Private CL viewing for Goodwood punters
Newswheel staff :: 10 July 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz CL coupe, Europe & UK
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First CL in Britain
M-B put on a private viewing of the new CL coupe this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In a sealed room on the Mercedes stand well-heeled punters were given a tour of the flagship coupe’s literally ludicrous litany of high-tech features. If active seat bolsters, infra red night vision, soft-closing doors and double-glazed windows are your bag, look no further…
Confession time: the new CL is really rather desirable
In the metal, the new CL gives the slab-sided outgoing model a good spanking in terms pure visual appeal. It’s tauter, tighter and much more athletic despite being larger in almost every dimension. The rear three-quarter view is probably the new CL’s best angle, with the tapering body plan and exaggerated wheel arches delivering a subtly muscular stance. In that regard, pictures don’t do the car justice.
Virtual instrument panel (centre dial is an ultra-high DPI LCD screen, dials either side are conventional analogue efforts) a work of art. Placcy-look lacquered wood less so…
The perceived quality of the materials used inside has also been lifted by an order of magnitude - well, apart from the rather dubious and plasticy lacquered wood trim. Is it as good as the best Audi currently offers? Not quite, but it’s streets ahead of abominations such as the original ML SUV and a significant improvement over the previous car. In short, it’s an extremely desirable motor and thanks to its pure-bred Mercedes lineage arguably more honest than competing models such as the Bentley Conti GT (VW Phaeton in drag) or even Aston’s DB9 (nowhere near cosseting enough for truly comfortable cruising, but not a real sports car, either). It also boasts every bit as much road presence as those cars, even if it lacks the pure beauty of the DB9.
The CL goes on sale in the UK next year with the CL 500 model shown at Goodwood kicking off at, ooh, £85,000 or so.
Posted 14 July 2006, by ANTONIO GONZALEZ G.
TENGO UN CL-500 ACTUAL Y ES ALGO FUERA DE SERIE, PERO LO QUE LEIDO SOBRE ESTE NUEVO CL, ES ALGO FUERA DE SERIE.
LA LINEA Y EL EQUIPAMIENTO ME PARECE EXTRAORDINARIO.