's because you have the income to be in that position (which is great!) and therefore I consider you to be the 'right' owners of the AMG-class of car. E.g.:

Both my wife and I have matching ‘his & hers’ V8 AMGs to do anything and everything, and whilst we have some fun cars (including less practical V8 AMGs) they all do the school run, supermarket run, takeaway run, drive out for the day, overnight drive to the South of France, and some even tow our caravan.

Perfect! But I'm not quite there...

I wouldn't be comfortable ONLY having an AMG as a single car (especially as it would be an older car and I don't have to be stuck if it's throwing a wobbler. So, running a small mini or golf as the daily and running a mass 2 ton car as the 'fun' car seems a bit weird to me. Feels like the wrong way around.

My E350 W212 is pretty 'fast' in a straight line, but it's so heavy and big, there's really not much fun to be had, and no feel to speak of, less so even than my old E39 525i! It's a comfortable and refined cruiser.

So for me, I think it makes sense to keep the E350 for the foreseeable future, for the economy and practicality, and then look for something smaller and more fun for the 'fun' car. I also want something I can work on/service (or sorn if really needs be!) a bit, to save on costs. For me, detailing and learning the car, how it works, working on the engine etc is part of the fun. Less fun if it's your only car, though!

I've done some soul searching and I've become a bit obsessed with the idea of a gen 1 Cayman S, manual. Perhaps a gen 2, depending on the money. I'm researching them at the moment and trying to become familiar with all the quirks, but I think that's a good path for me to go down.

Maybe one day I'll be able to swap out the E350 for an M5/E63, but I'm not quite there yet!

Anyway, hopefully the topic wasn't a waste of time, it's fun to think about!

Cheers,

Ed

 

[John]

I get where you are coming from.

One of the best track cars I've driven is a Caterham and they are immense fun being light and power-to-weight being very favourable.

However, whilst I enjoy them a lot, I would never say an AMG (W211 E55 as a minimum here in terms of power) does not offer much fun (i.e. you absolutely cannot compare it to your E350 as an E55K will leave it like it's not moving).

Being such a different vehicle, whilst the handling is still very good (I tracked a 211 55) and the car is setup well, it just brings a layer of refinement to the table on top.

There's no real compromise with them as they do everything very well (or at least the 211 did for me).

Having the S500 I do now, a Caterham would make a lot of sense but I fear I'd always use the S as it is so nice to drive!

There lies the danger of course.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Alex]

I'm with John on this one.

Even though having two cars - one being a fast daily, another a weekend/track/fun car - is the perfect scenario which covers all of the bases (incl. a backup vehicle), alot of people (myself included) often go for one car to do it all. Which is where AMG, M and RS cars seem to slot in quite well.

Luckily, these days you have a choice of mulitple chassis, body shapes and sizes, so picking a perfect one up should be a matter of writing down all pros and cons of each one (thus eliminating the "wrong" ones) and test driving the selected few.

Having had a C350 CDI for about 2.5 years (10 years ago) I remember it was a great engine but always made me think of what a C63 would be like to drive. Something I found out only a couple of years later (no regrets I didn't go for one still btw). But the point is, if you started thinking in that direction, that feeling is not going to go away. So I'd just get one and drive it. You pay a little more in fuel and insurance but so what, cut on snacks - never harmed anyone!

I'd say go for it. An old Porsche will hemorrhage money like no tomorrow. An AMG would seem like a bargain in comparison.

 

[st13phil]

My E350 W212 is pretty 'fast' in a straight line, but it's so heavy and big, there's really not much fun to be had

You really do need to drive a W212 E63. When you press on, chassis-wise it feels so different to an E350CDI you'd swear it wasn't essentially the same shell. And the engine performance is on another level entirely.

An old Porsche will hemorrhage money like no tomorrow. An AMG would seem like a bargain in comparison.

^ This.

