Everyone has heard of AMG at some point. The performance badge for all Mercedes-Benz models is always sitting there ready to help out in automotive arguments. “Oh, you think the BMW is superior, but what about the AMG model?” and usually at that point the argument is won unless you’re comparing it to an M3. But is picking up the AMG model of the Mercedes you want worth it? We’ll examine some of the various models and compare them to their AMG counterparts to try and get a feel for what you’re really getting with the AMG badge.
Mercedes CLA (~$35,000) vs. Mercedes AMG CLA 45 (~$52,000)
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In our first comparison, we’re going with one of Mercedes’ lower end sedans. The CLA 250 is a solid if unspectacular model. The turbocharged 4 cylinder engine provides 208 hp and 258 lb-ft torque. Not incredible numbers by any means, but certainly matches up with what competitors in that price bracket provide. The AMG version however provides a pretty dramatic uptick in power to 375 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. That is an almighty significant increase and impressive that the 0-60 time drops down to a pretty fantastic 4.2 seconds. The AMG is also less expensive than either of the E-Class sedans while still providing more power than their non AMG counterparts. It’s worth noting that the Mercedes GLA crossover also uses the same engines as the CLA, so has the same jump from 208 to 375 horsepower in their AMG upgrade.
Mercedes S Class Sedans (~$103,000 – $207,000) vs. Mercedes S AMG (~$160,000 – $260,000)
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In our first comparison we looked at the lower end options, and now we moved to their flagship sedans. The S Class offers a lot of different engines so let us compare similar to each other. The S400, S550 4Matics match up against the AMG S 63 4Matic. As with the lower models, the main difference is the raw power. Power rises from 329 or 449 hp with the S400 and S550 to 577 hp with the AMG S 63 4Matic. A significant gain that comes with a significant price increase. The jump is between 40 and 60 thousand dollars to the AMG S 63 4Matic depending on which of those S class models you were interested in. Finally in the S Class we have the S600 vs. the S 65 AMG. Price goes from $205,000 to $255,000 and you gain about 90 horsepower.
Mercedes GLE SUV’s (~$64,000 – $81,500) vs. Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic (~$115,000)
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Finally we move to the Mercedes mid/high range sport utility offerings. We’re not talking about the almost Imperial G-Class sport utility, but the more every day GLE’s. The basic GLE offerings are going to offer you between 329 and 449 hp. The AMG version provides a whopping 577 hp which is more than enough power to get your kids to their school drop off early. The price jump is pretty significant of course, but considering the sheer increase, it’s not unexpected.
Conclusions:
AMG may be Mercedes performance excellence, but that certainly isn’t reflected in the price tags. If the AMG badge is a status symbol you absolutely require, then you should by all means get the AMG badge. However, for every day life, it’s not really necessary. This is especially obvious in the higher range models. The different in the GLE from 449 to 577 horsepower is significant sure. But the default 0-60 time in the “normal” GLE 550 is 5.1 seconds. That’s roughly as fast as a Corvette was 10-15 years ago. That is more than enough power to zoom around and give you everything you could possibly want. The only real use for the AMG upgrade is if you want to take your car for a track day. There is one caveat to this finding though. The CLA and GLA classes with their relatively inexpensive base nature are perfect for driving purists. If you don’t need the luxury or extra comfort that comes in the E class or above, getting the AMG version of a CLA or GLA will allow you to suddenly be in control of a decently priced 375 horsepower rocket. The relatively minimal outlay provides an increased return on investment than for the higher classed cars. So is AMG worth it? Probably not. But if you love taking that country bend closer to the limit then you should, it actually is worth every penny and more.
