Mercedes-Benz raised a few eyebrows when it introduced the CLS four-door coupe. It turned out that in its original guise it was too soft for sporty drivers, rolling a lot through the corners. Now comes the CLS 63 AMG, which not only gets the AMG 6.2 liter V-8, but also gets attention from the chassis engineers at AMG.
Svelte, smart business coupe
The latest versions of the CLS get the black grille that Mercedes is now using, and this does improve the looks of the car.
Why CLS 63? Good question. Maybe they just thought is sounded better, but they do say the engine is the 6.2 liter V-8, which they refer to as the 6.3 liter engine all the time. No matter what they call it, this is AMG's answer to BMW's 5-liter V-10, and pushes out 517 bhp at 6,800 rpm.
This is a free-revving V-8, which will run to 7,000 rpm, and yet has the muscle that comes with such a big engine. Thanks to its size, it has reasonable pulling power and smooth running at low speed, but needs to be kept spinning for maximum performance.
Seven-speed auto with manual
Mercedes-Benz is sticking with conventional autos, but with a difference. The AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic seven-speed auto now has a controller that blips the engine on downshifts, not just for the noise, but to reduce loads on the cluthces and speed up shifts.
Tires go up in size
To transmit the power to the road, larger tires are used: 8.5 J x 18 at the front, with 55/40 R 18 tires; and 9.5 J x 18 at the rear with 285/35 R 18 tires. Previously 17-inch wheels where fitted. As before air suspension with front and rear anti-roll bars control wheel movement.
Whether you like the styling or not, you must admit that this is a very powerful and fast four-door coupe, with plenty of room inside. With that massive engine and size, it is perhaps more a car for the 1990s than 2008, not being very light at around 4,200 lb (1,905 kg).
