GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

Make / Model Search

New models - Mercedes-Benz - CL-class - CL65 AMG

First drive: CL65 AMG prepares for take-off

Fasten your seatbelts: A monstrous 1000Nm torque and 450kW combine to slingshot the CL65 beast from zero to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.

Mercedes CL65 AMG has the power and price to indulge

23 Mar 2005

It could be said that nothing succeeds like excess. Certainly the Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG introduced at the Sydney motor show in October, 2004, lacks very little, especially when it comes to motive power.

If the basic aim of a car engine is to propel the body from point A to point B without too much delay, then the CL65 is certainly well endowed in that department.

Essentially, the story of this indulgent Mercedes-Benz is the story of an engine.

A 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V12 capable of propelling a Maybach super-limousine seems a little excessive when it comes to a two-door maxi-coupe weighing a mere 2155kg. Yet this is its role, in the CL65 AMG, where too much appears almost to be not enough.

A monstrous torque figure of 1000Nm and an equally towering 450kW combine to slingshot this weighty beast from zero to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds. And a massive braking system, with perforated discs at both front and rear, and working through anti-everything electronics, is able to bring it to an eye-popping halt in a way that belies its size.

The 6.0-litre all-alloy, single cam per bank, 36-valve V12 engine was developed by AMG from the 5.5-litre version seen in the S600L limousine. The capacity increase came largely from an extension of the stroke measurement, from 87mm to 93mm, which made it even more a decidedly long-stroke configuration.

Fundamental toughening-up work included a stronger crankshaft, improved oil-spray piston cooling, stronger main and big-end bearings, and modified oil pump and cooler. The bi-turbo’s breathing is helped by a higher-lift, longer-duration inlet camshaft, and re-designed combustion chambers.

The twin turbochargers are larger than those used in the 5.5-litre version, and the injection valves are also larger to boost fuel flow. The intercooler is 70 per cent larger and is able to reduce intake air temperature by 25 per cent under full throttle.

Finally, the delicious sound of 12 hard-working cylinders is amplified by an AMG exhaust system that extracts the best efficiency.

With a boost pressure of 1.5 bar, this adds up to a monumental powerplant that feeds its power through to the ground via a modified Mercedes five-speed automatic transmission - complete with tougher clutch plates - modified drive shafts and larger hub carriers. The torque is so great that it is electronically nobbled in lower gears to help keep everything in one piece.

The CL65’s suspension incorporates the Mercedes Active Body Control (ABC) and has been reworked with higher-rated spring struts and dampers. The ABS, brake assist and electronic stability control have all been reconfigured to cope with the kinetic energy developed by this 2.2-tonne missile.

4 center imageAt the car-road interface, there’s a set of 19-inch wheels wearing 245/40ZR19 tyres at the front, and wider 275/35ZR19s at the back.

The excesses don’t stop with the mechanicals either.

The CL65 lacks virtually nothing, from the clever double-hinged doors that open wide without taking up too much parking-lot space, to the heated AMG multi-contour sports seats. A special AMG instrument cluster with a speedo reading to 360km/h is one in the eye for conservative legislators.

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

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

Mercedes-Benz models

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