AMG M113K VS M156 Showdown 

I’ve owned both. Here is my completely unbiased opinion. Owned a 2014 C63 in Steel Gray, sexiest color for that car with some black 507 accents. The sound was unparalleled, had Mike’s Power Pipe replacing the secondaries and resonator and the thing just sounded like a PISSED off lion roaring. It legit scared the hell out of people on cold startups and down blips. The power was perfect and much more linear, though had some violent grunts to it on a nice 2nd gear goose. Amazing motor, the M156 was certainly go down as not only one of the best sounding NA V8 motors ever produced by any manufacturer, but the intrinsic characteristics of that motor are made out of pure automotive engineering genius. I am on my third 2006 E55 as my daily driver. Yes, you read it right, third E55. My only two regrets in 39 years is selling my first E55, then selling my second one. Only two regrets. The M113K is hands down the pinnacle of AMG engineering in my sincerest humble opinion. Every thing this motor does is done with with perfectionist ideals. The low end torque is intoxicating, and legendary. And in 2003 when they were first released, was mind boggling power from a four door family sedan. There was no competition for that motor in a family hauler. Period. I never forget the faces of that Vette owner or loud Mustang that pulls up thinking “I’m gonna dog this AMG” and I walked away. There isn’t much that compares to ear to ear grin the M113K motor does, especially with a smaller pulley, headers, and tune. It surprises SO many people. It’s reliable and you can beat on it daily- I know countless M113K owners that are well over 250K miles and going strong. It is a godly motor that will go down as AMG legend. It’ll be talked about more than just about the best motors ever produced to date and in the future… Both King Kong motors! And for what it’s worth, I sold my 2014 C63 for my current 2006 E55 …

This is the kind of automotive content RU-vid needs. No bs, just information

From owning both a C63 and now an E55, there's nothing that can replicate the sound of the M156, but nothing beats the power that the M113K makes (also better reliability FTW!)

The M156 has the insane exhaust sound but the M113K has the amazing supercharger sound. The real world driveability of the M113K is unparalleled and it's known as the most reliable performance engine of the modern era.

That oil pump whine on the M113 makes me feel like I'm at home... I love those motors.

M156 takes the cake for me. Its just so unique and legendary theres just no other choice

Am I the only person that loves the oil pump noise?

I’d have to go m113k all the time. When I was young and broke, the e55 was my dream car but cost sooooo much. Now, I own one as my daily driver and it’s perfect. Space for four plus luggage, comfy seats, excellent hvac … and more power than anyone ever needs on the street. Mine is a very early car and she turns 20 in January 2023. Powertrain is still like new.

My M113k has the best reliability of any car engine I have ever owned, and I have owned quite a few of them over the years. Everything from big American V8s to European engines that run the gamut from the Mercedes V8 I have now through Porsche 6s, turbocharged Saab 4s, and everything in between. Out of them all, my Mercedes M113k is undoubtedly the best, and I have been waiting for a very long time to own and enjoy this superb engine. From where I sit, in the driver's seat, this engine is especially great after it has been supercharged by the wizards at AMG. I have never found a performance engine that puts out the horsepower and torque this M113k engine does with the reliability that makes it entirely trustworthy. With an M113k sitting in my favourite body style, the CL 55 AMG, makes a winning combination for me that I have been searching for since the year 2000 when I first saw the Formula 1 safety car. Locating a low mileage example with a complete service history has taken me nearly a quarter of a century but was ultimately worth all of my efforts. My car is fabulous with all of the power and beauty I could ever require from an automobile. I hope anyone reading this is as fortunate as I have been and can attain their own automotive dreams. Safe driving to you all!

I love the M113 from my CLK55. It doesn’t have the power of the M113K, or the DOHC design of the M156, but it has reliability even beyond both.

I have an n54 335i fbo, a f15 x5 with the twin turbo V8, stock, and just bought a 04 s55amg to daily. Every car I have has over 400hp ( 400 motor hp... Each might have over 400 wheel also 🤷🏿‍♂️) the Benz is pretty much the slowest of the 3. But it's such a great engine, it has turned me from a BMW guy to a Benz guy. The craziest part about the s55amg is it handles about as good as my 335i. My 335i has coilovers, aftermarket control arms, aftermarket sway bars, M3 pieces also. The ABC suspension along with m113k made me a believer. BMW doesn't even look good to me anymore. Glad I lucked up on finding this gem!

