Its Interior Is Sumptuous And Inviting

Its Interior Is Sumptuous And Inviting

Pounding the point home is the CL's hardtop design: As with all of its predecessors since 1958, there is no central B-pillar aft of the doors to break the sleek lines of the body. With the windows down, the look is sexy and the view out is panoramic, recalling cars of the Fifties and Sixties when hardtops were in vogue.Where the current CL breaks most from tradition is in its sheer excess. Pricey and pretty as they were, the big Mercedes coupes of the Fifties, Sixties, and even Seventies were compact compared to contemporary U.S. The current CL-Class qualifies as truly massive, in size, weight, and horsepower.The 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class carries over largely unchanged. The most significant change for 2010 is the option of Splitview, wherein the central dashboard screen can convey one full-size image to the driver and another, different image to the passenger simultaneously. 2 coupes (Aston Martin DB9, BMW M6, Bentley Continental, Ferrari 612) actually have less room.

The CL is for being seen in or bringing petite friends. Its interior is sumptuous and inviting, dressed in the finest materials and tailored to perfection. Burled walnut, supple leather, brushed aluminum and designer-quality knobs and switches are everywhere you look and touch. The standard equipment list bulges with luxury items no one actually needs but almost anyone would love to have, from a harman/kardon 600-watt, 11-speaker audio system to soft ambient mood lighting. 110,400) has a 382-horsepower 5.5-liter V8. 154,400) packs a 510-horsepower twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V12. 145,200) has a 6.2-liter V8 that develops 518 horsepower. 207,970) has 604 horsepower and a stupendous 738 pound-feet of torque from a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12. 3,000.Standard CL equipment is comprehensive. The seats, doors and instrument panel are all leather covered, and burled walnut wood trim is used liberally. The front seats are 14-way adjustable and heated, and have a three-setting memory capability that also sets the electrically telescoping-and-tilting steering wheel and side mirrors. The audio system is a harman/kardon Logic7 surround sound with 11 speakers and a six-disc in-dash changer, memory card slot and auxiliary inputs.

Sirius satellite radio is standard. There's a power sunroof overhead and a power rear-window sunblind in the rear parcel shelf. Doors have power assist closing mechanisms, and the trunk-lid is electrically powered. The Mercedes COMAND system, a centralized computer interface with a dash-mounted flat panel screen, is also standard. It enables access to many of the car's accessories including navigation, phone, climate controls, and other customizable features (exterior courtesy lights, seat settings and voice command setup). Bi-Xenon headlights are standard, too, as is Parktronic, a distance sensing parking aid hidden behind the bumpers. 3,430) includes heated and ventilated front seats, a keyless entry system, multi-adjustable front seats fitted with pneumatic chambers that adjust cushion firmness and lumbar support, a night vision system with an in-dash screen, and a rear backup camera. 2,000) wheels by themselves. 2,850) provides active cruise control, blind spot assist, and parking guidance.The CL600 includes virtually everything as standard equipment, including Active Body Control suspension and Distronic Plus.

Only the 19 or 20-inch wheels, Diamond White paint, illuminated door sills, Splitview and some dealer accessories are optional.The CL63 AMG adds distinct bodywork and higher-performance brakes, suspension, wheels and tires along with its hand-made V8. There are high expectations for cars in the CL's rarefied league, which consists of a very few automobiles and includes the BMW 6 Series and Bentley Continental GT. Ultra-luxury coupes are a statement of style and panache, capability and quality, and they ought to look as expensive as they are. Mercedes has been making range-topping coupes for many years, and it knows the game. The CL's styling does not disappoint.From nose to tail, the CL is something out of the ordinary. Seen from the front, it's instantly identifiable as a Mercedes-Benz from its three-slat grille, long a staple of Benz sport models and SUVs. The famous three pointed star emblem is front and center and as large as a dinner plate, just to be sure you don't mistake the CL for any other brand. Pulling open the door is the moment of truth in an ultra-luxury coupe.

Buyers in this class are expecting sumptuousness, high-end materials and sophisticated design that convey the promise of being coddled. Everyone who looked inside our test cars uttered an involuntary wow. It's beautifully designed, richly appointed and finished with a fanatical attention to detail. 2s. The CL is just 2.2 inches lower than an S-Class sedan, but it feels much lower than that.The surroundings are a sybarite's delight. There's almost nowhere your hand falls that you're not touching either glove-soft leather, burled walnut, brushed aluminum or chrome. The instrument panel cover is stitched in leather, as are the door panels and seats, buckets front and rear. The steering wheel is silky leather or wood with leather grips at the nine and three o'clock positions. It houses buttons in front for the phone and COMAND system, and switches behind the top spokes for manually shifting the transmission (aluminum on AMG models).The exterior's curvilinear theme is repeated in the interior. The center console curves gently into the center stack, and the interior front door panels arc outward subtly at the elbow area, the shape accented by delicate chrome accent strips.