Review New Mercedes CL Class

7 April 2007

The New Mercedes CL Class - Think of Mercedes and images of style, luxury and sophistication spring to mind. These images are now accentuated as Mercedes launch their all-new CL Class epitomising the ultimate in luxury coupes.

For the CL Class offers more power and dynamic ability along with new standards of luxury - if that were possible with Mercedes, a far superior specification making it better value that its predecessors.

The triplets in the range offered at launch from March 2007 comprise of the CL 500 powered by a new 5.5 litre V8 engine, the CL 600 that features an uprated bi-turbo V12 and the new CL 63 AMG that supersedes the CL 55 AMG and powered by the worlds most powerful naturally aspirated V8 production engine.

But the Easter Bunny will have to bring more than a chocolate egg on Sunday as prices have increased by 7% over the previous generation car with the CL500 starting at £79, 550, jumping to £106,995 for the most luxurious CL 600 and slightly behind at £103, 450 for the sportier CL63 AMG.

Mercedes have warranted the price increase by equipping these models with some seriously generous levels of equipment, better performance and an opulent interior such as real wood inlays, leather seats, suede in the roofline, and aluminium surrounding the dials. Just exquisite. Being slightly larger in every dimension than the outgoing models, means more room for the occupants to stretch out and literally relax whilst driving and for us girls, the boot space has increased by 40 litres meaning we can now shop for longer and I don’t mean at the supermarket!

The wow factors just keep coming with the CL Class from the beautifully designed exterior, slightly more masculine but still with a great feminine appeal thanks to those striking lines, prominent wheel arches and with the absence of the B pillar, a true Mercedes Coupe pedigree.

As you would expect from Mercedes the equipment adoring the CL Class it top class and includes the standard COMAND audio navigation system that now provide rapid access to the radio, DVD player - just make sure their shoes are clean against the cream carpets, MP3 player, an optional iPod kit, as well as the navigation system that includes Europe. The two-tone automatic climate control uses switches in the central console, the rest on the multi functional height adjustable steering wheel that also has the cruise controls. A Direct Select steering column gearshift now replaces the conventional gear lever for the 7 speeds 7G- TRONIC automatic transition (5-speed on the CL 600) and the previous foot operated parking brake is now an electric parking brake operated automatically.

The seats are a dream, full electrically adjustable with memory but on the CL 600 the front seats are not only heated, but feature nine air cushions that adjust to suit each occupant, providing instant lateral support during cornering and has an advanced four stage massage function. Could you get me out of this car? No!

Other extras above the CL 500 is the superior quality surround system, better finishing touches, an electric rear roller blind, softer lighting, a garage door opener and Keyless Go access and drive authorisation system, but its worth the extra purely for those massage seats.

To drive, these machines are simply a dream and I am probably not doing them justice by not going through all the technology abounding this range of vehicles. But I will mention one feature that of ABC - Active Body Control- this is an active suspension, which all but eliminates body pitch and roll thanks to lots of sensors that all adjust in a split second. As a result, concerning has 60% less roll that before, thus giving unprecedented handling performance while the improvement in the ride comfort is complimented by upgraded brakes to cope with the extra power and steering that gives a more direct feel than before. The end result is effortless driving, quite simply, a point and go, as these cars do exactly what you want them to do. The drive is pristine and faultless.

Do we really want to know the fuel consumption or do we really care? As when you invest in a Mercedes you know the running costs will be high but it all blends into insignificance However, just to give you a sneaky glimpse, the CL 500 has a top speed of - limited - to 155 mph, 0-62 is 5.5 seconds, achieves, not bad actually, 23.3 mpg on a combined cycle, with CO2 emissions at 288 and insurance group 20E. There. Shall I go on? OK the CL 600 is quicker at 4.6 seconds 0-62, top speed limited at 155 mph, fuel drops to 19.8 mpg on a combined cycle, CO2 emissions jump to 340 while insurance group stay the same, well it is the highest insurance group going! The CL 63 is virtually the same as the former just mentioned.

Ensuring our safety are numerous safety innovations literally too many to mention so I will just brush through the latest new safety features such as PRE-SAFE Brake that makes its world debut. This is an occupant protection system that recognises a potential accident situation in its early stages. It moves the passenger seat into the most favourable position, primes the airbags ready for a potential collision and if necessary closes side window and sunroof and inflates air cushions in the multi contoured seats. Now the CL Class goes one step further and introduces the newly developed PRE-SAFE Brake System that features a 150mm range radar assisted cruise control which automatically brakes the car to a compete halt if necessary, moving off again as soon as the driver operates the Distronic stalk or presses the accelerator pedal. So it literally detects say a stationary car ahead and will audible warn you of the pending obstruction if you fail to react. If you continue to ignore, the car will simply brake for you. Well I tried this on the track at Brooklands and it was pretty impressive but a little bit of me could not help thinking what sort of driver is out on the road, not aware of an obstruction in front of him/her. The answer, a very bad one that certainly does not deserve to be driving a CL Class Mercedes. Is there too much technology on board these cars?

The CL has the another first that of the optional Advanced Parking Guidance -APG - which basically tells the driver using sensors, if the parking space spotted by the driver is big enough for the car then guides the car in via the cockpit display. Keep an eye out for pedestrians please and another first is the Night View Assist, which I do like and uses infra red lights and an infrared camera to transmit images to the instrument display giving drivers a greater field of vision at night. Saves being blinded by these extra powerful headlights.

The CL Class triplets were gorgeous, my favourite being CL 600 for pure unadulterated luxury and driving dynamics. So I think I will swap my money allocated for Easter eggs and invest in some lottery tickets.

Jackie Violet FemaleFirst Motoring Correspondent