MERCEDES-BENZ AMG cls63... v8
Eagle-eyed fans of the Three-pointed Star may have spotted AMG versions of the new CLS at their local dealerships for many months already. Mercedes-Benz South Africa, however, has waited until the full array of CLS-class cars was available locally before having any sort of media launch party.
AMG models usually stand out quite considerably from their lesser powered brethren. View a C63 along its C180 CGI sibling and you will have little doubt as to which model has spent all its evenings in the gym. This, however, does not seem to be the case with the CLS. There are visual cues to differentiate the models, but barring the large alloys there is little to really set the AMG apart from the 500. Especially in a dark shade the already menacing shape does not have an abundance of “popping muscles” to give up the game.
Some, I am sure, will prefer it that way and your typical CLS buyer is unlikely to be a boy racer. Let’s be realistic, with a price tag of over R1,3-million he’d have to be a pretty spoiled kid to get one of these as a varsity or college runabout. The average person that plumps for this kind of car is unlikely to want to announce (too loudly) the performance capability of their latest purchase.
Pop the door and the driver is greeted by (standard) AMG sports seats covered in lush, perforated Nappa leather. The steering wheel, too, is model-specific and features flattened top and bottom sections. Ostensibly, these are to allow better visibility and ease ingress, as they do in a racecar, but with fully (electrically) adjustable seat and steering wheel it seems like a sop to the marketing department. The shift paddles found on the rear side of the steering wheel are chunky aluminium items as opposed to the smaller plastic versions of other CLS models.
The twin-turbocharged V8 kicks over with a bit of a raspy gargle, but settles to a baritone idle that belies what will happen later. Pull-away like the Pastor and no one will have any clue of the performance potential. Floor it, however, and anyone within earshot will swivel their heads to get a look at the fury unleashed. Acoustics engineers have managed to maintain a distinctive V8 growl despite the twin blowers strapped to the exhaust manifolds.
The aural delight is accompanied by a strong shove in the cabin, too, as 386 kW conspires to shift the occupants forward with extreme pace and minimal effort.
The seven-speed transmission dispenses with a traditional torque converter and depending on the mode you choose: C(ontrolled Efficient), S(port) S+ or M(anual) there is a noticeable difference in the response times and behaviour. And if you ever find the need there is even a Race Start, i.e. launch-control function. I found that the sport setting provides the ideal compromise to exploit fast shift times and smooth shifts.
Mercedes claims a sprint time from zero-to-100 km/h of 4,4 seconds, which is mighty impressive for a car that weighs nearly 1,9 tonnes. From a subjective point of view, the in-gear acceleration feels even more phenomenal. Flatten the loud pedal at any – even triple-digit – speed and the CLS will drop a few cogs and make haste for the horizon. With 700 N.m torque available in a plateau between 1 750 and 5 000 r/min, the acceleration is relentless and it is ridiculously easy to find oneself bouncing of the 250 km/h limiter, or so I am told…
Grip levels are high, too, not just from the wide section (295 mm) rear rubber, but from the front end as well. Mercedes of old had a tendency to wash into gentle understeer when really pressing on. On this pass and the fast sweeps that led up to and away from it there was no lack of front-end bite. There are several good performance cars at this (price and luxury) level, mostly from Germany and Mercedes’ direct competitors…
Not only is it a very stylish and comfortable package to commute, but also an extremely fast cruiser that is now (dynamically) closer to the best from the rest.
Specifications:
Retail Price- R 1 372 510
Engine: 8/5 461 cm3
Power/Torque: 386 kW/700 N.m
Length/width/height/wheelbase: 4 996/1 881/1 406/2 874 mm
Suspension (f/r): Three-link,coil springs, anti-roll bar, AMG ride control/multi-link, air suspension with AMG ride control
Warranty/service plan: 3 years/100 000 km/5 years/90 000 km
0-100 km/h: 4,4 seconds
Top speed: 250 km/h (limited)
Fuel consumption: 9,9 litres/100 km
Image source -auto gesport and mercedez
No comments:
Post a Comment