designo wino CLS 55 AMG
Discussion
I’ve not done a readers moneypit thread before, so here’s my new CLS55, a nice sensible 4 door ‘coupe’.
I’ve always loved the design of the original CLS, it’s just so smooth and elegant, even if the arse is a bit droopy. Way classier than the later designs to my eyes. Full slab of wood to the dash, leather everywhere with discrete chrome highlights and individual rear seats all giving it the luxurious feel of a cut-price Bentley. But hopefully more reliable…
These cars are quite rare, Mercedes only making the supercharged ’55 for about 18 months before switching to the N/A 6.2 litre engine in 2006. The engine is epic. It thumps out 476 bhp and 516 feet of torque. And I really do mean thumps – the low down torque is just mental. Traction control light is easy to light up at pretty much any speed in this weather. Front end feels planted and secure, back end can feel a bit loose over bumps, but the rear Pirellis just surrender at the first hint of throttle – they are Italian after all.
The old tech 5 speed auto isn’t as dim witted as I thought it would be, with ‘wheel buttons to use in Manual, plus there’s Comfort (starts off in 2nd) and Sport (starts off in 1st, downshifts more readily, and holds the gears longer), and it kind of suits the muscle car feel of the thing anyway. Five speeds in the gearbox is probably overkill, three would be adequate - town, country and vMax.
It’s mechanically standard as far as I know apart from an exhaust X pipe and a pair of C63 backboxes. It sounds great if you push it, quite a hot rod, but almost sensibly quiet at minimal throttle openings with no droning evident on the motorway.
But drive it with the sunroof open to let the noise in And. It. Just. Sounds. Incredible. It’s all about the bass (no treble). Deep thundery gurgley bass.
Mercedes Poole sold it new, the original buyer choosing designo (it’s a small ‘d’ in designo for some reason) Mystic Red paint, designo Mystic Red nappa leather seats, designo umbra maple grain wood to the dash and designo ‘pebble’ alcantara headlining.
The paint’s weird – it’s like glitter close up, very heavy multi-coloured mica flakes in the paint, it can be a bluey aubergine in shade through to a quite bright red in full sun. Probably a marmite colour, but I love it.
Interior – dash, doors, carpets etc – is black, with the Chesterfield-ish dark red seats, light headliner and deep gloss dash to brighten it up.
It has every single option that was available apart from special tinted glass and the no-cost ashtray option - £87,000 on the road from the ’05 price list I picked up on ebay.
I’ve always loved the design of the original CLS, it’s just so smooth and elegant, even if the arse is a bit droopy. Way classier than the later designs to my eyes. Full slab of wood to the dash, leather everywhere with discrete chrome highlights and individual rear seats all giving it the luxurious feel of a cut-price Bentley. But hopefully more reliable…
These cars are quite rare, Mercedes only making the supercharged ’55 for about 18 months before switching to the N/A 6.2 litre engine in 2006. The engine is epic. It thumps out 476 bhp and 516 feet of torque. And I really do mean thumps – the low down torque is just mental. Traction control light is easy to light up at pretty much any speed in this weather. Front end feels planted and secure, back end can feel a bit loose over bumps, but the rear Pirellis just surrender at the first hint of throttle – they are Italian after all.
The old tech 5 speed auto isn’t as dim witted as I thought it would be, with ‘wheel buttons to use in Manual, plus there’s Comfort (starts off in 2nd) and Sport (starts off in 1st, downshifts more readily, and holds the gears longer), and it kind of suits the muscle car feel of the thing anyway. Five speeds in the gearbox is probably overkill, three would be adequate - town, country and vMax.
It’s mechanically standard as far as I know apart from an exhaust X pipe and a pair of C63 backboxes. It sounds great if you push it, quite a hot rod, but almost sensibly quiet at minimal throttle openings with no droning evident on the motorway.
But drive it with the sunroof open to let the noise in And. It. Just. Sounds. Incredible. It’s all about the bass (no treble). Deep thundery gurgley bass.
