2019 Mercedes-Benz CL63 And CL65 AMG Preview

2019 Mercedes-Benz CL63 And CL65 AMG Preview

Three weeks ago Mercedes-Benz released the new 2011 CL-Class to the world, and today, we are graced with its brawny AMG brothers, the CL63 and CL65 AMG. These two cars offer better handling, more aggressive looks, higher base equipment specs, and, of course, a stupendous amount of power. First up, the little brother of the duo: the CL63 AMG. At the end of the flow path you get an AMG sport exhaust system with dual twin chrome tailpipes. The suspension is AMG-tuned all the way around, with the front sporting anti-lift control, and the rear getting both anti-dive and anti-squat systems. AMG also tunes the Active Body Control system for better behavior under sporty conditions. Twenty-inch wheels wrapped in 255/35 front and 275/35 high-performance tires put the power to the ground. Brakes are huge two-piece internally vented and cross-drilled 15.4-inch untis up front with dual sliding calipers, while the rears are just 1-inch smaller and get single sliding calipers--lots of stopping force for a big, fast car.

Two options packages are available for the CL63 AMG: Driver Assistance and AMG Performance. The Driver Assistance package offers Distronic Plus with Pre-Safe brake, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Active Lane Keeping assist. For more on what these technologies do, check out our overview. The AMG Performance package removes the top-speed limiter, bringing it up to match its bigger brother at 186 mph, boosts power by 27 horsepower and 74 pound-feet, and adds a carbon fiber engine cover. The rear tires can only do so much. The extra power will certainly be more apparent once already rolling, particularly when passing at moderate speeds or accelerating at the top end, though the AMG Performance package addition to the CL63 AMG will close the gap significantly. Top speed of this V-12 beastie is 186 mph. The beefier engine means the CL65 AMG has to step back to just five speeds in its AMG SpeedShift transmission, though it too gets the three-mode setup offering Sport, Comfort, and Manual options. Brakes are the same as the CL63 AMG, as are the wheels, tires, suspension, and steering system. Exterior differences include badging and a set of "V-12-design" twin chrome tailpipes.

The throttle on the CL65 is sensitive. When you're 1 inch in you're already cruising at a good clip. The traction control steps in anytime you put the pedal down more than halfway, making first gear an exercise in delayed gratification. Once second gear kicks in, you can mash the pedal a little more and feel some of what this car can do. The only time that you can really use all of the power is accelerating from 80 mph, which nearly feels like a 0-60 run. Instead of a tach, this should have a power reserve meter like the Rolls-Royce's. Cruising at 50 mph down Woodward Avenue had the revs firmly planted at about 1,050 rpm. The suspension is pretty soft, even in Sport mode, though I winced over a few bumps that seem to bang the 20-inch tires hard. Steering is muted from the road, which is what people expect in this type of Mercedes.

Style-wise, the CL65 is still my favorite Mercedes besides the SLS. The giant pillar-less window is trick and makes blind-spot checking easy. Visibility is great all around. 4,000 option, seems like a bargain when it's literally 2 percent of the price. It's an intimidating coupe, and people like to see it run. Some tried to goad me into dropping the hammer a few times over the night. The interior looks supremely upscale with the Designo leather. The quilted look always blows me away. Like the other AMGs, this has the active seats that hug you during cornering, which is a good deal if you're quite a bit skinnier than the seat. The massaging function is a little gimmicky; it's better than sitting in traffic without being massaged, but it won't actually heal your achin' back. Price doesn't even matter. You're looking at the Bentley Continental GT; maybe a BMW 6-series Gran Coupe and possibly a Roller.

150K for this beast. They also both loved the paint job, until I told them about the care. But again, the person who buys this won't have to wash the bird crap off his car everyday; he certainly has someone to do that for him. EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I consider the weekend in the CL65 a success -- I didn't get a speeding ticket. With 621 hp on tap it would have been easy to get one. Simply put, it's a beast. The 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12's 621 hp -- a crazy amount of power -- is actually easy to live with, thanks to the ESP and traction control systems, and they work well. The thing is insane off the line and while I wouldn't exactly say active body control gives it finesse per se, it does help. This is probably as close to borrowing a Lear jet for the weekend as I'll get. For high-speed cruising, there's nothing better. The cabin is excellent; the seats adjustable enough to fit darn near anyone. It will embarrass base Porsche 911 owners with its speed, and coddle you like an S-class sedan, which is an interesting combo.