It's an old adage that there's no such thing as a cheap Mercedes-Benz, but an older Porsche (unless you're very lucky) is on another level entirely.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Well to start with they are all completely unnecessary for at least 95% of everyday driving , probably more. Most ordinary variants can do everything that is required. But we buy them for totally emotional reasons. If you are unconcerned about fuel consumption, running costs, depreciation (ouch) and the planet the the amg saloons or estates make daily drivers usually with a lot of toys and a bit of noisy fun thrown in.
I run the cls55k as my daily driver, and its great (apart from the aforementioned), but whilst they handle well (an M5 is better) they are not what I would calkl a sports car. Too big and more importantly too heavy. I am lucky enough to have a 996 in the garage for when I want a proper b road blast which works well. If you dont need the space I would keep your 350cdi (will go on forever) and buy the best 911 you can aford (probably an early 997). Then you will have a large car thet does 95% of what the AMG would do 95% of the time and a true drivers car for when you feel the urge. Alternatively if you really dont need four doors and four seats sell the 350 and just run the 911 as a daily driver. I ran 911s as daily drivers for 15 years commuting 20 miles into london daily with no problems and lots of joy. but we had two children so my wife had and estate which could always sove any difficulties

 

[amzchhabra]

My E350 W212 is pretty 'fast' in a straight line, but it's so heavy and big, there's really not much fun to be had

You definitely need to try an E63, it is another level. I used to have a E350 Cab, which didnt handle anything, was great to waft about, but wasnt stable or good on a road trip through the Peaks or Penines. My E63 is much more capable in these scenarios, and can be the perfect option when setup correctly. I generally find the gearbox/steering in Sport+ gives great feel and feedback, suspension in Sport, and traction in sport to give great handling and a bit of play when hitting hairpins.

I am currently looking at options for my next purchase, but keep coming back to another E63 (W213) as the perfect option!

 

[HB]

You know a Cayman isn’t that bad to run as a play car. Keep the 350, save and buy the best one you can afford. Plenty reasonably priced Porsche specialists about.

 

[Bert_W164]

ML63:
- I bought it because I felt it's the most unexpected model in the line up, it shouldn't be so awesome but it is.
- I was toying with the idea of a M6, M5, 435D, but oddly drove a ML320 CDI when I was buying my CLK350, and instantly fell in love with the driving position and how comfy it was.
- A month later, the reality of 18mpg average on the CLK and complaining it's too slow, I bought a ML63.

Really there is no rationale behind the purchase other than wanting a big V8.

However as time passed I realised there is a value to the form factor, and performance.

- I'm able to cart four adults around in comfort and still overtake when needed
- IKEA runs are a doddle in it
- Crazy amount of space for luggage etc
- Perfect as a family car *
*Minus the fuel costs
- it's a all in one, can be very utilitarian, a fun car, a comfy cruiser, does surprisingly well around bends too
- Extremely safe, with AWD and it's computer wizardry, sure there is an element of press the loud pedal and it does everything for you, no slipping rear end out, no traction issues, it just goes where you point it, stops incredibly well and does this again and again. But I love that about it, having owned stuff like s13, st185, e36, E46 and so forth where driver input is at the heart of control, I appreciate the ease of how it puts down 507bhp with no fuss, electronic wizardry partially handles and aids my efforts.

Sure I could downsize the engine to save on fuel, but buying anything else means either spending more, and by the time I've offset the fuel costs, depreciation and the lack of the fun factor and other creature comforts outweifhs the cost savings.

Ultimately it's from a place of joy and admiration my ownership is based on, there are days where I wonder if I'm being selfish for owning such a gas guzzler, but I've never had any other car that could do everything the ML63 does with such comfort, finesse and mayhem (when wanted).

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Yep - more so when I turn up in the S2000 and they wonder where the E63 is...

Only go to Morrisons petrol when I use the daughters for shopping...

We really do talk to everyone up here ya kna

 

[Jobsworth]

How are you guys using your AMGs?

Mostly mine is used as a dopamine pump

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I've never had any other car that could do everything the ML63 does with such comfort, finesse and mayhem (when wanted).

Very true, it’a brilliant at everything. On track it would be cumbersome, but great fun, and it’s fantastic to hustle along a winding B road. One of the few AMG cars which can tow too

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , in my mere C207 yesterday I was continually being slowed down by this wide red car on a typical UK A road.

Every time a car appeared on the horizon the driver literally stoped his car to let the other car pass.

Oh to have a Ferrari / Lamborghini's are also wide.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

What was the wide red car?