Mercedes Poole sold it new, the original buyer choosing designo (it’s a small ‘d’ in designo for some reason) Mystic Red paint, designo Mystic Red nappa leather seats, designo umbra maple grain wood to the dash and designo ‘pebble’ alcantara headlining.
The paint’s weird – it’s like glitter close up, very heavy multi-coloured mica flakes in the paint, it can be a bluey aubergine in shade through to a quite bright red in full sun. Probably a marmite colour, but I love it.
Interior – dash, doors, carpets etc – is black, with the Chesterfield-ish dark red seats, light headliner and deep gloss dash to brighten it up.
It has every single option that was available apart from special tinted glass and the no-cost ashtray option - £87,000 on the road from the ’05 price list I picked up on ebay.
Ideal spec I was after was notsilver over anythingbutgreeeyleather and this one was too special to pass up. I’ve not seen any other Merc in this colour, never mind a CLS. These aren’t cars you should buy without a warranty so that’s exactly what I did last week, silly boy, but fortunately a full Merc specialist’s checkover has revealed a flat spotted alloy (repair booked), play in one balljoint (£50-odd), and no satnav – aerial is suspect. And that’s the extent of the problem list – a huge relief. Bodywork has almost zero dinks, dings, chips, scratches. One tiny spot of bubbling on the bootlid, minimal wear to steering wheel or mats, slight creasing to the drivers seat, it’s bloody lovely – just mint – and a real event to drive. Even the wife and kids like it – heated seats all round.
I’ve been daily-driving a VW Caddy for a few months since I sold my E91 BMW, so running the CLS alongside the diesel van from hell is going to take a bit of getting used to. It’ll break down, it’ll be expensive to repair and to run and a worry when parked. But I reckon it’ll be worth it. I’m already completely in love with the thing, the noise, the looks, the noise, the sense of occasion, the noise. Did I mention what it sounds like?
Plans – not much – maybe steering wheel paddles, get keyless-go coded out for security (already done an old school hidden switch on it), and drive the wheels off it. It has the SBC brake system (expensive) and airmatic suspension (expensive-er) but there are no fault codes logged and everything seems to work ok. So far. It’s currently showing 13mpg on the trip computer, but hopefully I can improve on that when the weather improves and get it into single figures.
If you can, buy a V8 before they’re banned.
I’ve been daily-driving a VW Caddy for a few months since I sold my E91 BMW, so running the CLS alongside the diesel van from hell is going to take a bit of getting used to. It’ll break down, it’ll be expensive to repair and to run and a worry when parked. But I reckon it’ll be worth it. I’m already completely in love with the thing, the noise, the looks, the noise, the sense of occasion, the noise. Did I mention what it sounds like?
Plans – not much – maybe steering wheel paddles, get keyless-go coded out for security (already done an old school hidden switch on it), and drive the wheels off it. It has the SBC brake system (expensive) and airmatic suspension (expensive-er) but there are no fault codes logged and everything seems to work ok. So far. It’s currently showing 13mpg on the trip computer, but hopefully I can improve on that when the weather improves and get it into single figures.
If you can, buy a V8 before they’re banned.
None of these are my pics, they're all from the adverts/facebook etc.
Thumbsnap just got silly after my last post, so using a different uploader now..
When the weather's less miserable I'll be taking some more.
Here's the £1180 alcantara headlining!
And the designo umbra maple grain (who thinks these names up?) wood trim. £950 right there.
Thumbsnap just got silly after my last post, so using a different uploader now..
When the weather's less miserable I'll be taking some more.
Here's the £1180 alcantara headlining!
And the designo umbra maple grain (who thinks these names up?) wood trim. £950 right there.
Mr E said:
Very nice.
I have the build sheet for my e class. The steering wheel was 460 quid.
Whaaaat? My steering wheel appears to be standard <sobs>I have the build sheet for my e class. The steering wheel was 460 quid.
Compo claim going into Merc I think...
Nice looking E500, look very classy in black
When I was searching for a car I used a car parts website to get the chassis number from the registration, then bunged the vin into a decoder website to bring up the spec and all the options. It's amazing what you can find out with tinternet.