My MB mechanic, after telling him I'm thinking of getting an AMG, excitedly recommended the reliability of the M112, M113 and M113K engines, full🛑.

The M113k is just phenomenal. I have it in my 2010 G55 AMG, on and off road it sounds amazing and performs beautifully.

I have a W204 C63 AMG performance from 2013. Had the car since 2016. Only a single owner before me. I have had one issue (light bulb change). Other than that service every year at Mercedes in my home town. Not a single beat was missed in my 6 years of ownership. I only drive small trips all the time. When the engine oil is 100 degrees celcius, I give it FULL beans every time I drive. Oil change every 2000 km.

Absolutely love my N/A M113 5.4. May not be supercharged but she sounds so good, makes some brutal power too. And such a beast of a car.

I believed to be one of the lucky people to buy a 2005 S55 AMG in black color. I bought this car almost 5 months back and it clocked only 46500 total miles. After purchase I changed engine oil, all belts, transmission oil + filter, ABC oil. It is always a MONSTER. Everybody makes way for me whenever I am on the road. When I hit the throttle it always put a smile on my face. Also, a great pride when people stare at your car :-) I love this M113K. When finalized to buy an AMG I was only looking for this engine. Almost after hunting one and half months I got this gem. Only go for this M113K engines brothers..!!

5:05 every morning that sound is like therapy to my ears

As wonderful as the M156 sounds, the M113K indeed is the best one in the real world. It's impossible to ignore the torque-based effortless performance it delivers, and which fits a Merc. And, nevertheless, it also produces quite nice sounds as well.

Very good job on comparison 👏 and I'm glad you mentioned Tasos in your video. He is really knowledgeable in AMG community

The best video I have ever seen on these two engines.I am really considering getting an E55 after my graduation and your videos about these cars are phenomenal!Keep it up🙌

Superb and highly detailed comparison, loved it!

Another excellent Video short and concise, Keep them coming AMG Meister!!!!!

I love this chanel! You'r videos are clean if you know what i mean, with a lot of knowledge and information! Keep up!👊🏾

Great video as always! I love these older Mercedes models. They really have something special not present anymore in modern AMGs

"This is the kind of automotive content RU-vid needs. No bs, just information" To the point with few words.!! I can only agree with this statement

Clearly the m113k. Supercharged reliable v8

Excellent review clear concise and great photos and videos

M113 in the C55 all the way. Apart from the typical valve cover and RMS leaks, it has been bullet proof. very smooth, and loves to rev - especially on 100 octane fuel. Can't beat the sound of the M156, but the reliability issues are just a bit too tough on the wallet

The cars and engine bays featured in this video are just ridiculously clean. Love it.

Hey, Tasos. Another great channel. BTW, great video.

I have an old E55 Estate (or wagon) (W210 / S210 chassis) it has an NA M113, what's noteworthy about this is it has 240k miles on it. Neither the engine or the transmission have had to be rebuilt yet. I've had the car 12 years and it was cheap, very cheap. Been an amazing bargain. It's still quicker than 99% of the cars on the road and can haul some serious payload

I cannot compare the two engines, but can relate my own experience with the M113k in my 2007 SL55. It has the larger 82mm throttle body as stock and I added a smaller supercharger pulley at first, but in the Texas Summer heat it did have some issues after full throttle acceleration. I did purchase the Bosch 010 intercooler pump and an aftermarket 125% larger intercooler that my mechanic was able to install over the original intercooler (now have two intercoolers) and that has made a world of difference on full throttle acceleration. I do like the exhaust sound of the M156 and heard the C63 mufflers could help, but that is another project. Love all your postings and keep them coming.

Of course M113К. Have it in my cls55 AMG IWC.

Brilliant video dude you've got some talent 👏 👌 🙌 😎

a very well done video i really enjoyed it good work!

Thank u for these infos I will show to my dad and see what he needs to know on his E55 thank u!

As always, Thanks for the details 🤝🏼

Great comparison!!! Thanks!

We have an 08 s63 amg we the 6.3 and she's now got 106k and going strong put a trans in at 102 but other than that she's still rocking. I enjoy it! Great video I love all the info!

