Merc comes clean on CL coupe
Newswheel staff :: 26 June 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz CL coupe, Europe & UK, US
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Gadget-laden flagship is go
Just days after images leaked onto the web, Mercedes has gone official with the new CL coupe. So what’s new? Well, the CL is bigger in every dimension than its predecessor and predictably packs more electrickery than you can shake a distronic parking sensor at. The new model is also surely a stylistic step forward over the faintly chintzy outgoing model. Not that M-B has completely managed to shake off its current tendency towards niggling naffness. With no less than seven “V12” badges scattered liberally inside and out, including a quartet of extremely dubious plaques sown into the seat backs (classy!) and a particularly nasty exampled bolted front and centre to the dashboard, an exercise in subtle superiority the tip top CL 600 model is most definitely not…
At 5,065mm in length, 1,871mm wide and 1,418mm high, this new uber coupe is exactly 75mm longer, 14mm wider and 20mm taller than the retiring model. As for engines, the launch line up is limited to a V8 and V12 petrol pairing. The CL500 gets Merc’s latest bent eight in 5.5-litre, 388bhp trim. That’s enough to dispatch the mad dash to 62mph in just 5.4 seconds. Topping the range is the obligatory twin-turbo 12 cylinder model, the CL 600. With 517bhp and 612lb/ft available, the CL 600 hits 62mph in a fairly ludicrous 4.6 seconds. Not bad for a five metre, 2,185kg car. For the record, both models are limited to 155mph.
Power goes to rear wheels via five-speed slushbox on CL 600. V8-powered CL 500 gets Merc’s latest seven-speeder
Of course, the range of gizmos and electronic driving aids on offer is virtually endless. Heading the list is the latest rendition of Mercedes’ Active Body Control (ABC) system which is claimed to both improve ride over previous ABC systems and virtually eliminate pitch and roll. At speeds above 60mph, ABC lowers the CL’s body by 10mm to improve aerodynamic efficiency and overall balance. Other technical highlights include the Intelligent Light System, which offers headlight modes designed to improve night time visibility on both back roads and motorways, the full compliment of PRE-SAFE accident avoidance and Brake Assist PLUS (now capable of detecting and avoiding a rear-end collision) and a parking guidance system that uses the car’s radar sensors to measure the length of a parking space and then slap up the result to the cockpit display. Just the bare essentials for modern motoring, really.
Moving inside, the CL packs the latest version of M-B’s puck-controlled COMAND info-tainment system. And as with other pillarless coupe designs, Mercedes has opted to anchor the safety belts on the car’s seat frames, making the seats themselves integral to passenger safety.
The CL will get its first public showing later this year with UK sales kicking off in early ’07. UK-specific speeds ‘n feeds have yet to be announced. Same goes for pricing, but do not expect so much as a penny in change from £100,000 for the CL 600.
Posted 03 December 2006, by Arbin
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