 Being
the coupe version of S-class, Mercedes CL-class shares the same
underpinning platform, suspensions, powertrains, luxury and safety
equipments with the sedan. Although some 80mm has been chopped from the
wheelbase and 2 doors have been discarded, the CL is hardly any lighter
than S-class. In fact, for reasons only Mercedes knows, it is actually
55 kilograms heavier, so any hope for
superior performance or handling is entirely unrealistic. Then why are there still many people buy the CL ? well, because most people love good-looking coupes. If you already have an S-class in your garage, it won't be a bad idea to have a CL next to it. In this way, you can let your wife to drive the sedan and yourself to enjoy the niche image delivered by the coupe. CL coupe is all about style. If it look beautiful, it will be highly successful. If not, no one will buy it. This matches my observation during the past 20 years – the most successful CL in history is also the most beautiful CL of all, the C126 series running from 1981 to 1991 (remark: by then it was referred to SEC instead of CL-class). A total of 74,000 units were sold. In contrast, its successor, C140 series, sold only 26,000 coupes from 1992-98 because it looked so bulky and ugly. Then came the last generation C215 series. It looked okay, more stylish than C140 but not as graceful as C126, so 46,800 units were sold from 1999-2006.  Having known that, one can
easily see
that Mercedes-Benz must work its best to design the new generation
CL, the C216 series. Is it successful ? mostly yes. Mercedes CL is very
different from
Bentley Continental GT, its slightly pricier arch-rival. Its styling is
feminine and civilized, in contrast to Bentley's classical and
muscular. The bumpers are not elegant enough (leaves room for
improvement to AMG?), but the sleek profile is quite attractive. The
banana-shaped side profile has some CLS in it. The large side windows
remain a classic feature of CL-class – thanks to the lack of B-pillars
and window frames, it delivers panoramic side view and an airy feel not
found in other coupes - what a contrast to the confined ambience in
Bentley Continental GT !  Inside,
some people may be disappointed that it shares the same conservative
dashboard with S-class. However, there is nothing wrong with the build
quality and materials, which is top notch. The same goes for the
massaging, air cushioning and ventilated front seats. Without doubt,
the front seats provide abundance of space all round so that no one can
complain. The rear seats are also the most accommodative in the coupe
world. This means a 6-footer can sit comfortably behind another
6-footer. Bentley can only dream about that. The Mercedes also offers
superior luxury equipments, such as a 4-zone climate control with individual
adjustment for each occupant, COMMAND in-car control / entertainment
system and PRE-SAFE system, which tightens seatbelts, closes windows
and even applies braking automatically in prior to collision. In terms
of
comfort and safety, no other coupes can match the CL. Mercedes offers two larger
engines from the S-class for serving the CL coupe – 388hp 5.5-liter V8
and
517hp twin-turbo 5.5-liter V12. They can propel CL500 (or CL550 in the
USA) and CL600 from zero to sixty mph in 5.2 seconds and 4.4 seconds
respectively. Unquestionably, CL600 is an autobahn rocket. It can
out-accelerate Porsche 911 Carrera S at any speed up to 155 mph, at
which point only the speed limiter deny it from the ultimate victory.
Nevertheless, the most sensible buy is CL500, whose large capacity V8
is torquey enough for effortless performance that most Mercedes drivers
ask for. Moreover, at £80,000, it falls in a position without any
direct competitors. In contrast, the £106,000 CL600 has to
compete head-on with the £118,000 Bentley Continental GT. The
CL600 might be faster, but the Bentley feels more special in its name
and craftsmanship.  As expected, the CL is highly
refined in its running. The powertrain is smooth and barely audible.
Noise insulation is excellent. Ride quality scores top marks. Mercedes
once again successfully made its car ride like a magic carpet without
hurting handling, thanks to the second generation Active Body Control.
ABC uses adaptive hydraulic spring struts to increase suspension
stiffness during cornering. The second generation system reduces body
roll, pitch and dive even more effectively than the first generation,
resulting in a flat cornering. In twisty roads, you must be amazed that
the CL feels much more nimble than its 5-meters length and 2-ton weight
suggest. Nevertheless, it does not feel like a genuine sports coupe,
because the driving environment is detached from the road. The steering
is light and remote as it tries too hard to insulate road
irregularities from the driver's hands. The engine lacks emotion
compare with Italian coupes like Maserati 4200GT. The fool-proof
chassis lacks feedback to the driver.However, Mercedes has never tried to make it a rival to Porsche 911, BMW M6 or Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. The CL is designed to be a comfortable grand tourer in the first hand. It does that job well and deserves more success than its predecessor. |
| The above report was last updated on 19 Oct 2006. All Rights Reserved. |
Though
CL600 is fast and refined, it lacks an emotional appeal. Firstly, its
styling is too feminine to car enthusiasts. Secondly, its twin-turbo
V12 sounds as flat as its torque curve. Thirdly, its chassis biases
towards the comfort side. That leaves plenty of room for AMG to
demonstrate its engineering and tuning know-how. At £105,000,
CL63 AMG asks for the same amount of money as CL600, but it satisfies
keen drivers much more than the regular version. This should earn it an extra
star in AutoZine's rating.
How can it do that? first of
all, let us see its clothes. By replacing the regular car's
unattractive bumpers with AMG's own design, aided with aggressive
aerodynamic skirts, diffusers, quad tailpipes and 19-inch, 16-spoke AMG
wheels, the civilized CL is suddenly converted into an edge-cutting
performance coupe. Although performance remains at the same level as
CL600, it looks stronger, faster and more purposeful. 
However, the advantage of the
AMG engine is not performance, but the subjective quality it delivers –
its eager and flexible character enables it to pull from as low as 1000
rpm and rev cleanly all the way to 7200 rpm, accompany with a gorgeous soundtrack
turning from melodious bass to thundering howl. With at least 80
percent of peak torque available from 2000 rpm upward, the drivers will
find little need to squeeze rev from the marvelous V8. But
unquestionably, they will deliberately do that a lot just to thrill
themselves.
Even though the car weighs 2
tons, braking performance is sensational, thanks to the upgrade to
ceramic composite discs, measuring 390mm up front and 365mm at the
rear, plus twin-sliding front calipers to reduce heat dissipation to
the brake fluid. AMG always does braking job better than the M division
of BMW. CL63 is no exception when compares with BMW M6. Its braking is
more powerful and fade-free.
AMG's 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 started
life in the last generation CL-class and since then spread to other big
Mercedes. Its roots can be traced back to the outgoing Mercedes
5.8-liter sohc V12 that debuted in 1999. Despite of the rather outdated
3 valves per cylinder design, the addition of two turbochargers and
structural strengthening resulting in 612 reliable horsepower and an
even more astonishing torque of 737 pound-foot (or 1000 Nm). The latter
is available from 2000 rpm all the way to 4000 rpm. It gave the
outgoing CL65, S65 and SL65 supercar performance and luxury car
refinement simultaneously. The engine is so perfect that Mercedes and
AMG found no need to improve it further.
The new generation CL chassis is stronger and more agile
than the old car. The uprated power steering gets heavier and more
responsive. The brakes become more powerful. However, in twisty roads
you can still tell this is a 2-ton-plus big car from the inertia felt
up front and the frequent intervention of ESP stability control. When
it turns into a corner, it doesn't have the same eagerness and
precision as the well balanced Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Its steering
isn't as communicative. Its artificial roll resistance from ABC robs
the driver of the sense of cornering limit. The remote feeling prevents
it from inspiring its driver as well as its performance suggested.