The AMG division is known for cooking up the wildest batch of tuned Mercs, but the W211 Sports Sedan truly is their ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing.
BY SAM MAIN
VIA HOTCARS
PUBLISHED APR 18, 2023
When you think of fast German automaker divisions, arguably there are three that often rise to the top: RS, M, and AMG. The latter, part of the Mercedes-Benz group, takes your ordinary family sedan and throws a sodding great V8 supercharger under the hood. AMG are, without a doubt, the most insane patients in the sports sedan asylum. And in the early 2000s, AMG got their hands on the W211 E-Class and created the Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, and what they created – unsuspecting to petrol heads back then – has now become a truly underappreciated bargain.
With a sleek and humble aesthetic that rendered the E55 AMG a true sleeper, unless you were an enthusiast and knew your cars the beefed-up W211 looked like an ordinary sports sedan. It’s only when you really concentrated that you noticed the signs: the big alloys wheels, the flared wheel arches, the quad exhausts. The E55 AMG was as subtle as an ordinary daily commuter, but one step on the throttle would rip a hole through time. It was a product of a bygone era, where automakers cared less about emissions and crossover SUVs, and more about creating monstrously powerful under-the-radar machines.
How Fast Was The Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG?
But why is it underappreciated? For starters, people are quick to forget just how powerful the E55 AMG was. Under the hood of this subtle luxury car was a 5.5-liter supercharged V8, which produced an eye-watering 470 hp at 6100 rpm. That might not sound like a lot in the present era, where anything below 500 hp now seems measly, but - for context - the E55 AMG was the fastest sedan in the world at the time of its launch (winning a Guinness Book of World Records award, just to prove the point).
It was so fast, the 3825-lb monster could get from 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds, and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (though, remove the limiter, and it would easily have reached 180 plus). Not even the-then top spec Ferrari could match the E55 as, thanks to its enormous 700 ft-lb’s of torque, it was half a second quicker from 50 to 70 mph than a Ferrari 575M Maranello. This was a family sedan with 5 seats and a large trunk.
Long story short, the E55 AMG was a beast. A weapons-grade mile-muncher that had an unbridled rage under the hood; something its competitors, like the-then Audi RS6 and BMW M5, couldn’t keep up with.
The Mercedes E55 AMG Offered Supreme Luxury And Comfort
The party piece, though, of the E55 AMG was not just its hugely powerful engine. It was the interior and the cabin experience it provided for the driver and their passengers. Not only were electric AMG leather sport-seats standard, but the interior also provided memory functions, cruise control, DVD navigation, massage and heated options, and Bluetooth connectivity; radical and innovative gadgets for the early 2000s.
AMG clearly made convenience the defining principle for the E55’s interior. While the occupants were comfortable when cruising at 155 mph, the driver could use the Formula1- style paddle shifts on the AMG sport steering wheel to change the five-speed transmission. Although antiquated now, this was another innovative piece of technology created by the German luxury automaker, which merely added to the comfortable driving experience. You may have been doing 155 mph, but you were none the wiser in the cabin.
How Much Is The E55 AMG Sports Sedan Worth Today?
So, it provided extreme comfort and luxury, and it was hugely powerful. And yet, because of its subtle styling (which contradicts modern design philosophy in the car industry), the E55 AMG has gone unnoticed. The question many may be asking then is: how much is one worth today? For what had an original list price of around $70,000, the current market sees the E55 AMG having depreciated to around $20,000 (depending on mileage and condition).
Longevity has brought about lessons with this car, and as such common issues have been identified, and it’s safe to say the E55 AMG was not the most reliable Mercedes ever produced. That being said, the value for money is extraordinary. Luxury, high-quality equipment, super car-like power, and gorgeous styling, all for the same price as a standard family hatchback.
Running costs aside, the E55 AMG is an underappreciated bargain that is yet to skyrocket in value. If the staggering prices of E39 M5’s is anything to go by, the Mercedes will no doubt follow suit in appreciation. Why? Because cars like this no longer exist. Manufacturers are looking more to electric cars and the phasing-out of the internal combustion engine, rather than following the recipe of old: uprating an ordinary model and turning it into a refined monster that rivaled the most extreme sports cars.
This is the E55 AMG in a nutshell. It is the definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A car that kick started the horsepower war among Mercedes, BMW and Audi that has continued to rage on to this day. It’s comfortable, well-engineered, and luxurious. But the moment you unleash its supercharged V8, your internal organs move with the G-forces, and you are left smiling in awe at how such an understated car could provide such an intoxicating experience. And for around $20,000, it’s safe to say the E55 AMG is an underappreciated bargain that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. Hats off to AMG, who created one hell of a machine.
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