Mr E said:
andy43 said:
Nice looking E500, look very classy in black
Thanks. I think it’s blue (also a 500 quid option)
I have insured this on a classic policy partly because of the exhaust mods but mainly because of that very question - is it factory standard? Well, yes and no
Had a nightmare conversation about my previous BMW - in the end they just said to tell them about the most important options...
5er said:
Bloody superb, is that.
It wasn't bought from Hull was it? I recall seeing an identical one on eBay a little while ago, except it had silly wheels on (20" Vossens, if I recall.) Exterior and interior was identical though.
Would love that to smoke around in
Yep, same car. It went through Anglia Classic car auctions in April, new owner in Hull had it 6 months, spent a fortune - front end respray for chips, front susp refresh and alignment, distronic repairs, cam cover gaskets, Merc service etc etc, then I bought from him. Lovely bloke, a russian, and really into his cars. I believe he only had the 20" blingrims on for a short while - back on correct AMG IIs when I saw it. It wasn't bought from Hull was it? I recall seeing an identical one on eBay a little while ago, except it had silly wheels on (20" Vossens, if I recall.) Exterior and interior was identical though.
Would love that to smoke around in
RetroWheels said:
Love stuff like this - "last shape" big petrol engined, big optioned ,Autobahnstormers.
This is the fertile ground where some big performance luxury can be bought for reasonable money , and the OP's car looks like a fine example- love the colour combination.
The 500 E Class is right up my street as well.. excellent.
500E was on the list - Jay Manek at Mercland has a nice bornite E500 which really tempted me. This is the fertile ground where some big performance luxury can be bought for reasonable money , and the OP's car looks like a fine example- love the colour combination.
The 500 E Class is right up my street as well.. excellent.
But the 5.5 litre blown purple throbber was cheaper
Thankyou4calling said:
That’s a lovely looking car and to have a sunroof is a rare bonus.
I know you say it has every option so why all the blanks on the centre console?
Are they just blank or is there an option you’ve not got?
Good point. There is literally nothing unticked on the price list I have that could involve an extra button. Missing special glass, no ashtray, and I'm missing a garage door opener as well, which would have buttons on the rear view mirror - but nothing that would need buttons in the centre console..I know you say it has every option so why all the blanks on the centre console?
Are they just blank or is there an option you’ve not got?
JakeT said:
That's a really nice car, that. I like the thought of the 5.4 in a CLS as the torque makes it so easy to waft in. How's the SBC holding up? That also seems like a cool yet strange idea on brakes.
Thanks! The idea of SBC sounds clever - instead of a hydraulic servo an electric pump pressurises a reservoir that then provides the braking force. You can hear it whirring away occasionally. It won industry awards when Bosch invented it, but the electric pump that operates it times out after 300,000 (I think) brake presses, then needs replacing at a rough cost of £1200-£1800 from googling it. It can be reset when the fault is thrown up, as pump life is supposedly 500,000-600,000 presses, but would you seriously risk it - or a used pump from ebay? There are failsafes with it throwing up fault codes well in advance of failure as the pump wears out.
Merc stopped using SBC within a few years due to cost of recalls - the mid 2006 updated CLS and E binned the SBC.
Google suggests 80-100k miles is very roughly the point at which the pump times out, but if it's been used in city traffic it could be much sooner.
When (not if) it fails, I'd be looking for a genuine brand new replacement - you can't mess about with brakes on the cheap.
If it fails completely while in use you're left with a small back up conventional hydraulic system which isn't anywhere near up to the job on a car of this weight and would probably mean being killed to death if SBC failed during emergency braking. Still like the car?
5er said:
andy43 said:
Yep, same car. It went through Anglia Classic car auctions in April, new owner in Hull had it 6 months, spent a fortune - front end respray for chips, front susp refresh and alignment, distronic repairs, cam cover gaskets, Merc service etc etc, then I bought from him. Lovely bloke, a russian, and really into his cars. I believe he only had the 20" blingrims on for a short while - back on correct AMG IIs when I saw it.
That's it, I remember it had had a fortune spent on it.Well done, you've got a belter there by the sounds of it.
