GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

Make / Model Search

Car reviews - Mercedes-Benz - CL-class - CL65 AMG

Our Opinion

We like
Sheer luxury underpinned by towering acceleration, ride comfort
Room for improvement
Very, very expensive, weight overrules grip on tight corners, thirst for fuel

23 Mar 2005

THERE’S a lot to be impressed about with the CL65 AMG, but there’s no question that defining moment comes when you floor the accelerator.

Particularly from a standing start where, if your passenger is a little fragile, a brief moment of headspin can result as the big coupe lurches forward, then settles into a relentless, dizzying surge of acceleration.

Such is the accelerative power of the CL65 that the sliding cover designed to keep the sun out of the interior slips back to its rearmost stop as the wide-eyed passenger grips any solid bit of furniture that comes to hand.

The sense of power is phenomenal, seemingly (and probably actually) increasing as the revs pile on. The horizon rushes toward the car in a way that requires the driver to be acutely aware of how quickly the speed has risen, so the car can be prepared for the next bend.

What is just as amazing though is that all this is done with so little fuss. There is a brief moment of wheelspin as the traction and stability control systems come into play, then the car leaps forward in a way that denies its 4WD-like weight and the fact that only two wheels are providing the traction.

There’s just the blinding rush, and the muted, but delicious snarl from the twin-turbo V12. No correcting of the steering wheel, no sense that the car is accelerating just about as fast as most of us are ever likely to experience in a four-wheel vehicle.

The car remains as cosseting, plush and comfortable as it would be if you were loafing along at cruising speed. And the CL65’s road-holding abilities are up to the task.

Remembering how much bulk is being contained here, it’s quite amazing how reactive the car remains when it’s pointed into a corner, and how relentlessly powerful the perforated-disc braking system feels when you need to wash off all that rapidly-acquired speed.

The semi-active suspension keeps the car sitting relatively flat, helping mask its bulk, while the fat tyres and AMG suspension ensure there’s always plenty of steering response, even in tightish corners.

This is a 2.2-tonne car that can be driven with plenty of verve. Practically the only time the laws of physics come into play is when the CL65 is pressed hard around a tight, roughed-up corner and some rack rattle makes its way through the steering wheel as a noticeable but containable amount of understeer sets in.

Thread the CL65 through a set of sweepers and it will respond beautifully, sitting flat and obeying the steering wheel with alacrity.

The comfort factor is well addressed via the sort of equipment you’d expect in a high-end luxury car including heated, multi-contour AMG sports front seats, and a raft of standard gear including a thumping sound system, satellite navigation and dual climate-control.

Then there’s the fact that most AMG cars sold here are to personal order and can be bought with a wide range of personalised gear including power-operated folding tables, customised sound systems or an all-in-one system providing facilities for fax, photocopier, printer, scanner or modem.

Downsides? There aren’t many, provided you’ve got no problem lashing out on $459,000 for a four-seater car that will consume fuel at a prodigious rate (although driven carefully it will match the official factory figure of 14.9L/100km) and really will have little opportunity, on Australian roads, to flex its muscles.

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

GoAuto can help you buy a new CL-class

Customer Terms and Conditions – New Car Lead enquires

Agreement

This is an agreement between GoAutoMedia Pty Limited ACN 094 732 457 of PO Box 18, Beach Road, Sandringham, VIC, 3191 (“we/us”), the owner and operator of the GoAuto.com.au website (“the website”) and the person wanting GoAuto.com.au to provide them with a lead for the purchase of a new car (“you”).

By completing a New Car Lead Enquiry, you agree to the terms and conditions and disclaimers and acknowledge the policies set out below.

Terms and Conditions

  • In order for us to effect a lead you must you must complete a New Car Lead Enquiry (“Enquiry”).
  • We will call you as soon as possible after you complete the Enquiry and certainly no later than the next business day. When we call, we will discuss with you your new car requirements.
  • You consent to our passing on the Enquiry and your requirements to an appropriate authorised motor car dealer as a lead.
  • We will contact you again in approximately eight days following your initial enquiry to check on the progress of the Enquiry.
  • While we will provide the dealer with the Enquiry and details of your new car requirements, we take no responsibility for what happens after passing on that material as a lead.
  • You acknowledge that we are a new car information service providing new car editorial information, pictures and prices to our customers as a guide only. Any new car prices published on the website are the manufacturers’ recommended retail prices and do not include delivery charges and on-road costs. Any authorized motor car dealer to which we pass on your Enquiry as a lead will provide you with full details of the price at which the vehicle will be sold to you.
  • You acknowledge that we do not sell motor vehicles. Any sale of a new car to you by a dealer after we have passed on your Enquiry to that dealer as a lead, is a sale by that dealer not by us.

Privacy Policy– New Car Lead Enquires

  • We take privacy very seriously. We understand that you will only complete an Enquiry if you can trust us to protect your personal information and use it appropriately. Our policy is to ensure that the personal information collected when you make an Enquiry is only used for the purposes of connecting you with an authorised motor car dealer.
  • We do not on-sell information collected from you or any other customer.
  • From time to time, we may email you with information or promotions that may be relevant for car buyers. You will continue to receive communications from us unless you tell us that you do not want to receive any advertising or promotional information in the future by unsubscribing from these communications.
close
* Denotes required field
** Australian inquiries only

Motor industry news

GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.

Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here