The 2007 Mercedes-Benz lineup is one of the more interesting model years to shop used, and not because it was the prettiest. It was a transition year. Mercedes had just launched an all-new S-Class and CL-Class on the W221/C216 platform, rolled out the first GL-Class full-size SUV, and started seriously pushing diesel into the U.S. with BlueTEC and CDI engines. Stack the AMG flagships on top — including the absurd 604-horsepower S65 — and you get a single model year that spans cheap-to-run diesels and six-figure twelve-cylinder coupes.
The problem is that the lineup is fragmented across a dozen letters. C, CL, CLK, CLS, E, GL, M, R, S, SL, SLK — every database site makes you click through each one separately. This is the whole 2007 Mercedes-Benz model range in one place, organized by body style, with original prices, what they’re worth now, and honest notes on which ones make sense to buy used.
Table of Contents
- What changed for 2007
- Sedans: C, E, S, CLS
- Coupes & convertibles: CLK, SL, SLK, CL
- SUVs: M, GL, R
- 2007 Mercedes-Benz AMG models
- Diesels: BlueTEC and CDI
- Reliability: which to buy, which to avoid
- Quick verdict
What changed for 2007
Three things define this model year.
First, the new flagships. The W221 S-Class and C216 CL-Class were both fresh designs for 2007, replacing the W220/C215 cars that had run since 1999–2000. The S-Class moved to the COMAND interface, a 7-speed automatic on most trims, and a stiffer body. If you’re cross-shopping a 2006 versus a 2007 S-Class, that’s a real generational jump, not a facelift.
Second, the GL-Class arrived. This was Mercedes’ first proper three-row, body-on-nothing (unibody) full-size SUV built at the Alabama plant alongside the M-Class. It gave the brand a real answer to the Range Rover and the Escalade.
Third, diesel came back in force. The E320 BlueTEC sedan and the ML320 CDI / GL320 CDI SUVs brought modern common-rail diesels with the emissions hardware to pass in 45 states. These weren’t the rattly oil-burners of the 1980s — the BlueTEC E-Class did 0–60 in around 6.6 seconds and returned highway numbers a V6 gas car couldn’t touch.
Sedans: C, E, S, CLS
The sedan range was the core of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz models, running from the entry C-Class up to the S600.
| Model | Engine / HP | Original MSRP (approx.) | Used value today |
|---|---|---|---|
| C230 / C280 / C350 | 2.5L–3.5L V6, 201–268 hp | $30,000–$38,000 | $4,000–$8,000 |
| E320 BlueTEC / E350 / E550 | 3.0L diesel, 3.5L V6, 5.5L V8, 208–382 hp | $51,000–$62,000 | $6,000–$13,000 |
| CLS550 / CLS63 | 5.5L V8 / 6.2L AMG V8, 382–507 hp | $66,000–$93,000 | $9,000–$20,000 |
| S550 / S600 | 5.5L V8 / 5.5L twin-turbo V12, 382–510 hp | $86,000–$144,000 | $9,000–$22,000 |
The C-Class here is the last year of the W203 generation (the all-new W204 arrived for 2008), so 2007 C-Classes are the oldest-feeling cars in the lineup. They’re cheap and plentiful but not where the interesting metal is.
The E-Class (W211) is the sweet spot for most used buyers — more on that below. The CLS was the “four-door coupe” that started the whole segment, and a 2007 CLS550 still looks current at a glance. The S-Class is where the money goes to die: cheap to buy, expensive to keep running. If you’re shopping the upper sedans purely for the badge and the presence, it’s worth seeing how they stack up against the broader field of 2000s luxury cars that defined the era before you settle on a Benz.
Coupes & convertibles: CLK, SL, SLK, CL
| Model | Engine / HP | Original MSRP (approx.) | Used value today |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLK280 / SLK350 / SLK55 | 3.0L–5.5L, 228–355 hp | $42,000–$60,000 | $9,000–$18,000 |
| CLK350 / CLK550 / CLK63 | 3.5L–6.2L, 268–475 hp | $44,000–$87,000 | $7,000–$16,000 |
| SL550 / SL600 / SL65 | 5.5L V8 to twin-turbo V12, 382–604 hp | $94,000–$185,000 | $14,000–$40,000+ |
| CL550 / CL600 / CL63 / CL65 | 5.5L V8 to twin-turbo V12 | $99,000–$197,000 | $12,000–$30,000 |
The SLK and SL are the folding-hardtop roadsters — the SLK is the compact one, the SL the grand-tourer. The CLK covers both a coupe and a soft-top convertible and shares a lot with the C/E underneath. The CL is the two-door S-Class, all-new for 2007 like its sedan sibling, and it’s one of the better-aging shapes Mercedes has done.
A clean SL550 is the enthusiast pick here: V8 power, a metal roof that drops in about 16 seconds, and a price floor that makes a 15-year-old one look almost reasonable until the ABC hydraulic suspension needs attention.