I'd feel nervous buying a car at auction, so I played it safe (cough) and bought it in a car park behind a dodgy looking council estate in Hull instead...I'm guessing it may have sold quicker if it'd been in a plateglass showroom down south.
J4CKO said:
Wow, thats lovely, really enjoyed my CLS 500 5.5, did look at 55's but would be too similar but faster.
They really arent that bad to own, the 55 engine is toigh and it sounds like its been looked after, that colour combo is just lovely, nailed on classic, there will be a day where these start to be valued properly I think, the AMG ones anyway.
Thanks, spent a lot of time reading up - I have absorbed your previous CLS related contributions and you must accept partial responsibility for my purchase They really arent that bad to own, the 55 engine is toigh and it sounds like its been looked after, that colour combo is just lovely, nailed on classic, there will be a day where these start to be valued properly I think, the AMG ones anyway.
Alex_225 said:
That is a great looking car. Both my partner and I own CLS's (63/350 CDI) and as with many of them they're both silver,
Reelly does look good in that deep maroon. Very very nice.
Two CLS is just greedy Reelly does look good in that deep maroon. Very very nice.
I have a real soft spot for the shooting brake, but other than the '63 none of the UK cars have petrol engines.
Today has brought a faraday pouch to hide my key in while at home and some cheap ebay floormats so I can cover or replace the Merc mats (even those have designo badges on) to protect them.
Forgot to mention I need a second key - remember Gone in 60 Seconds where they steal 3 brand new Mercs "those Mercedes can only be stolen with laser cut transponder keys direct from Germany"?
That would be this car then. Go on, have a guess.
£240.
Welcome to Mercedes ownership.
Mr E said:
I had a key for repaired and I think it was £80.
Ask how much the panoramic roof is when it fails.
Noooo don't tell me. Oh go on - how much? Ask how much the panoramic roof is when it fails.
We had an A class years ago with a multislatted pan roof, and I asked Merc what they did if any of the seals failed. "We replace the sunroof cassette sir" at a cost of roughly 2k. My E91 had a pan roof and that always scared me.
CLS is just a standard sunroof thank god. The original 'vision' design study for the CLS had a full glass panel over all 4 passengers - that'd be cool. But probably too hot.
There's a really good lock guy near me who can program virtually any key, but these Merc ones are factory only unfortunately. I don't strictly need a spare key, but it makes sense to get one. The Star system can code out all old electronic keys but to be 100% safe I'd be looking at new lock barrels as well = silly money.
Mr E said:
...MB Atlanta....
All the parts catalogues are online and free via the MB Atlanta website. I recommend them.
Is it RBM of Atlanta? First one I tried and it has exploded parts diagrams - thank you All the parts catalogues are online and free via the MB Atlanta website. I recommend them.
https://parts.rbmofatlanta.com/auto-parts/2006/mer...
tobinen said:
Wonderful colour combination. Lovely car mister
Thankyou sir. Needs the third clean of the week now - absolutely filthy roads at the moment.Driving the CLS I've already had a couple of nice comments when I've been parked up.
In fact I've only known Bob the petrol station cashier for a week now, and he's already coming to ours for xmas dinner
Smokey32 said:
Nice, never seen that colour on a CLS before.
Good luck with it being cheaper than a Bentley.
Bentley motoring costs hurt from what I've read. But what could go wrong with this reliable german beast? Don't answer that - nothing so far though - I’ve piled over 500 miles on over xmas. Jinxed it now.Good luck with it being cheaper than a Bentley.
This car just kills motorways, it’s just so relaxing. Then you get onto the twisty stuff and the phrase shrinking around you does seem appropriate. But I am overweight, so it won't shrink much. Crap weather when I got the chance to mess about in the Peaks, but I tried.
I'm not a real driver, but front grips, feels good, digs in ok. Pointy considering the weight. Back end is quite loose – bit of an arse wiggling side-to-side motion on big undulating bumps – but the rear bushes etc were confirmed as all ok when it was up on the ramp. Maybe they do need more attention. Airmatic has three settings – I was sticking with 'comfort', should really have more of a go in sport 1 or 2 on the back roads and see if either stiffen the loose rear up.
