BMW has a unique DNA but i had to get a C55

mackenzie · 19th November 2004, 19:38

Give all of you an update. I just bought a MBZ C55 and drove it for only 100 miles over two days. Here are some thoughts -

BMWs are truely unique - i have owned many and still own a x5 - just sold my m5 to get the c55. all bmw have a similar dna of driver feel and all mbz even amgs have a "softer" luxury feel.

I am getting a friend's 540 2000 6spd in six months as our third car, and i wanted a smaller car car automatic to replace my M5 as my daily "me only" driver.

So i looked at everything from g35, rx-8, to s4, to 330, and of course m3.

c55 ruled the day. I wish bmw had a v8 in a 3 series body....becasue as anyone w/ a m5 knows there is no substitute for the torque/displacement of a v8. And i wanted the feel of a smaller car...since my car will only need me in the car 97% of the time. sipping through traffic and parking lots - smaller is definately better.

i have to say the c55 is really nice inside and out...much improved from teh c32. visually w/ the longer front and w/ the v8 and new interior. but i miss the road feel of a bmw. oh well - in case you wondered....i had a long test drive of the m3 w/ smg....ugh...the smg is very strange in auto mode.

ps i thought for 57k drive out price for a 5.4 liter v8 w/ amg on a mbz germany car is not bad relative to porsches.

bayerischemotor · 19th November 2004, 19:47

To bad for the M5, but as long as you are happy.

Gustav · 19th November 2004, 21:07

Its faster on the Nordschleife than the E39 M5

Congats to the car, you're the 2nd one getting one of the m5bord.com members.

mackenzie · 19th November 2004, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gustav

Its faster on the Nordschleife than the E39 M5

Congats to the car, you're the 2nd one getting one of the m5bord.com members.

where have u read about the c55? what has been some of the "expert" opinions....outside of the traditional US magazines which i have read

Gustav · 19th November 2004, 21:51

M5 E39	C55 AMG

Test
Testing Date	3/1999	7/2004
Defects during Test	-	keine.
Temperature (Air)	10 Degree Celsius	16 Degree Celsius
Temperature (Asphalt)	8 Degree Celsius	19 Degree Celsius
Air Pressure	1042 mbar	1021 mbar

The Car
Type	BMW M GmbH M5 E39	Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG
Base Price	€ 71400	€ 62176
Manufacturer	BMW M GmbH Daimlerstrasse 19 85748 Garching Deutschland	Daimler Chrysler AG Epplestrasse 25 70567 Suttgart-Moehringen Deutschland
Manufacturer Website	www.bmw.com	www.daimlerchrysler.com

Engine
Displacement	4941 cccm	5439 cccm
Cylinders	8	8
Valves	32	24
Supercharger	-	-
Bore x Stroke	94 x 89 mm	97 x 92 mm
Compression Ratio	11:1	11:1
Power	400 PS (294 KW) @ 6600/min	367 PS (270 KW) @ 5750/min
Torque	500 Nm @ 3800/min	510 Nm @ 4000/min
Bhp / Liter	81 PS / L	67,5 PS / L

Transmission
Transmission Type	0	1
Number of Gears	6	5
Power Transmission	0	0
Gear Ratio	3,15	3,06

Chassis / Body
Length	4784 mm	4611 mm
Width	1800 mm	1744 mm
Height	1432 mm	1412 mm
Wheel Base	2830 mm	2715 mm
Tank Volume	70 L	62 L
Weight	1833 Kg	1680 Kg
Weight Distribution Kg	952 Kg / 881 Kg	924 Kg / 756 Kg
Weight Distribution %	52%/48%	55%/45%
Weight / Bhp	4,6 Kg / PS	4,6 Kg / PS

Wheels/ Tires
Wheels (Front/Rear)	8" / 9,5"	7,5" / 8,5"
Tires	Michelin Pilot-Sport	Pirelli P Zero Rosso
Dimension Front	245/40/18	225/40/18
Dimension Rear	275/35/18	245/35/18

Nuerburgring
Round time	8.28 min	8.22 min
Schwedenkreuz	225 Km/h	231 Km/h
Aremberg	90 Km/h (0,7g)	91 Km/h (1g)
Fuchsroehre	204 Km/h	220 Km/h
Metzgesfeld	178 Km/h	148 Km/h
Bergwerk	98 Km/h (0,9g)	95 Km/h (1,1g)
Kesselchen	203 Km/h	216 Km/h
Klostertal 1	158 Km/h (0,7g)	154 Km/h (0,95g)
Klostertal 2	80 Km/h (0,8g)	79 Km/h (1g)
Pflanzgarten	174 Km/h (0,8g)	169 Km/h (0g)
Galgenkopf	134 Km/h (1g)	124 Km/h (0,95g)
Doettinger Hoehe	248 Km/h	249 Km/h

Hockenheim
Round time	1.18,5 min	1.18,6 min
Nordkurve	109 Km/h (0,9g)	117 Km/h (1g)
Ausg. Querspange	76 Km/h (0,8g)	75 Km/h (0,95g)
Sachskurve	80 Km/h (0,8g)	78 Km/h (1g)
Opelkurve	93 Km/h (0,7g)	98 Km/h (0,95g)
Goal Straight Line	182 Km/h	179 Km/h
Max. Delay*	10,8 ms/2	10 ms/2
*Ameisenkurve