SUVs: M, GL, R
| Model | Engine / HP | Original MSRP (approx.) | Used value today |
|---|---|---|---|
| ML320 CDI / ML350 / ML500 / ML63 | 3.0L diesel to 6.2L AMG V8, 224–503 hp | $40,000–$87,000 | $5,000–$14,000 |
| GL320 CDI / GL450 / GL550 | 3.0L diesel, 4.7L–5.5L V8, 215–382 hp | $54,000–$73,000 | $7,000–$15,000 |
| R320 CDI / R350 / R500 / R63 | 3.0L diesel to 6.2L AMG V8, 224–503 hp | $48,000–$87,000 | $5,000–$12,000 |
The M-Class (W164) was the volume SUV and the one most people picture. The GL was the new big three-row. The R-Class is the oddball — a long, low six-seat “Grand Sports Tourer” that never really sold, which is exactly why a used R350 is one of the cheapest ways into a three-row Benz today.
There was also an AMG R63 with the 6.2-liter V8 and over 500 horsepower in a minivan-adjacent body. It existed. Mercedes built very few. If you find one, you’ve found a genuine curiosity.
2007 Mercedes-Benz AMG models
2007 sits right at the changeover from the supercharged 5.4-liter “55” engines to the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter M156 V8 (badged “63”). That makes it a mixed year, which is part of what people are searching for.
The naturally aspirated 6.2 AMG V8 shows up in the CLK63, CLS63, E63, ML63, and R63 — making roughly 475–507 horsepower depending on the model. It’s a screamer with a flat-plane-adjacent personality and a noise that later turbo AMGs never matched.
The twin-turbo 6.0-liter V12 lived in the top “65” cars: the SL65, CL65, and S65, all rated at 604 horsepower and an electronically capped 738 lb-ft of torque. The SL65 AMG was the brute of the bunch. For context on just how rarefied this 2007 performance company was, the entire 2007 McLaren lineup ran to only five models that year — the AMG flagships were chasing some genuinely exotic territory.
The SLK55 and CLK55-derived cars still used the older 5.4 in some configurations during the transition, so verify the actual engine on any specific car rather than trusting the badge alone.
A used 6.2-liter AMG is a real consideration, with one asterisk: the M156 engine has a known head-bolt and camshaft/lifter wear issue on early examples. Budget accordingly.
Diesels: BlueTEC and CDI
This is the part the spec directories gloss over. Three diesels matter from this year:
- E320 BlueTEC — the 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel sedan. Strong real-world highway economy, big torque, and it’ll cruise effortlessly. The BlueTEC emissions system added urea/AdBlue-style hardware on later versions; the 2007 was the first U.S. push.
- ML320 CDI / GL320 CDI — the same family of 3.0-liter V6 diesel in the SUVs, badged CDI. Torque-rich and far thriftier than the gas V8 alternatives.
- R320 CDI — the diesel in the three-row R-Class, the most efficient way to haul six people in a 2007 Benz.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s fuel economy database is the cleanest place to compare the diesel and gas EPA figures side by side before you commit.
These diesels are genuinely good. The caution is the emissions and injection hardware — when it fails, it’s not cheap, and parts availability on a 2007 is no longer trivial.
Reliability: which to buy, which to avoid
Across the 2007 Mercedes-Benz lineup, a few patterns hold up.
Best used buys:
- E350 (W211): The naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 E-Class is the reliability anchor of the range. No air suspension on the base car, no V8 complexity, no AMG drama. Watch for the early SBC brake system on pre-facelift cars, but a clean late-2007 E350 is the smart-money pick.
- ML350: Same V6 logic in SUV form. Far simpler than the ML500 or ML63.
- C280/C350: Cheap to buy and run if you want the badge on a budget.
Buy with eyes open:
- E320 BlueTEC / CDI SUVs: Excellent to drive, but factor in diesel-specific repair costs and find one with service history.
- AMG 6.2 (63) cars: Fantastic engines, but confirm the head bolts and camshafts have been addressed.
Avoid unless you love the car and have a budget:
- S-Class and CL (W221/C216): The Airmatic suspension, the electronics, and the V12 twin-turbo cars in particular can turn a $12,000 purchase into a $20,000 ownership year. The depreciation is steep for a reason.
- SL with ABC suspension: The Active Body Control hydraulics are wonderful when working and brutal when not.
The general rule with any 2007 Mercedes-Benz: the buy-in price tells you almost nothing about the cost of ownership. A $9,000 S600 and a $9,000 E350 are not remotely the same financial decision. For a baseline on used pricing across body styles, the long-running valuation data at Kelley Blue Book is a reasonable starting point.
Quick verdict
The 2007 Mercedes-Benz models cover an enormous spread — from a frugal E320 BlueTEC diesel to a 604-horsepower S65 V12. If you want the best used-car decision, the E350 sedan and ML350 SUV give you the badge and the build quality without the maintenance bills that sink the V8, V12, and air-suspension cars. If you want the interesting one, the SL550 and the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter AMGs are the enthusiast picks. And if you want the cheapest three-row Benz on the road, nobody will out-bargain you on a used R-Class.
Match the model to your tolerance for repair bills, not just your budget for the purchase, and 2007 has a Mercedes for almost everyone.
