Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Test Drive and Evaluation with Chris from Chicago Cars Direct. The fact that the 2003 E55 AMG is one of the fastest Mercedes ever built is enough to get most enthusiasts’ attention, but just to make sure that it didn’t get lost in the current crowd of European super sedans, Mercedes also made it one of the sharpest handling, shortest stopping and arguably best-looking four-door sedans ever to wear the three-pointed star. With its stroked and supercharged V8, racecar-sized brake rotors and beautifully finished interior and exterior, the E55 has all the ingredients necessary to stake its claim as one of the world’s most sought-after sedans. There are, however, several vehicles that offer equally impressive credentials, so the way in which all of the E55′s additional equipment comes together is ultimately the true measure of its desirability and capability. After a day behind the wheel that included narrow country roads, wide-open highways and a few searing laps on a high-speed road course, we can say with little hesitation that the E55 is indeed a complete package. Whether you’re after an ideal companion for snaking through your favorite back-road getaway or you just like the idea of an everyday driver that can outrun nearly every other car on the road, the E55 has few equals. Based on the recently redesigned E-Class sedan, the E55 is the result of extensive modification by AMG, Mercedes’ in-house tuning division. Started in 1967 by a pair of Daimler …

2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 test drive with Chris from Chicago Cars Direct. ntroduction If you’ve followed the 15-year lifespan of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, you know it was one of the first sport-utility vehicles able to do traditional SUV tasks — rock crawling on remote trails and the like — while also being comfortable enough for weekend errands in the suburbs. Although the original Grand Cherokee was just as capable as most forebears in off-highway situations, it offered more in the way of style, interior room and amenities. The “JGC” was a popular choice for a family vehicle through the 1990s and the early years of the 21st century. Since then, though, more on-road-friendly crossover SUVs have debuted, leaving this midsize Jeep as part of the old guard. Alongside these newer crossovers with superior road manners and more passenger and cargo room, the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers no clear advantage. Jeep is well aware of the challenges the Grand Cherokee faces, and this year the company has given its five-passenger midsize SUV its first major refresh since the 2005 ground-up redesign. The always-popular 4.7-liter V8 is significantly revised. Thanks to a freer-flowing cylinder head design, higher compression and improved combustion, it now makes 305 horsepower — 70 more than last year. Perhaps more important are the upgrades Jeep has made to the Grand Cherokee’s interior, which has always been a weak spot for the third-generation JGC. Designers installed softer …

Test drive and walk around of a pristine 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG with Chris from Chicago Cars Direct.

2006 Audi A8L quattro test drive and walk around with Chris from Chicago Cars Direct. Of all the cars here, Audi’s aluminum A8L is palpably the most sporting interpretation. From its flat ride to its meaty steering feel to its blipped-throttle downshifts in manumatic mode, the Audi is infused with a boldness that belies its stretched-limo appearance. Yet if you were picked up by your driver one evening, from the moment you ducked inside the leather-lined, wood-trimmed compartment and settled into one of the supportive seats, the experience would feel first-class. We scored the Audi’s rear-seat comfort the same as that of the Lexus, which is only surprising until you notice that the Audi is almost an inch wider and 1.6 inches longer. It simply doesn’t look like the larger of the two. Nor does it drive like a particularly large car. For the gearheads at this magazine, the integration of size and maneuverability was seductive, and the A8L trailed the Benz by just one point when the votes were tallied. Indeed, the Audi needs the more powerful engine that it got for 2007. Although the 4.2-liter V-8 pulls steadily with a linear increase in urgency and a mellifluous exhaust note, it can’t match the accelerative prowess of its rivals. This may matter on the straights, but the Audi is another animal altogether when the road gets all wrinkly. Despite its damped responses in the lane-change test, where even large inputs fail to upset the chassis, the A8L takes to the twisties with …
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