RJC

What do you think the new 550 will do 0-60 and the quarter mile in?

The last time R/T tested a CLK 500 it did 0-60 in 5.2 and the quarter in 13.7 @ 104.5 mph. That car was a 5 speed with the standard 302hp and 339 lb ft of trq.

The new car will have a 7 speed, 383 hp and 389 ft lb of trq; would it be safe to say it breaks the 5 second barrier with ease? Maybe 0-60 in 4.7 and the Q/M in 13.4 @ 107mph+/- ?

Anyone know what the mags showed a CLK55 (362 hp 376 lb ft trq) doing? I know MB's conservative #'s had it's 0-60 @ 4.9, for an 05 coupe.

I think the new 550 will garner lots of press when the #'s hit.

vraa

The new 550 will rape the current 500 and may even put up a nice fight versus the N/A 55's.

Toog4me

That sounds hot.

RJC

I've gotta believe with 20 more hp, 13 more lb ft of trq and 2 more speeds the 550 will be faster than the current CLK 55. Unless I'm missing something?

AMG_55

i agree
i say 4.5-.4.6 o-60
12.8-13.00 1/4 mile @ 108-109.5

RJC

That would be just too cool

AMG_55

look at the s class, 0-60 5.4, and i think thats conservative

S2000

Traps "should" be in the 107-109 range

The problem will be getting the power to the ground. 0-60's are more tire spin dependant.

5-60 would be a better bench mark.

Being able to completely turn off the ESP and an LSD would help with the 0-60 times

cntlaw

should be close to C55/CLK55

Germancar1

The CLK63 is the one that is going to be the scorcher and do the raping! I still can't imagine a CLK with 481hp, which will likely work out to 475hp in U.S. numbers. That is mad power for a car like the CLK. Gives me a chill to think about the day the SLK55 becomes the SLK63 with this new 6.2L AMG V8!! Can you imagine a SLK with 440+ hp?!?

You guys are right about the CLK550 it will likely be as fast as the current CLK55 which is why the CLK63 has over 100 more hp than the CLK55!!!

The CLK550 is going to be quite a bargain as far as Mercedes go. The CLK63 Cabrio is going to be hard to get if it lands in the middle of summer.

M

RJC

Why do some think the 550 will only be "as fast" as the CLK55?
The 550 will have 20 more hp and 17 lb ft more of torque not to mention 2 extra gears; so shouldn't the 550 be even faster?

e1000

I'm going out on a limb here, and this is all just speculation comming from me, but I'm not so sure they'll release a W209 C550. Just dosen't make sense to me. I think when the next generation CLK is produced, we will then see a CLK550.

Kar don

nope, CLK550 is def coming.

Verb04

CLK550 is official!!

blume

im glad to see that the new 550 will be here, but why would mb do that to the current 55ers? that would have me pissed if i had the current 55... anyone?

vraa

Psh **** happens

It's just the way of life, what would X5 4.6is owners do when the 4.8is comes out.

Germancar1

Well I think you have to look at how Mercedes does things. You knew from the minute the S550 showed up with a new V8 that the new V8 would be placed into every other V8 Mercedes within the year. There are people still buying the last remaing SL500s, E500s, CLS500s, CLK500s, ML500s, and R500s. Question is do they know if all of these will get a new V8 by summer or do they care? The only models that have some mystery about whether or not they're going to get a new V8 are the ML/R. Do they become "450" models like the new GL450 or do they get the full "550" treatment. There is a GL500 (our 550) in Europe, but MBUSA hasn't said a thing about bringing it here yet. I think we'll get a few more answers at the New York Auto Show next month.

I'll tell you now that eventually all the "350" cars are going to get the new CLS350's CGI Direct-Injection V6, probably for the 2008 model year in the U.S. I believe the E350 is going to get some type of hp boost for 2007, but it won't be the direct-injection V6 from the new Europe only CLS350. Not yet.

I personally think the current 5L V8 in the CLK was outdated a few years ago and is long overdue.

M

AMG_55

latest issue of motor trend:
no clk 63 coupe for US, conv. only

also lorinser s550 makes 425hp w/ only bolt ons (exhaust, chip, intake manifold)

very nice tuning potential on the new mercedes engines (chipped 350 in europe 295+hp)

the 550 will be faster than current clk55, especially as speed increases.
unless its much heavier
it shouldnt b

Chappy

My "prediction":

The CLK550 will be a very stout performer, but lack the "edge" that the AMG handling and braking offer. In a straight line, it will likely be faster than the W208 and W209 CLK55s, but not by much. As a near-GT car, it will have mushy handling compared to the AMG.

There will be a CLK63 coupe, but only as an AMG Special. It will have the flared fenders like the F1 Safety Cars have and will be priced accordingly.

Kar don

obviously it wont handle as well as the CLK55, thats what makes it an AMG car. GL550 will be coming I have read, I forget where.

RJC

True, that's why I'd order the sports suspension option for the 550 which should help the handling a bit; I wish I'd even known it was available when I got my 500.

Stiggs

I think everyone is forgetting something........Mercedes always seem to publish 0-60 times that are slower than when the Mags test them. For example: The 2004 CLK55. mercedes claimed the 0-60 was 5.0sec. Then Car and Driver did a comparison with the CLK55, BMW 645i and some Maserati I think. The 2004 CLK55 did 0-60 in 4.5sec.
So don't forget Mercedes will probably say a slower 0-60 time for the CLK550.

Also we need to know how fast the new CLK63 will go. You know Mercedes will not let the CLK550 get too close to the CLK63 performance wise. That would be shooting themselves in the foot. Why buy a CLK63 if its just as fast as a CLK550 for less money? I believe the two 0-60 times will be spaced apart fairly.

blume

that isnt a fair comparison of what i was saying. that would be like the 2002 55 vs 2005 55... and that to me is the way of life.

RJC

Good points.

The 63 is gonna fly!

AMG_55

63 should do a traction limited 4.2-4.4 to 60
if they put 255 tires on it again ill smack them

just got issue of autocar: sl500 (550 in US i guess)
0-60 5.2
0-100 12.4