As an e55 owner the biggest thing that bothers me about the 13k is the operation noise. My car is very healthy and well maintained but it’s just very clicky and whirry at idle. I’ve gotten better now that I’ve owned the car for a while, but I used to always freak out that something was wrong, especially the loud oil pump on startup. Very impressive how quiet the m156 is at idle.

M113K is literally built like a tank, It is so easy to extract more power from it and I just think it's hella underrated. Yes the M156 creates more thunder and is the more fun engine to thrash around in, but M113K is the one to own.

I've owned a 2006 CLS55, and a 2009 CLS63, after installing long tube headers and upgrading intake and throttle body, I haven't looked back, the sound alone sells me on the 63. I loved the powerband of the m113k, but the sound and torque of the m156 is unrivaled. Absolutely my all time favorite AMG motor

Dammmm this a good video big fat thumbs up 👍👍👍👍

thank you for such an informative video!

Love your Channel

its M156/ E63 AMG for me hands down, the comfort and facelift style + Monster sound + performance there is no comparison.

You've made my S55 a happy car today. Thank you.

I love the NFS: High Stakes car menu music... So chill

Got to be the m113k hands down

Honest and fair review. I’ve owned my 2005 SL55 (performance pack model) from new. The 113 remains the best road engine I have ever driven! 💪

Being an cls55 owner with a smaller pulley 77mm apart from struggling with belt slip mid power (needs a belt wrap kit) the tune and pulley made it so aggressive from the off but it’s also done over 300 mile round trips on less then a tank Some pounds spent on getting bits upto my standard but 16 years old power and style isn’t out of place today in fact they look better then most modern saloons

M113K all day long for me. Easy to work on, very reliable engine.

I have an E55, the M113K torque is amazing. Having said that I really want a M156 car as well even though the w211 E63 I drove felt slower it had a totally different feel.

I *just* bought a C32 AMG wagon with the supercharged V6. It's a hell of a treat to go back to supercharged engines after a bunch of M113k cars before moving to Germany. The charger whine and performance mods pulled me back yet again.

I bought my E55 a a few months ago and I'm absolutely in love with it. The only other Mercedes I've owned/own is a 2.3 16V 190E so this is my first AMG. I can't think of another car that gives you this level of comfort and power for the price. I'm throwing a Whipple, bigger injectors, and E85 at it this winter.

Excellent video and it’s always nice to see your cars, they’re amazingly clean. The only disappointment was you didn’t show what that SL55 did the 1/4 mile in.

That black SL63 was spectacular on video. That's the thing- the M156 was installed in better overall cars like the 2009+ W211 and 2009+ R230. They didn't overlap production.

W211 for the WIN!! I loved mine (not an AMG, but my first Benz) Lost it in a hit & run by a jerk in a Prius... Still suffering from that loss!! I WILL have another W211!

M156 for me. Sound and excitement. And displacement.

When you get used to M113K's torque and then try any M156 (in my case 2010 E63) they just feel soooo underpowered compare to M113K in my E55. Yes its shifts way better with 7G, yes the sounds is stupid good, and yes the car overall is better but when you really push tuned E55 its ridiculous how powerful that car can be.I love M156 but for adrenalin rush E55 is just better...

Man if the m113 had the 7 spread transmission wow

Great video. I have a 09 g55 and always thought the156 wasn’t up to the task and so Mercedes skipped putting it in the g63. I love the m311k

100% agree on this video. Owning an m156 at the moment and it's had many issues that were listed, all being fixed by warranty. Had the car fixed for many many months but when it works oh boy does it being a smile to your face.

Great video! I love my M156 CLK63, but I want an E55 Wagon

Great video. Thank you.

Glad to see Tasos the AMG Master Mechanic 🤌💖✌️

Excellent video. I've owned both and agree with everything in this video

Learned a lot thnx 🙏

Nice video with good layout

Anyone who details their engine/bay like i do, probly got chill bumps watching this video. Great video.

I also own both engines E55 & CLS63 and I agree with the M113K. Torque and instant low end power is just unbeatable.