And traction really is hopeless. Get ham fisted (footed?) with the throttle and the little orange ‘you made gearbox kick down before summer, dumbass’ light illuminates on the dash. A lot. The petrol tank appears to have a leak, although I got over 20 on a mainly-motorway trip.
I also dropped an E while cleaning it /smileyacidface
Hmmm, maybe here...
It’s close but it’s not right. Carefully cut double sided tape has fixed it back on ok but I’m tempted to remove the side and rear badges altogether.
Cleaned it three times now – can’t wait for summer – the paint is a proper pearl effect glitter close up. Sun attempted to come out yesterday...
Thank you for all the positive comments too – not as marmite as I thought. I bloody love it. It is a shame people go for 'resale' colours when spec-ing cars - there's so much more out there than grey, silver or black.
It does have swirl marks... I have emailed a local firm about paint correction, something I've never tried before. Slippery slope coming up...
turboteeth said:
Superb car and colour combination is the best I have seen on any AMG!
I had an E55 for 3 years - expensive to run but there are plenty of decent specialists out there and it really is worth keeping yours in tip top condition given how desirable it will always be!
I love the supercharged V8 - I now have the 5.5 BiTurbo in a '63 and it's quicker but not as smooth and just a bit coarse...
I'm kind of hoping the age of it now means there'll be enough broken '55 cars around to get sensibly priced bits - previous owner fixed the Distronic with a used radar head for way less than the near-£900 that Merc quoted!I had an E55 for 3 years - expensive to run but there are plenty of decent specialists out there and it really is worth keeping yours in tip top condition given how desirable it will always be!
I love the supercharged V8 - I now have the 5.5 BiTurbo in a '63 and it's quicker but not as smooth and just a bit coarse...
This engine has real character - the occasional stutter when the 'charger kicks in can be annoying, and I'd like more 'whine', but it's a real stump puller and the deep deep noise is very 'merican.
I've not tried the newer turbo'd cars - turning up to a MB dealer in this might get me some test drives though...
tobinen said:
I hope you never need paint work. I bet that's a nightmare to match, lovely as it is.
Well, after a very kind person scraped the bumper in a car park and buggered off, I have just had the rear bumper painted. It's a 'known' paint code, already in the bodyshop's computer mixing system, so no problems matching it at all, although they may have had to send out for extra flake. I also asked the bodyshop to take the 'v8 kompressor' wing badges and the 'AMG' and CLS55 boot badges off, figuring their tools may be better suited than my special paint-tin-lid-opener chisel.
Remember this pic when an 'e' fell off? I just wiped the wing down and stuck the letter back on. Paint underneath did look a bit grungey.
Well, it appears when the last owner had the wings and bonnet done for stone chips, they took those wing badges off, left half the double sided badge tape on... and painted over the lot. Arrrggghhhh. So I had the front wings resprayed as well. Very nice job they've done too - the next Merc they have lined up belongs to a member of Pink Floyd
J4CKO said:
Smokey32 said:
Nice, never seen that colour on a CLS before.
Good luck with it being cheaper than a Bentley.
They are, if you do your research, cheaper than a Bentley, say a Conti GT to own.Good luck with it being cheaper than a Bentley.
At the end of the day its an E Class underneath, loads of suspension and brake parts available and they arent that expensive either, front disks and pads, easy to change yourself, under £200, dont make the mistake and think that the CLS 63 has the same brakes, they are more like 2 grand.
Engine is bombproof pretty much, aside from rocker cover gaskets and charger coolant pumps not much goes wrong. Gearbox is hard as nails.
The Daft SBC brakes can get fairly expensive but a same year diesel CLS has the same setup, not that bad these days.
Airmatic can give trouble but its not that complicated really, I did the pump on mine for £104, struts are £350 ish per corner but I never had an issue.
Conti GT doesnt share much with other cars and has a lot of built in niggles, any mechanic who can work on an E class taxi will be familiar with a lot of this.
Be under no illusions it is an expensive car to run, but neither is it ruinous if you do your homework and have a tame indy and do bits yourself.