Acceleration
0 - 40 Km/h	1,7 s	1,7 s
0 - 60 Km/h	2,8 s	2,6 s
0 - 80 Km/h	3,9 s	3,9 s
0 - 100 Km/h	5,4 s	5,3 s
0 - 120 Km/h	7,3 s	7,2 s
0 - 140 Km/h	9,3 s	9,2 s
0 - 160 Km/h	12,1 s	11,7 s
0 - 180 Km/h	15,2 s	14,7 s
0 - 200 Km/h	18,9 s	18,3 s
Top Speed	250 Km/h * el. begrenzt	250 Km/h * el. begrenzt

Elasticity (4./5./6.)
80 - 100 Km/h	2,5 s / 3,2 s / 4,2 s	3,2 s / 3,9 s / - s
80 - 120 Km/h	5 s / 6,4 s / 8,4 s	6,3 s / 7,9 s / - s
80 - 160 Km/h	7,6 s / 9,7 s / 12,7 s	12,8 s / 15,9 s / - s
80 - 180 Km/h	13,5 s / 16,9 s / 22,7 s	16,3 s / 20,2 s / - s
80 - 200 Km/h	17,2 s / 21,2 s / - s	- s / - s / - s

Braking
100 - 0 Km/h cold	37,8 m / 10,2 m/s2	37,5 m / 10,3 m/s2
100 - 0 Km/h hot	38,2 m / 10,1 m/s2	36,7 m / 10,5 m/s2
200 - 0 Km/h	152,8 m / 10,1 m/s2	149,7 m / 10,3 m/s2
80% Vmax* - 0 Km/h	152,8 m (80% Vmax =200 km/h)	149,7 m (80% Vmax =200 km/h)
200 - 0 Km/h	5,5 s	5,4 s

Brakes Technology
Type of Brake	Scheiben innenbelüftet	Bremsscheiben Innenbelüftet vorne gelocht
Discs Ø Front	345 mm	345 mm
Discs Ø Rear	328 mm	300 mm
ABS	Yes	Yes

Wind Tunnel
Buoyancy at 200 Km/h*	32 Kg	33 Kg
cw Value	0,287	0,29
*Rear Axis

Transverse Acceleration
Standard Courve	1,1 g	1,1 g
at Speed	162 Km/h	96 Km/h

Acceleration/Braking
0 - 200 - 0 Km/h	24,4 s	23,7 s

Handling
Slalom Course (36m)	120 Km/h	122 Km/h
Evasive Course (110m)	124 Km/h	134 Km/h

Fuel consumption*
Minimum	10,5 L	11 L
Average	14,7 L	14,7 L
Maximum	20,8 L	19,3 L
*During Test, 98 Octane

[ Top of Page ]	M5 E39	C55 AMG

Gustav · 19th November 2004, 21:55

I havent read any threads yet on it but I would think a bit better than the C32 in terms of feeling but not at all like the M5. C55 has a different front (looks better) so now it can incorporate the V8 instead of the V6 Kompressor from the C32. It is also avail. C55 Estate.

Ronin M5 · 20th November 2004, 01:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackenzie

ps i thought for 57k drive out price for a 5.4 liter v8 w/ amg on a mbz germany car is not bad relative to porsches.

That's kind of like saying Porsches are a great deal, relative to Ferrari's.

Anyways, the C55 seems like it would be a very fun car to rip around in. And four doors always comes in handy. I used to drive a e36 M3 sedan.

boostmiser · 20th November 2004, 02:47

Nice car. I went to the MB dealer two days ago to look at the C55. I looked at the C55 and an E55, but didn't drive either. I felt the E55 suited my needs more in terms of passenger room...particularly in the rear. I suppose the C-class is more comparable to the 3-series and the E-class is more comparable to the 5-series? Oh, and I don't have $80K+ for the E55. The C55 looks low and wide standing in front of the car...much more petite but very capable.

em5464 · 20th November 2004, 09:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackenzie

Give all of you an update. I just bought a MBZ C55 and drove it for only 100 miles over two days. Here are some thoughts -

BMWs are truely unique - i have owned many and still own a x5 - just sold my m5 to get the c55. all bmw have a similar dna of driver feel and all mbz even amgs have a "softer" luxury feel.

I am getting a friend's 540 2000 6spd in six months as our third car, and i wanted a smaller car car automatic to replace my M5 as my daily "me only" driver.

So i looked at everything from g35, rx-8, to s4, to 330, and of course m3.

c55 ruled the day. I wish bmw had a v8 in a 3 series body....becasue as anyone w/ a m5 knows there is no substitute for the torque/displacement of a v8. And i wanted the feel of a smaller car...since my car will only need me in the car 97% of the time. sipping through traffic and parking lots - smaller is definately better.

i have to say the c55 is really nice inside and out...much improved from teh c32. visually w/ the longer front and w/ the v8 and new interior. but i miss the road feel of a bmw. oh well - in case you wondered....i had a long test drive of the m3 w/ smg....ugh...the smg is very strange in auto mode.

ps i thought for 57k drive out price for a 5.4 liter v8 w/ amg on a mbz germany car is not bad relative to porsches.

Congrats on your new purchase,
The C55 is a great new sports sedan, however nothing can be compared to the M5 and nothing replaces the 6spd gearbox....have fun

ed