BMW M5 vs. AMG E55...now it's getting silly.

[Moses]

In the war of the Super-Sedans, the owners are getting ridiculous. Now they are accused of faking time slips in the 1/4 mile!

http://forum.mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128040

A little background, BMW's long awaited answer to the Mercedes E55 AMG has arrived. Reviews suggest this may be the best high speed sedan ever built. It has 500 HP, great steering and handling and the acceleration above 120 MPH is tremendous. Problem is that despite the HP, the E55 AMG has loads more torque and is faster 0-60 and in the quarter mile. If you want to race from stoplight to stoplight, nothing touches the E55. But if you want to run the Nurburgring, the M5 is the winner.

I really get a kick out of this rivalry. Faking time slips! Amazing.

[CJFusco]

Interesting to note that even though these "Super Sedans" are getting ridiculous power, they aren't any faster than your average 350hp sports car.... take, for example, the recent TOP GEAR episode which saw the 380hp Aston V8 take on the 515hp BMW M6 and the 360hp Porsche Carrera S. Guess which was the fastest? Now guess which was the slowest? I'll give you a clue: the British car was neither.

[kaisen]

E55 is all about supercharged low-end torque. The area under the torque curve is amazing. You have to rev the snot out of the M5's V10 to make the huge numbers it is capable of. On the street, the E55 (or any *55) rules. Awesome motor.

E

[kaisen]

Originally posted by CJFusco
Interesting to note that even though these "Super Sedans" are getting ridiculous power, they aren't any faster than your average 350hp sports car.... take, for example, the recent TOP GEAR episode which saw the 380hp Aston V8 take on the 515hp BMW M6 and the 360hp Porsche Carrera S. Guess which was the fastest? Now guess which was the slowest? I'll give you a clue: the British car was neither.

Ummm, do you think weight may have something to do with it?

Comparing a 190hp Lotus Elise to a 604hp Mercedes CL65 at Willow's street course is fair too.

E

[CJFusco]

Well duh. But I think most people get too caught up in the ridiculous HP numbers.

It should be noted as well that the BMW M6 (and the M5 as well, I think) makes "only" 400hp in normal driving setting... you have to go into that immensely annoying computer system and fiddle around for a few minutes to dial in the "sport" mode's extra 100hp!

[Moses]

Originally posted by kaisen
E55 is all about supercharged low-end torque. The area under the torque curve is amazing. You have to rev the snot out of the M5's V10 to make the huge numbers it is capable of. On the street, the E55 (or any *55) rules. Awesome motor.

E

No doubt. If you disengage traction control, it is truly difficult to avoid wheelspin at stoplights. If you hit the accelerator hard, the wheels will spin until you let off the gas. And it's 4,200 pounds! Amazing car.

[PorscheGuy79]

I think whats even more amazing is the RPM range that the E55 makes the torque. Its like 519ftlbs at 1950rpm (something close to that) its rediculous, you cant breathe on the gas petal without creating a class 5 tornado at the rear wheels. The MB traction control guys must be working over time.

[Steve W]

The AMG supercharged 5.5 liter motor has truly astounding power and torque. It is a completely different feel from your typical high reving large displacement motor, a Ferrari, a 996/997, and even a lightweight early 911 transplanted with a 993 V-ram motor. In each case, the Mercedes will feel much faster. With the supercharger, the effective motor displacement becomes something like 10 liters, and the motor delivers 500 ft-lbs of torque instantaneously at 2000 rpm. From a dead stop, acceleration feels as if the blood in your brain and body has shifted rearwards, and even at 100 mph, it still does not let off. Usually when you give rides to passengers in very fast cars, the typical reaction is screaming or exclaimation of some remark or another. In our S55, almost everyone's reaction has been dead speechlessness. The screaming and chatter comes after they get out of the car. It's really funny.

[kaisen]

I had a slightly modified 6.9 liter Mercedes Benz that had a little over 500ft-lbs. "Brutal shove" describes it. Torque is intoxicating.

E

[Steve W]

Intoxicating is probably what is is. The effect the acceleration has on your head and your mind is a lot like when you go from sober to feeling tipsy from drinking a bit too much.

[gprsh924]

both of the cars are unreal...full size sedans that compete with dedicated sports cars on the track. theres even room for 4 bags of golf clubs and all your buddies