Is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG a good car?         

This article will answer the following questions: is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG a good car? What engine is used in the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG? How fast does the 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG go? Should you buy the 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG in 2022?

Is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG a good car?

Yes, the 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG is a good car. It was unveiled in 2002 and it was the fastest production 4 door sedan in the luxury passenger car segment. The 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG is a high-performance version of the standard E class model series W211.

Mercedes Benz launched the third generation of the E class in 2003 and it was a significant update over the second generation of the E class model series W210. The W 211 E class features a more modern design with flowing body lines, the signature double-barrel headlights were carried over from the previous models but Mercedes Benz used more modern high-intensity discharge lights. The onboard electrical network was also improved with the addition of multiple CAN B networks. 

Mercedes AMG which is a high-performance division of Mercedes Benz designed the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG and improved the standard E 211 by adding an airmatic suspension system with 3 driving modes, fixed brake callipers with 8 pistons on the front and 4 piston callipers on the rear axle. An optional high-performance ceramic brake package was also available. 

The overall styling of the 2005 Mercedes Benz  E 55 AMG was very subtle, there was no sports badging or carbon fibre treatment in the interior of the vehicle. The seats and overall interior design look very comfortable and discrete. Unlike the modern-day sports car which has a very aggressive look, the 2005 E 55 had a clean look and the AMG exclusive 18-inch alloy wheels along with AMG front and rear bumpers gave a slight hint that it is not a standard E class.

Mercedes Benz sold over 2000 units of E55 AMG in 2005 and it was the most successful performance sedan until the launch of the C 63 AMG. Mercedes Benz also manufactures an even more powerful version of the E Class with 6.3 litres naturally-aspirated V 8 M156 engine.

What engine is used in the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG?

The 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 uses a supercharged M113K engine. The previous generation of the E 55 AMG model series W210 used a naturally aspirated version of the same M133 engine. For the second generation of the E 55 amg, the 5.4-litre M133 engine was supercharged with a twin-scroll compressor manufactured by IHI.

The overall power output of the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG was 469 brake horsepower and 700 Nm of torque. The engine is handbuilt in the AMG Affalterbach manufacturing plant, the boost pressure generated by the compressor was controlled by the engine control unit via an electromagnetic clutch on the compressor pulley. 

The exhaust system on 2005 E55 AMG was slightly longer than the SL 500 with the same engine. The state of tune on the 2005 E55 AMG was slightly different than the SL therefore there was a different power output between the engine.

There are liquid-cooled intercoolers to cool the compressed air from the supercharger and it also gave the 2005 E 55 AMG a very distinct engine noise. The M113K was also adopted in the CLK GTR DTM race car.

In 2005 E55 AMG, the M113 K is mated to the 5-speed automatic gearbox instead of the newly designed 7-speed gearbox. This is because the new 7 G-Tronic automatic gearbox was inadequate to handle the massive 700 NM torque produced by the supercharged V8 engine.

How fast does the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG go?

The 2005m Mercedes Benz E 55 can easily go to a top speed of over 300 km per hour and a 0-161 km per hour time of 9.8 seconds and the E 55 wagon did a time of under 10 seconds despite being 100 kgs heavier than the sedan model.

The 2005 E 55 amg was the fastest production sedan until Mercedes Benz launched the S63 AMG with a 6.3 litre naturally-aspirated V 8 engine. The supercharged engine however produced better acceleration from the standstill as the compressor was directly driven by the crankshaft pulley of the engine. There is no lag in the power unlike a turbocharger and the power delivery is instantaneous. The naturally aspirated M113 in the previous generation delivered the power in a very linear way.

Should you buy the 2005 Mercedes Benz AMG in 2022?

Yes, you should buy a 2005 Mercedes Benz AMG in 2022 as it is one of the few AMG with a supercharged V8 engine. As advancements were made in electronic fuel injection and forced air induction, turbochargers became very popular and the problem of turbo lag was rectified by using two turbochargers. The turbocharges were also cheaper to manufacture compared to superchargers.

Mercedes Benz sold the 2005 E 55 AMG in the international market as well and the engine can easily last more than 200,000 km without any reliability issues. However, finding a good example will be difficult as the 55 series AMGs are very rare in used car markets.

The 2005 E55 AMG can be considered a modern-day classic, the overall design of the car still looks very modern even today. The sensotronic brake system is the first fly-by-wire braking system implemented in a production car. It also has special features like brake dry function that improves braking in snowing/ raining weather by briefly applying brake pads against the brake disk. The brake drying function is not noticeable to the driver while driving the car. 

The wider 265/35 tyre at the rear axle provides adequate grip under all driving conditions and even though the cost of spare parts and labour are high there are no unexpected repairs in the 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG. The sensotronic brake control unit also gets a lifetime warranty from Mercedes Benz if there are any malfunctions in the brake units.

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Conclusion

The 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG is a good car, despite being a high-performance version of the standard E class model series W211 it has all the comfort features like vented seats with PTC seat heaters, and a PTC heater booster for cold countries and a sunroof. It is also one of the last models with an M113 K supercharged engine before it was discontinued due to emission regulations. The automatic gearbox was also strong enough to deliver 1000NM of torque which is why the 2005 Mercedes Benz E 55 AMG was also popular among the Car modders/ tuners.