It's so cheap - this 'box was used on everything from a 210 to a Sprinter van - under £200 for all those bits inc gasket and enough oil, all genuine MB. Also keep looking at g-paddles to replace the switches.
Need to derust and paint the hubs/discs when the weather improves - really spoiling things the way they currently look.
['63 owners look away now...] They're so cheap it's probably easier to buy new discs. [sorry, I warned you]
Satnav still needs fixing. Had flat spotted wheel straightened out fine. Well over 1k miles done now. Feels bulletproof, bar a slight wobble on cold idle - but that seems a common comment. Effortless everywhere. Overtake? Yes. Any speed? Yes. In any weather? Ermm, no.
Alton Towers stomach churning has been mentioned, and I still haven't used full throttle yet.
I'm going to change the supercharger oil as it's not a service item. About £20 for 'a quart' tin, plus a couple of ebay syringes that I'm still waiting for. Best thing about preparing for this job is the oil has a Concorde logo on the front of the tin - Mobil aeronautical suppliers only
Krikkit said:
Lovely car, great colours. Shame you didn't get the optional half wood steering wheel though, they feel very nice.
On back roads I'd recommend sport 1/2 - my W211 has airmatic and feels much more planted in sport1 than comfort, and that's with 300hp/200Nm less to deal with compared to this!
Thanks - does make a difference I've found. There's a fair bit of side-to-side wobble in Comfort, and I have found it's tighter in either of the Sport settings. Fidgets noticeably on bumps when set to full-hard - it's give'n'take I suppose.On back roads I'd recommend sport 1/2 - my W211 has airmatic and feels much more planted in sport1 than comfort, and that's with 300hp/200Nm less to deal with compared to this!
J4CKO said:
Mr E said:
J4CKO said:
Not used full throttle yet ?
I rarely use full throttle. It’s uncouth and usually not required. Nice to know it’s there though. Streaming wet and cold A-road overtakes are actually tricky, almost as nervy as the Griff is in the wet when you boot it, the extra safety net of the traction control offset by the sheer size of the ocean liner it's controlling.
I need more practice. I've been daily-driving a gutless VW Caddy for 12 months. Maybe I'm just a girl. It should have an LSD on this car to keep it's backside in order. Quaife do one, installed with fresh oil it's £1500, probably money well spent.
In the dry it will be an absolute rocketship.
Sliproad onto a fast moving motorway - onto the slip nice and steady, 40, 50, 60, a space 200 yards off, gentle press on the throttle and a roar from the afterburners, you're there in the gap and braking, or on the mirrors looking for the gap in the middle lane traffic - if there is a gap, irrespective of any speed differential between lanes you're 'avin' it, no messing. 3 glances in the mirrors, 3 dabs on the gas, 3 flicks on the indicator, and click... distronic cruise on, maybe 10mph above traffic speed just to be sure. Directors/S-Line lane for the rest of the journey, swatting peasants aside with another two flicks of the cruise stalk. Job done. Maybe just tweak the seat heating down a touch, close the sunroof up, and contemplate exactly when you should nudge awake the thai lady with the big knuckles.
I found this when I was thinking about a CLS..just sums it up.
in 2013 SFO said:
some thoughts I had on my CLS55 (posted previously on another forum):
Sept 10:
Last weekend I drove to Suffolk from London.
On the way home on Sunday evening in the rain, the CLS55 really came to life.
Is that a gap? Seconds later, I’ve sailed past 10 cars. Other cars appear as if they have suddenly stopped. And that is without kickdown. We only went from 5th to 4th. Hardly got beyond 4000rpm.
Is that a bend? Do I need to slow down? Not really, Sport 1 will ensure that it stays the course. Of course it does.
Rain? Yes, it makes the interior more snug. The car feels utterly secure.
Noise? At night, you hear the engine more clearly as there’s less distraction about. But what grunt. Stunning sounds, that only V8s produce – addictive and highly pleasant mechanical roar, deepening and increasing in volume and pitch, a real treat. Who cares if I’ve just burnt yet another litre of Momentum 99? It was most worth the expense. The soundtrack is never ever intrusive. After a quick burst, it is all quiet just like a limousine for a spot of cruising.
