Tips And Works

The 2007 Mercedes CL600 is so determined to reach the horizon when you step on its accelerator that it barely pauses for breath. Automatic gearshifts pop off one after another, but the onward rush is hardly interrupted. From the moment the car lunges away from rest with a sharp squeal of rear wheelspin until the 130-mph speed limiter gently restrains its charge, the CL rushes forward on an unstoppable tide of torque.

Passengers in the rear seat will gasp in astonishment at the sustained acceleration, and with good reason. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 produces 612 pound-feet of twist from a mere 1800 rpm and sustains that level to 3500 rpm. So each of the five gears provides relentless thrust throughout its range.

When driven in this somewhat extravagant manner - with both BorgWarner turbochargers blowing a 14.5-psi kiss of life to their respective cylinder banks - the 4800-pound CL600 will reach 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. The quarter-mile marker blurs by at 113 mph in a brief 12.8 seconds, and that's just 0.2 second behind the fabulous new Audi R8 mid-engined supercar.

This tells you in no uncertain terms that gargantuan forces are at work in the transmission tunnel and that these should be treated with respect. Not just because of the huge potential this car possesses for mischief in the wrong hands but also because of an absence of the usual clues relating to high speed.

Sure, the car's acceleration impresses itself on the mind by sheer physical force, but once high speeds have been attained, there's little noise from the drivetrain, tires, or wind passing by to alert you to the massive momentum on hand. New owners will need to get used to this feeling or suffer the inevitable consequences - numerous traffic citations or possibly financial impacts of a more physical nature.

It's probably a good thing, then, that this new flagship coupe introduces the Pre-Safe brake system. As its title suggests, this is a system that utilizes the range-finding capabilities of the Distronic Plus active-cruise radar to foresee closing speeds likely to result in a collision and then cancels the throttle and applies the brakes at up to 40 percent of maximum pressure. Numerous accident studies have shown that an early response to a recognized hazard greatly reduces the intensity of the collision. Since electronic devices are ever vigilant and their responses super-fast, this intervention is undoubtedly welcome.

For anyone who gets nervous at the idea of autonomous braking in a vehicle, we can testify that nothing peculiar happened while we drove the car. With its historical record of safety achievements, Mercedes is not likely to introduce technology that would have the car braking hard in the fast lane of a freeway for no good reason.

Speaking of safety devices, the CL600 is loaded with them. There are nine airbags for four people, along with all the usual vehicle-dynamic watchdogs such as ABS and ESP, plus an infrared night-vision system displayed on the large speedometer dial.

Whereas the other instruments have real needles, the speedometer is just an image of an analog gauge and can thus double as a message center and night-vision display. It's a high-tech solution masquerading as an old-fashioned instrument, but it matches the rest of the dashboard, which includes a small square analog clock, and is pretty convincing to boot. Like the gauge cluster, the car's interior is a blend of new and established techniques. Leather - lots of it - embraces the seats and the headliner. Or is that headliner Alcantara? Whatever, it's pretty cool, with neat stitching and tidy pleats. The leather is set off with high-quality moldings and chestnut or burled-walnut trim used sparingly in a stylish flourish.

There's plenty of space up front for the driver and passenger, both of whom are cosseted by seats that adjust in every way imaginable and offer four-level massages, too. The rear seats, although equally handsome, offer less space and should be reserved for cranky in-laws.

Considering how many mechanisms have to be controlled from the cockpit, we find that this latest version of Benz's COMAND interface is more-or-less intuitive to the computer-savvy driver. But there were a few functions that would have most people diving for the owner's manual, among them the control of the adjustable lumbar support and shoulder bolsters, which can also be set in active mode to firm up in corners. We found the constant nudging to be annoying, so we had to locate the button that accesses that specific set of controls and then experiment with the options until the damn thing stopped.

Of course, this elaborate complement of equipment and creature comforts comes at a price: nearly 150 grand on the sticker, and 4800 pounds on the scales. Not that this car's intended customers would feel either manifestation much. Mercedes-Benz's ABC suspension technology puts hydraulic rams at each of the four coil springs, providing active spring-preload control. In this way, ABC can alter roll stiffness as well as fore-and-aft spring rates for pitch control and automatic ride leveling.

The result is a big car - this is the S-class platform, after all - with unexpected nimbleness in every environment. There's limited compromise to ride comfort, too, since ABC only responds when needed. So the CL600 tools around suburbia with suave composure, feeling like a much smaller car. The typical Mercedes tight turning circle (38.1 feet) helps shrink one's sense of the car's size appreciably in urban environments, where you can make U-turns more easily than you can in a supercharged Chevy Cobalt SS.

Plus, the big Benz will run Angeles Crest at speed in a taut and controlled fashion. But physics can't be entirely ignored, and the CL did not turn in with quite the surgical precision its disciplined ride motions led us to expect. We found ourselves running a little off-line at corner entry on occasion, and it probably had nothing to do with deficient steering communication. Steering feel and the driver's sense of involvement are actually quite good for a car this big and isolated.

In summary, we'd have to conclude that the CL600's blend of virtues far outweighs the few shortcomings and that its astonishing performance overkill will probably awe and delight the lucky few who can afford this Benz bolide. Whether anyone really needs this much mass and muscle in a mere coupe is a question we'll leave for you to answer.

COUNTERPOINT

AARON ROBINSON
Super-lux cars like the Bentley Continental and CL600 are at the vanguard of the silly upward spiral of weight and power propagated by a fuel-squandering industry. There's a lot of tech here, and nothing else I have driven wafts forward with such relaxed ease as the CL. The pillarless coupe was just a glamorous artifact of a bygone era until Benz resurrected it so elegantly. But don't call me enthralled until the CL has its date with the fat vac.

KEVIN DUKE
Everything about this car is effortless. It accelerates as forcefully at 60 mph as it does at 30, with hand-of-god turbo thrust that is unnatural yet regal. Response from the boosted V-12 is appropriately creamy, and there's as much precision in its HVAC ports as in the engines of lesser cars. It's the perfect perch from which to frown upon the proles in their lowly C-class sedans, which seem like Camrys from the massaging-air-bladder throne of the imperial CL.