On the other hand, while the E55 was a very sophisticated car back then, in modern terms, it’s actually relatively simple. The suspension is conventional, without the air springs and adjustability of later E-class AMG models. The 5.4L M113 V8 has single overhead cams and is naturally aspirated – not like the supercharged and turbocharged engines that followed. And while an integrated telephone was a big deal in 2001 (indeed, it came with a Motorola flip-phone handset in the centre console), it is woefully simplistic if you’re used to new cars. The single-DIN head unit has a tape player, and controls a dealer-installed six-disc changer mounted in the trunk.
Driving this car makes you realize how much more accessible automotive technology really is these days. In 2001, for instance, airbags in the doors and roof pillars weren’t common in anything but big luxury cars; everything has them these days. Electronic stability and traction control was a big deal back then, a huge helping hand to keep the power in check and drivers on the road; similar technology now comes standard in even the most prosaic economy cars. And my car doesn’t have Bluetooth, an iPod connection, GPS navigation, or many of the gadgets that come on any sub-$20,000 automobile.
What no new $20,000 car has, though, is an engine with this much shove and this much character. By modern AMG standards, 354 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque isn’t much (hell, a four-cylinder CLA45 almost out-powers it), but there’s nothing quite like the way a big, naturally aspirated V8 engine delivers its power. Roll into the throttle at any speed and in any gear, and speed and sound swell like a gathering storm; 0-100 km/h in just over five seconds is still fast, and the automatic transmission’s five gears mean that you get a nice, sustained pull through each cog before each shift, and are always in the meat of the power band at highway speeds.
From a dead stop, give it enough gas, and it’ll cheerfully overwhelm the 2001-vintage traction control and roast the 275/40/18 rear tires while making a noise like Satan gargling mouthwash as the transmission snaps off crisp upshifts. This is still an intensely charismatic drivetrain, as wonderful now as it was back then, and I love the honesty of its noise and power delivery.
It still handles pretty well, too. The steering is a bit old-school in how heavy it is, but it’s precise and provides surprisingly good feedback. The multi-link suspension and those fat tires mean it grips as well as a modern performance sedan, and the brakes are terrific in their ability to shed speed quickly and easily. On a winding country road, it’s easy to settle into a swift, comfortable rhythm, as the control weights are well-balanced, the gear ratios are well-chosen, and the ride gets better the faster you go. On the flip side, the car can feel quite cumbersome in town, the low-profile tires and big wheels clomping like cement shoes in and out of potholes and setting bits of interior trim squeaking.
