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Lyndon Conrad Bell | 9/6/2007 | Mercedes-Benz
Finally - an open straight.
Anxious
to relieve ourselves of the four poorly driven, ill-handling vehicles
we’d been imprisoned behind for the last three miles of achingly
beautiful (but impossible to see around) curves, foot reintroduces
itself to floor and a rolling cacophony of sound that would absolutely
convince Bill Lester that someone had stolen his Craftsman Series
NASCAR ride immediately shreds the air behind us.
Diving
into the opposing lane, we are treated to an inkling of what it must
feel like inside the Space Shuttle at launch. Seats pressed firmly into
our backs, we whip forward as our velocity increases logarithmically.
The first car in the line is behind us in less than the blink of an eye.
Normally
we’d content ourselves to pick them off one or two at a time, but we’re
by the first one so easily, the lane ahead is still wide open, and the
acceleration is continuing ferociously. Our car greedily hunkers down
as it endeavors to satiate its inane desire to utterly devour distance.
And excuse us for saying so, but this is feeling really, really good.
Virtually
erasing the next two cars, we rapidly approach the front of the line
where the possession of a Northstar V8 convinces the lead driver to
take it upon himself to attempt to subvert our passage. Yellowish-gray
puffs of smoke emit from his tailpipes as he violently urges his mount
to deliver more momentum – and it does - in vain. Assaulted by the
tsunami-like waves of torn atmosphere erupting from our wake, he has
barely a moment to register the chromed inscription just below the
ducktail spoiler gracing our trunklid.
CLS 55A…M…G.
Chuckling
at his folly, we disappear forever around the next curve, leaving
behind sobering humiliation to settle heavily into the interior of his
car.
Perhaps it was
the graceful lines of the Mercedes that falsely convinced the poor guy
he had a shot at taking us. Given the fact that there hasn’t been a
whole lot of publicity about the CLS Mercedes, he could possibly be
forgiven for thinking he had a chance.
But
frankly, a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 delivering 469 horsepower and 516
foot-pounds of torque will humiliate just about anything (and anybody)
on the road.
The
CLS is quite beautiful. Its flowing arcs give the impression of motion,
even when the car is at rest. Mercedes calls the car a four-door coupe,
and indeed if you squint, the side appearance is somewhat coupe-like.
The front end leaves a bit to be desired to our eye, the headlamp
treatment isn’t quite integrated. But overall the package bodes very
well for the look of upcoming models to wear the three-pointed star.
In
addition to beauty, luxury is delivered in heaping proportions as well.
Mercedes’ dynamic seats actually inflate their side bolsters
individually in response to cornering forces to help you remain upright
during the extreme maneuvers this car is capable of. Incidentally,
those seats are heated and ventilated as well.
Active
cruise control gives you set and forget capability on long highway runs
and adaptive headlights illuminate the road going into your turns when
darkness is a factor. Interior mood lighting enhances the cabin
ambiance at night and the navigation system ensures you’ll never want
for guidance when in unfamiliar surroundings. The seven CD audio system
will accept the output of your iPod or any other portable device and is
reinforced with Harmon-Kardon’s L7 surround technology, placing you in
the studio amidst your favorite musicians. Satellite radio is available
as well.
Ride
comfort is guaranteed by Mercedes AirMatic suspension system. This same
suspension also delivers extraordinary handling as it keeps the car
absolutely flat when cornering. There is no body roll whatsoever; the
car simply changes direction. Extremely accurate speed-sensitive
steering is light at low speeds and firm at high speeds providing great
feel, regardless of the circumstances.
All
of this, in combination with huge 19-inch tires and wheels, strongly
complemented by 14-inch cross drilled and ventilated discs up front and
similarly configured 13-inch discs in the rear, give the CLS 55 AMG the
ability to corner and stop in equal measure to its propensity for
acceleration.
Of
course the real star is the engine. A belt-driven Lysholm screw-type
supercharger force-feeds the eight hand installed pistons through an
air to water intercooler, delivering enough power to bitch-slap the car
from 0 to 60 in just over four seconds.
The
five-speed automatic transmission is equipped with gearshift buttons on
the steering wheel to allow you to control it manually. AMG SpeedShift
technology forces the automatic to behave exactly like a manual
transmission, holding shifts all the way up to redline until you ask
for them. You also have a choice of two automatic shift programs,
comfort and sport.
The
suspension system is similarly adjustable through three ranges -
comfort, sport one and sport two - with sport two being the most
aggressive setting. Automatic leveling keeps the car at an even keel
when the trunk is heavily loaded. The suspension contracts at speed to
achieve better aerodynamics and can also be raised at the touch of a
button when negotiating steep driveways or rougher road surfaces.
If you have the
means, there’s a whole lot of worse stuff you can do with $97,000 than
put one of these in your driveway. The CLS 55 AMG is fast, good
looking, extremely prestigious and very satisfying to drive.
Creature
comforts abound and the vehicle bristles with new technology.
Unfortunately, in our test car, that was something of an Achilles heel.
Much has been written of late about Mercedes-Benz and its struggle with
quality, chiefly owing to the failure of many of the new electronic
systems in its cars these days.
Based
on our experience with the CLS 55, a bit more remains to be written. We
were apprised of no fewer than three defects by the driver information
center in the tachometer of our CLS 55. The active cruise control
failed, we were warned that the ESP was inoperable – although we felt
it kick in a couple of times during our more exuberant moments behind
the wheel - and the adaptive headlamps refused to swivel in sympathy
with the steering wheel.
All
that in a car that had less than 5,000 miles on the odometer is pretty
troubling. Not to mention bound to be expensive once the warranty plays
out. We suppose it can be argued that if one can afford to spend 97
grand to get the car (the as tested price), upkeep shouldn’t be a major
problem.
But
being without the Mercedes while it is in the shop is a problem. After
all, it’s a pretty time-worn, extremely tired cliché – one usually
uttered by somebody frontin’ …
“We’ll have to take your car tonight baby, my Benz is in the shop...”
Specifications:
Base MSRP: $87,375
Engine: Supercharged, 5.4 liter V8
Transmission: Five-speed automatic with manual shift
Horsepower: 469 @ 6,100 rpm
Torque: 516 foot-pounds from 2,650 to 4,500 rpm
Drivetrain: Front-engine/rear drive
Fuel Economy: 14 –city / 20 highway
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