And all of this in utter comfort.
The rain even cleans the car – it’s cleaner than when I left London as so much rain has washed a lot of dirt away.
Nowadays, I don’t look at the Mercedes Approved Use Car Locator anymore. I covet no other Mercedes (at least ones that I afford anyway!).
Amen.
Jan 13:
2 and a bit years later, and the love affair continues ..
again coming back to London from Suffolk tonight.
roads are dry, there is salt about, and it's below 0
again the CLS just charges, and snarls a bit and hey, we have made the other cars look like they are standing still
folks are much better at keeping left on 2 lane bits of the A11 and M11, and I sail past them with the gentlest of roars.
on up hill sections, the V8 flattens the gradient which slows other cars.
the acceleration from 60mph onwards with a firmish prod on the accelerator is truly awesome .. you wonder whether the dial is supposed to move quite that quickly
and all the while the car feels rock solid, stable, hunkered, unperturbed and completely magnificent.
I love love my CLS55. It really is the most incredible car .. you can't even buy a new Golf with what my CLS55 would fetch if I sold it.
Sept 10:
Last weekend I drove to Suffolk from London.
On the way home on Sunday evening in the rain, the CLS55 really came to life.
Is that a gap? Seconds later, I’ve sailed past 10 cars. Other cars appear as if they have suddenly stopped. And that is without kickdown. We only went from 5th to 4th. Hardly got beyond 4000rpm.
Is that a bend? Do I need to slow down? Not really, Sport 1 will ensure that it stays the course. Of course it does.
Rain? Yes, it makes the interior more snug. The car feels utterly secure.
Noise? At night, you hear the engine more clearly as there’s less distraction about. But what grunt. Stunning sounds, that only V8s produce – addictive and highly pleasant mechanical roar, deepening and increasing in volume and pitch, a real treat. Who cares if I’ve just burnt yet another litre of Momentum 99? It was most worth the expense. The soundtrack is never ever intrusive. After a quick burst, it is all quiet just like a limousine for a spot of cruising.
And all of this in utter comfort.
The rain even cleans the car – it’s cleaner than when I left London as so much rain has washed a lot of dirt away.
Nowadays, I don’t look at the Mercedes Approved Use Car Locator anymore. I covet no other Mercedes (at least ones that I afford anyway!).
Amen.
Jan 13:
2 and a bit years later, and the love affair continues ..
again coming back to London from Suffolk tonight.
roads are dry, there is salt about, and it's below 0
again the CLS just charges, and snarls a bit and hey, we have made the other cars look like they are standing still
folks are much better at keeping left on 2 lane bits of the A11 and M11, and I sail past them with the gentlest of roars.
on up hill sections, the V8 flattens the gradient which slows other cars.
the acceleration from 60mph onwards with a firmish prod on the accelerator is truly awesome .. you wonder whether the dial is supposed to move quite that quickly
and all the while the car feels rock solid, stable, hunkered, unperturbed and completely magnificent.
I love love my CLS55. It really is the most incredible car .. you can't even buy a new Golf with what my CLS55 would fetch if I sold it.
WTFWT said:
I am fortunate to have / have had some legendary cars including integrale, DB4, 8C, but I will tell anyone who will listen that the CLS55 is the best car I've ever owned.
I can think of no other car that so ABSOLUTELY nails its design brief. I bought it to "try" thinking I would keep it a few months, and was utterly seduced. Kept it 2 years.
If i could only drive behind one powertrain for the rest of my life, it would be that supercharged V8. I don't quite get the adulation for the 63 shown on here. The 55 has it licked on all fronts IMO.
Brilliant, brilliant cars.
Awesome post I can think of no other car that so ABSOLUTELY nails its design brief. I bought it to "try" thinking I would keep it a few months, and was utterly seduced. Kept it 2 years.
If i could only drive behind one powertrain for the rest of my life, it would be that supercharged V8. I don't quite get the adulation for the 63 shown on here. The 55 has it licked on all fronts IMO.
Brilliant, brilliant cars.
But the DB4 - that's some kind of Citroen, right?
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