Graham Hill Renowned Car Review Of New Mercedes CL

Thursday, 29. July 2010

The renowned Graham Hill car review of the week looks at the new Mercedes CL Coupe, one of the last cars to be given a much needed makeover. We had a really cheap deal on some CL 500’s about 2 years ago which caused a massive stir and lots of enquiries so it just shows that what some saw as a bit of a relic still has some life in it and improved immensely by the makeover. The CL 500 is the 2dr coupe version of the S Class and when it goes on sale in the autumn starting at about £90,000 it will be more expensive than the S Class. The lines have greatly improved with a new grill and as many cars these days the inclusion of LED lighting. But it’s the features that come with the car that makes it hugely impressive. Safety systems are the very latest, which are necessary with the car, weighing in at 2 tonnes, being slung forward from 0 – 62 in under 5 seconds. Blue Efficiency and stop start have reduced CO2 output and improved fuel consumption (as though you’d care driving a car like this – get yourself a Prius). The car is stuffed full of active safety devices linked to a network of cameras and radar devices. Blind spot warning devices warn you if you are straying into the path of another vehicle and if you don’t take action the car will do it for you! It’s true! Radar cruise control means that you are kept at a safe distance from cars in front even if the car has to stop without any driver input. Active body control reduces the effects of crosswinds blowing you into the path of cars beside you. All in all an amazing car. We have no lease rates yet but the CL63 AMG is expected to cost around £100,000. What do you think about Mercedes launching such a car in the midst of a recession and when we should be looking for more CO2 efficient cars? By Graham Hill