Part sleeper, part sledgehammer, the W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG was not to be dismissed lightly
The fastest sedan in the world.
That’s what the W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG was billed as representing when it broke cover at the 2002 Paris motor show.
What made the E55 so special was the M113K 5.4-litre supercharged V8 engine with drive-by-wire throttle system.
Hand-built by AMG, the powerplant belted out a whopping 350kW at 6100rpm and 700Nm of torque from a low 2650rpm to catapult the E55 from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
Reaching 160km/h took a tad over five seconds and its top speed was electronically reigned in at 250km/h. But the beauty of this beast was that it could also be docile and traipse along fuss-free in traffic.
This same powerplant was dropped into the hugely exclusive and expensive Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG coupe and convertible and it won the International Performance Engine of the Year for 2003.
Mated to the engine was an AMG Speedshift five-speed automatic transmission that could study and then adjust to your driving style in both drive and manual mode, and when pressing the gear shift buttons on the steering wheel.
Designed by Hartmut Sinkwitz, the W211 generation of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, but lost a bit of interior space, more so in the wagon that came on stream in 2004.
The E55 variant immediately claimed the title of the fastest wagon in the world on its release.
The W211 E55 came equipped with AMG-tuned Airmatic adaptive and active ride suspension – featuring three drive modes and the ability to raise the ride height – and speed-sensitive power steering.
Arresting velocity just as impressively was the brake-by-wire system with massive eight-piston callipers that bit into the 360mm cross-drilled front disc brakes and 330mm rear discs with four callipers.
Unlike the flamboyant AMG models of today, the W211 E55 had no big wings, unnecessary vents or intakes sprouting up. The front and rear bumpers plus side skirts were exclusively designed for the E55 and it sat lower than mundane E-Class Benz models.
The W211 E55 rode on AMG-design 18×8-inch front and 18×9-inch rear alloy wheels that were encased by 245/40R18 front and 265/35R18 rear tyres. The E55 also had bi-Xenon projector headlights with washers that weren’t common.
The clues in picking a W211 E55 are the four exhaust outlets and V8 Kompressor badges on each side.
Occupants were pampered in an understated, plush and comfortable interior with hints of woodgrain and heated, power-adjustable Nappa leather seats featuring dynamic bolsters.
Other standard features included Nappa leather multi-function steering wheel, Nappa leather shifter, a sunroof, satellite navigation and a CD stacker, plus a sports instrument cluster with white-face speedo that read up to 320km/h!
There was an options list as long as your arm offering front and rear parking sensors, a powered rear sun blind, heated rear seats, front and rear TV screens and an early version of Distronic adaptive cruise control, which is not to be confused with voice recognition – or Linguatronic in Benz-speak.
Mercedes-Benz is synonymous with world-leading safety and the E55 came with a host of safety features comprising front, side and curtain airbags, seat belt pretensioners, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes and rain-sensing speed-dependent wipers.
Now, according to RedBook the private price guide starts around 10 per cent of the 2003 new car price of $221,900 plus on-road costs, although the asking price of W211 E55 models is somewhat higher.
Even so, it is one hell of a bang for your buck and the icing on the cake is that the W211 E55 was only made for four years.
Why we want one• It’s fast, very fast…• Production only ran four years• Comfortable and classy
• Snarling engine note
Click here to view W211 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG vehicles currently available at carsales.
Keyword: carsales classic: Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG (2003-2006)