2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-class / CL550 / CL600 Refreshed
As rare a sight as the Mercedes-Benz CL-class coupe is (unless you live in Beverly Hills or Monte Carlo) the arrival of a new one—or even a refreshed one, as is the case here—is nevertheless newsworthy. For 2011, the S-class's two-door sibling (which will not be renamed the S-class coupe as previously thought, although that may happen for the next, all-new generation) is available in the same lineup as last year. The all-wheel-drive CL550 4MATIC and rear-wheel-drive CL600 are both mildly reshaped and updated with a raft of new bits that are sure to trickle down into much of the rest of the lineup soon. New CL63 AMG and CL65 AMG models will make their debuts later. The CL63 will adopt the new, 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 that will eventually migrate to all “63” AMG cars; we recently sampled a 2011 S63 AMG equipped with the engine.
As with the 2010 S-class, the visual updates for the 2011 CL-class are hardly extensive, but do help bring the big car into this decade with a cadre of LED lighting elements front and rear; a larger, redesigned grille; a sculpted hood; and reverse lamps relocated to the trunklid. The new Sport Package and Sport Package Plus One options bring sportier lower-body mods as well as 19- and 20-inch wheel-and-tire packages, respectively.
No Replacement for Displacement? Try a Couple of Turbos
The most significant change resides beneath the hood of the CL550 4MATIC. Mercedes-Benz is using the CL-class to launch its new 4.6-liter, direct-injection twin-turbo V-8, which replaces the previous, naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8. The output is prodigious: 429 hp at 5250 rpm (up from 382 hp at 6000) and a gutsy 516 lb-ft of torque available from 1800–3500 rpm (way improved over the old engine’s 391 lb-ft from 2400–4800 rpm). Yeah, this thing has 516 lb-ft in the base model—never mind that it’s a $110,000-plus base model. The horsepower and torque are achieved, Mercedes-Benz claims, while improving fuel economy by 10 to 15 percent and reducing CO2 emissions by 23 percent. As for performance, the company says that 60 mph will whiz by in a scant 4.9 seconds from a standstill, an improvement of half a second.
If that’s not enough, of course, the twin-turbo V-12 CL600 still is available. It boasts 510 hp at 5000 rpm, 612 lb-ft available from 1800–3500 rpm, and a claimed 0–60 time of 4.5 seconds. Top speed for both models is a conservative, electronically limited 130 mph; hitting the limiter probably will feel like hitting a brick wall considering the wave of accelerative power still will be cresting at that point. Both CL-class models also brake the inside rear wheel when cornering to help the big car rotate during spirited driving; Mercedes refers to its version of this technology as Torque Vectoring Brake.
New Driver-Assistance Features. Yay
In case all that power renders you unable to do anything but hold onto the wheel for dear life, the 2011 CL comes to market with new driver-assistance features. The optional Active Lane-Keeping Assist vibrates the steering wheel if it senses the car drifting into another lane. If the vehicle crosses a painted line, it uses the brakes on the opposite side of the car to tug it back into the proper lane. This can, thankfully, be switched off, and the system is smart enough to stay out of the way if it determines— based on throttle and brake inputs—that the driver intended to abruptly change lanes or evade an obstacle. Active Blind-Spot Assist similarly uses the brakes to hold the car in its lane if the driver disregards warnings that a car is in his or her blind spot.
Other driver-assistance stuff includes Attention Assist drowsiness detection, Active High-Beam Assist, Pre-Safe emergency braking, and medium- and long-range Brake Assist. The CL600—as well as the CL63 AMG and CL65 AMG—come with Mercedes’ latest iteration of Active Body Control, a feature that incidentally made its debut on the 1999 CL-class.
Cosseting Interior, As Always
The lavish, elegant interior is of course what many owners and their passengers appreciate most about the CL, and the 2011 model will not disappoint. Above and beyond the current model’s too-long-to-list assortment of standard and optional goodies comes the latest COMAND system with optional split-view technology that allows the front-seat passenger to view different content—such as a DVD movie—while the driver can see the navigation screen, for example. The standard ambient lighting bathes the interior in amber, neutral, or ice-blue tones. And as ever, high-style Designo packages will continue to be offered when the new models appear in dealerships this fall. No pricing has been released, but figure something close to the current $112,575 for the CL550 4MATIC and $158,275 for the CL600. Who said exclusivity should come cheap?
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