First Drive
Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG
Test date 29 March 2007
Price as tested £102,649
What’s new?
Merc’s CL jumbo-coupé gets the renowned 6.2-litre, all-aluminium AMG V8 engine. Which means 518bhp and 465lb ft of torque, a limited (at some effort, one suspects) 155mph top speed and 60mph from a standstill in 4.6sec. Oh, and it costs £103,450.
What’s it like?
It does exactly what it says on the tin, really: you get a huge, bruising coupé with pretty harsh ride, less refinement than the regular CLs and an engine to die for.
Sound like an odd blend? It is, and that’s the CL63’s biggest failing. The CL is suited to comfy wafting and in particular the CL500 and V12 CL600 deliver that. But the CL63 adds too many rough edges to the ‘basic’ package; it looks fantastic, particularly in black with enormous alloy wheels. But the payoff is that the suspension feels too stiff and for some reason, there’s pronounced wind and road noise.
The AMG version just removes a few of the positives, then, without replacing them with any truly worthy attributes, apart from that engine. Incidentally, it’s astoundingly rapid. But as we’ve already illustrated, is that the point of a car like the CL?
Should I buy one?
In all honesty, it’s hard to recommend a car that sits so far away from the CL’s natural strengths. But if pure folly is your bag, go right ahead. You’ll have something that looks more purposeful than a Bentley Continental GT, is considerably cheaper and every bit as rapid in real-world use. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that it can be a relaxed tourer. Ever.
John McIlroy
First drive data
How much?
- Price as tested £102,649
- Price as tested £103,450
How fast?
- 0-62 mph 4.6 sec
- Max speed 155 mph
How big?
How thirsty?
- Combined 19 mpg
- CO2 emissions 355 g/km
Engine
- Layout V8 , 6208 cc
- Max power 518 bhp at 6800 rpm
- Max torque 465 lb ft at 5200 rpm
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