The Mercedes E55 AMG: Remember When It Was the Fastest Car in the World?

Carlos Kirby
· 4 min read
background
Mercedes-Benz
is well-known for making high-quality luxury cars like the E55 AMG. Not only that, but they also generally perform well, too. For example, the extremely expensive Mercedes-AMG One is not only a powerful EV, but it's also one of the fastest cars on the market right now. 
That said, it wasn't that long ago that Mercedes-Benz had the absolute fastest car in the world. Here's a look at the astonishing 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG.
The 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG was a rocket on wheels.

A look at the 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG

At a starting price tag of over $100,000, the 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG wasn't a cheap car, but it was quite fast. In fact, the E55 AMG was so fast and powerful that it started competition between automakers to add more horsepower to their cars. 
While luxury sedans like the E55 AMG were expensive, they were by no means supercars. Despite that, Mercedes managed to make this generation of the E55 AMG the fastest production sedan in the world—at the time, at least.
This was because, back in the early 2000s, sedans with 400 horsepower were considered to be very powerful. Mercedes, however, gave the E55 AMG a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine. This engine got 469 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, which was quite a bit—making it the a speedster on the road.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
Find insurance savings

Just how fast was the 2003 Mercedes E55 AMG?

MORE: Dolby Atmos Music Will Resonate With Drivers of Some New Mercedes-Benz Vehicles
With the right build, the E55 AMG could go from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. While that doesn't sound as impressive compared to the fastest cars around nowadays, it still made the E55 AMG the fastest production sedan in the world at the time.
Not only did it accelerate quickly, but it also had a pretty good top speed of about 155 mph. That being said, this top speed was the electronically limited top speed that Mercedes gave the car. If disabled and equipped with better tires, the E55 AMG could hit 180 mph when all's said and done. 
While those specs were incredible for the time, this speedy Mercedes didn't handle as well as more modern luxury cars do. Regardless, the E55 AMG was still a good car in other ways.

The other features in this speedy Mercedes 

MORE: The 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Features Total Body Airbags
The E55 AMG had an air suspension system, and this gave it a very smooth ride. After all, the E55 AMG was still a Mercedes, and as such, it had quite a few luxury features. For instance, its front seats were heated, too.
And, while it doesn't have high-tech features like a massive touch screen, it did have other practical features, such as a sunroof. There are also quite a few storage compartments in the interior of the car.
If folks wanted more space, Mercedes even offered a wagon version. This will allow the car to not only be fast but also practical for everyday driving.
On top of that, the E55 AMG has held its value quite well over the years. A used one can be worth about $20,000 to $30,000. That's quite affordable for a Mercedes, especially since Mercedes are quite expensive right now thanks to the chip shortage.

Keep your Mercedes covered with insurance 

This Mercedes may be pretty old by now, but that may also be the case for your car insurance.
Jerry
is the highest-rated insurance app in America, and it has a 4.7 out of 5 rating on the App Store. 
Jerry can gather quotes from over 50 of the top insurance carriers, such as Nationwide and Allstate, and this allows Jerry users to save an average of $879 a year on their car insurance.

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings