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Black Tie
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Introduction Since this Mercedes is not emblazoned with AMG emblems you could easily mistake it for a typical Mercedes CLK 320 or 430. So before you decide to outrun the rich guy or gal at the stoplight with your Mustang it would pay to take a peek at the trunk lid. If you see the letters AMG on the right side of the trunk lid we suggest you go back to tuning the radio and don't ruin your day. Before we go on and on about how great the Mercedes is let's just stop for a minute and review some of the negative aspects of the car. To begin with we um................well uh................give us a minute we'll think of something. We'll get back to you later on that one.
Maybe
if we are good little boys and girls we will wake up to find one of
the 55's under the Weihnachtsbaum, even though the season has
technically begun. While we wait and wonder what happened to Sankt
Nikolaus we should take a moment to thank Hans for personally
assembling the engine in our car. Since every AMG engine is hand
assembled we felt it only fitting to test it with our hands, feet
and seat of our pants. While the process of building this car may
seem cold, calculating and impersonal we can assure you the
experience of driving it appeals to all the senses. Regardless if
you are looking for a night on the town wearing your black tie, or
simply pounding the pavement with a tire smoking 376 lb ft of
torque, the Benz will satisfy your appetite. When you think about
Mercedes the thought typically is of luxury cars that provide style,
comfort, value and a smooth quiet ride. Now combine that with the
feeling you get driving a TransAm RamAir with all the finesse of big
Detroit iron. Our 2001 black on charcoalCLK55 AMG has a sticker of $68,045 including the destination and delivery charge of $645. This is the base price of the vehicle with the only options being the CD player with phone, Command navigation system and a ski rack. There are two options on the phone, one offering voice control for hands-free operation. The list of standard equipment is long so don't think the 55 is some stripped down racer. Interior
Now that we got that out of our system let's move on to the finer points of the interior. The dual zone climate control works as it should. The instrumentation is typical of Mercedes with little complaint from us. The big LED readout in the lower section of the speedometer is a nice touch. The stereo is easy to use and we were able to master its controls without opening the manual. The stereo is a Bose 8 speaker premium system that emits the quality sound you would expect in a car such as the 55. The multi-contour/memory front seats provide enough bolstering without sacrificing comfort. The Birdseye Maple wood trim left us pressing our noses up close to see if there really was a hint of wood grain in there somewhere. While we never really came to a consensus on whether or not we liked the appearance of this dark wood we all agreed that it blended well with the other interior appointments. Other minor points that we like were the self dimming mirrors, heated seats and the steering wheel mounted controls for the phone. The rear seat has a center armrest with pullout cupholders and a center pass-through for skis. In addition the center pass-through has an expandable pouch to protect the upholstery from skis that may be wet or have sharp edges. The rear seats are actually bucket seats with a center storage area (visible in picture) so forget about squeezing in that third person. Front and side airbags are standard along with the Babysmart Child Seat Recognition system. The overall interior package is impressive and we won't hesitate to rate it among the best. After spending several days in a car you can usually pick up on some design glitches here and there, but that was not the case with the 55. Sometimes you get what you pay for and in this case it's nice to know that an excellent interior resides inside the quickest Mercedes around.
Engine and Gearbox Since the OHC V-8 produces its 376 lb-ft of torque at a low 3,000 rpm's the 3,400 pound Benz feels powerful right off the line. Sometimes there is just no substitution for displacement and torque output. The engine is managed by the Bosch Motronic ME 2.0 sequential multi-port fuel injection system utilizing two high energy ignition coils and spark plugs per cylinder. The engine castings are aluminum and utilize Silitec technology on the cylinder liners to reduce friction and wear while increasing engine speed. The throttle is operated electronically and feeds air into a two stage magnesium intake manifold that helps maintain air velocity through the induction system at all engine speeds. Intake manifold design of late has helped manufacturers of newer vehicles increase power output from the engine without sacrificing much in the way of fuel economy. While the naturally aspirated system must rely on atmospheric pressure, as always, the intake runner design does allow the air velocity to remain high. While this will not charge the cylinders in the way a turbocharger or supercharger will it does optimize the amount of air that enters the combustion chamber and in return increases power output of the engine. While this information may not interest everyone there is no mistaking the benefits when the driver pushes the accelerator to the wide-open position. Figuratively speaking of course since the throttle is controlled by a little motor taking information from one of the black boxes. Some of the newer vehicles have this system and we tend to like it since the driver can listen to the engine and actually hear the management system make changes, sometimes not directly related to the position of the accelerator. Remember the days when you needed to look at the tachometer to closely regulate your shift points? Not to mention the possibility of sending the connecting rods through the side of the block.
Driving Impression Of all the things we can say about the car there is one that delights the senses each and every time. It's the music that the car produces. No, not the music from the stereo, while good it can not compare to the music from the engine. The Bach of exhaust notes captures the true essence of the car and goes a long way in reducing the average fuel economy each time you press the accelerator a little further in an effort to raise the volume. Without the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) activated it becomes a little easier to turn the Michelin's into their more viscous state, leaving a trail of smoke and spent rubber in your path.
The ride the 55 produces tends to be on the firm side without being offensive. While one tester felt the ride could be a little softer we were in agreement the car was setup appropriately for its intended use. The steering was smooth and precise, permitting the driver to handle most corners without the need for a correction or two along the way. Steering the Benz is sort of like putting icing on a cake, it stays where you put it and goes on smoothly. The ESP pretty much keeps things in check and allows you to drive the car pretty close to its limits. If you're looking to hang the tail out simply deactivate the ESP, which turns off the traction control, allowing you to use the engines torque to slide the back end out while using the steering to snap the car back in line. Upgraded brakes with larger diameter rotors and twin piston calipers provide all the stopping power the Benz will need. After several high speed stops there was no brake fade evident and the ABS system worked flawlessly in providing short, straight stops each time we stomped the system into action. The wheels are noticeably different than those found on the CLK 430. The front wheels are 7.5 inches wide and the rear wheels are 8.0 inches wide. While the wheels look good we felt the AMG could make a slightly bolder statement in this department. The Michelin's on the front are 225/45 while the larger rear wheels carry the 245/40's. Overall we rate the driving experience excellent and would have no trouble recommending the car to those looking for a luxury coupe with the performance of a muscle car. Mercedes used the old C class platform for this car but they packed in enough performance goodies to ensure the car would perform at a much higher level than the current C class offerings. We should probably compare the car to BMW's M3 but felt this car appeals to a different buyer, one that could more likely resemble the buyer of the BMW M5, so we will use that car for our comparison when it arrives even though it has four doors. We would like to relate to the readers the exhaust music this car produces but the only way we can do that is to compare it to a car we see on a regular basis at CART events. The car is the Lexus GS400 that CART has modified and uses as one of the promo vehicles to give celebrities rides around the various tracks. If you have noticed this car at one of the CART races and recall what it sounded like you will have a good idea of the music the CLK55 produces from its modified V-8.
Stuff We Didn't Like:
Note: All
Photos copyright
AutoRacing1.com and Dave Cipolloni Comments can be
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