W211 for the win just absolutely gorgeous 😍 ❤

Please do a vid on c450s/c43 i love your content man

Amazing comparison video. Thank you with help my dilemma. I will choose a CLS55 AMG with M113😎🙏

Love the channel. And this is a great review. I own an sl55 and was wondering if I need to flush the supercharger oil on occasion. I’m told not to but wanted your expert opinion. Thx

best video men best video 👌🏻

I love my M113k. It has never let me down.

This has always been a m113k channel. 90% of his subscribers are m113k owners and never been in a m156 engine car, so of course most people on this video including the channel owner will say the m113k is better. The m156 is n/a engine with 500+ horsepower which was unheard of when it came out. We're comparing the torque of a n/a engine vs a force induction engine but at the same time the m156 is quicker to 60, even though the m113k might feel quicker off the line. Then we have the huge transmission difference, that 5 speed is beyond sluggish, especially compared to the quicker speed shift 7 speed. Then the m113k is so weather driven, it's performance is based on the weather, whereas the m156 n/a engine performs pretty much the same during any condition. Let's not talk about heat soaking, and engine smoothness, the m113k is so rough, raw and performs inconsistent compared to the m156. The only advantage the m113k truly have over the m156 is the modding potential and yes it's more reliable because the engine is way less technical and is basic.

That e55 is very well kept , beautiful :)

I regularly drive a ‘55 300 Sc, a ‘71 280 se 3.5 (the civilized brother of the red pig) that my father left me and my ‘13 C63, i find each one delightful in their own way. They always were and still are the absolute best. As to best sounding? There is nothing like the throaty roar of a properly cured inline 6 with mechanical injection. The same one that powers the legendary Gullwing.

Great video. I purchased a brand new C63 AMG back in August of 09. Prior to that I had a new C6 Z06. I found the AMG engine to be very refined in every way. Both cars were fast but the AMG V8 sounded so good and it was so smooth. I did long tube headers on the C63 AMG, air filters and a tune and it was a beast, I couldn't believe the torque and top end. On the other hand , I am very familiar with the E55 AMG, I have 3 friends with ones, they are also quick but the transmission is a total missmatch to the car, the gearing is too long and the shifting is slow.

Have good memories with the CLS55, when I was a kid in 2005 my uncle had one in black I used to think it sounded cool and was quick but didn’t realise how quick. Then one day I remember we were driving on the motorway, and a Ferrari 360 M pulled up and dropped a gear my uncle floored it and this pretty red Ferrari was going backwards. That was the day I fell in love with AMG’s - sadly they’re going downhill a bit but least now at 26 I’ve got my own 2008 CLS63 1st Gen (thank you depreciation)

Still love my 08' SL55 I've had for years. Comfortable. The engine is great; the trans is a typical slush box.

For me the M113K is the better engine, because 1. I swore never to buy a car with NA engine again after having been disappointed with multiple other V8 cars, 2. I like to modify my cars and the parts and upgrades for M113K cars are actually pretty cheap in the US (AMG spare parts are actually also much cheaper in the US than for example in Germany!), 3. seemed like a much more reliable choice and I am not worried at all about running cost and maintenance. E55 AMG all the way!

I love my 07 SL55 and the M113K under its hood. The torque is just nuts 🙂

Great info thanks to all! I'm looking for a new vehicle and I found a very nice 2010 ML63. Not knowing a lot about this vehicle I started my research. I'm looking to keep it stock and honestly it's the features I like as the ML350 isn't as loaded. It's a great looking machine but I don't want a money pit either. Thanks for giving me an idea of what to look for!

M156 vs M157 next. Just bought my first M157 yesterday 👍🏽😁(13’ E63) upgraded from M113K E55

very well done video sir

Gotta make some amg meister hats. Your logo is sick

Thank you. Nice video

Loved my CLS 55 for 10 years.

Love my C63 with the M156!

Great video to add fuel to the fire of a debate that will never end :) After owning several of both, however, I'll stick with the best one: The Mighty M156.

The only answer is both! I’m an M156 guy all the way but I really want either an E55 or SL55 in the near future!

Amazing video

Love my M113K E55! But both are great!

Was worried my 2006 CLS AMG would loose this one!

Aa Really brought home how bad the situation is when the guy at the end expressed gratitude for simply having enough space to stand up inside his shared apartment.

My 1st MB was a SL55. Loved that car. The M113 engine is one of the best!

Thanks so much Sir happy safe weekend