2004 Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG Wagon (S211) 5.4L V8 Kompressor 5AT (476 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Following the unexpected success of the fastest production sedan in the world at its launch, Mercedes-Benz decided to add a more family-friendly option in 2003 to the roster of models whose names end in ’55 AMG.’ Like its sedan brother, the Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG T-Modell (S211) featured a supercharged V8 engine and became its segment’s fastest production car immediately after launch. The German carmaker was on a roll of sparking controversy with the amount of power of its AMG models at the time, sparking a still-ongoing muscle race.

The 2004 E 55 AMG Wagon wasn’t the first of its kind, as the previous E-Class generation, the S210, had also had an AMG version, but the gloves were completely off this time. While the S211 was powered by a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 with a ‘measly’ 354 PS (349 HP) and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft) of torque, its successor went all in. The cherry on top was AMG engineers splashing a twin-scroll supercharger on that hand-built V8, which increased its total output to a massive 476 PS (469 HP) and even more massive 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. Codenamed M113K, the now-legendary powertrain won International Performance Engine of the Year in 2003, and it was featured with various outputs on other AMG models at the time as well.

Because of the colossal torque figures, that output was sent to the rear wheel through an older, 5-speed automatic transmission, despite Mercedes-Benz already introducing the newer and quicker-shifting 7G-Tronic on some engines. It took a few more years for engineers to modify the 7-speed for larger torque applications, so the E 55 and E 55 Wagon still had to do with the older, less responsive transmission with fewer gears.

With that in mind, the E 55 AMG Wagon was no slouch, with its acceleration besting any other “long roof” executive car out there, including the Audi RS6 C5. As with the sedan version, an AMG-tuned Airmatic suspension with various driving modes was present on the go-fast wagon while stopping power came straight out of the even faster SL 55 AMG. A set of 14.2-inch (360 mm) ventilated brake discs with eight-piston calipers at the front and 13-inch (330 mm) with four-piston calipers at the rear ensured you could harness all that power responsibly.

As with the E 55 AMG sedan, the wagon had subtle design differences from the much more prevalent non-AMG versions, including a front bumper with the now-familiar A-shaped intakes, modified side skirts, and quad exhaust tips under the more profiled rear bumper. Because the suspension setup was also different, the model also had wider front and rear tracks, sitting on AMG-specific 18-inch split-spoke wheels with 245/40/18 tires up front and 265/35/18 in the rear.

The interior was identical to the E 55 AMG (W211) sedan, save for slightly more headroom for the rear passengers and a truly gargantuan luggage compartment, which had a minimum of 24.4 cu-FT (691 liters). A plethora of leather, aluminum and/or wood inserts were on top of almost everything its passengers could touch inside. Safety features included an early version of the Pre-Safe system, adaptive cruise control with automatic braking, electronic stability control, and multiple airbags.