ON THE ROAD: Mercedes CL550 Offers Drivers an Embrace
By Richard WilliamsonScripps Howard News Service
The new Mercedes-Benz CL550 is a luxury coupe that literally embraces its driver.
Take a left turn in the coupe and you will feel the left side bolster of the seat move inward toward your body to prevent you from sliding even a millimeter in your seat. Take a right turn and the same process occurs with the right bolster.
If you find this level of security intrusive, you can turn off the system. However, I took to it rather quickly, feeling as if my whole body were involved in driving the car.
The seats do much more. They can massage you while you drive and add heat or cooling ventilation. When you combine the power adjustable seats with the power adjustable steering column, the car is ergonomically adjustable to any driver's size. The back-seat passengers are well tended to with two seats separated by a center console and adjustable amenities.
Naturally, these features are reserved only for the ultimate in luxury cars. At a base price of $95,550 for the base CL500, the coupe is in the rarified company of rivals such as the Bentley Continental GT, Jaguar XK and the BMW 6-Series.
Redesigned for the 2007 model year, the CL550 takes a slightly more daring approach to styling than its predecessor. Seen from the rear, the design presents an ovoid rear windshield that blends nicely with the tapered lines of the tail and the arcing roofline.
In the front, the familiar Mercedes grille and star emblem bejewel a somewhat rounder snout.
Power mongers will not be disappointed with the engine options in the CL class.
The CL550 comes with a 5.4-liter, 388-horsepower V8 that can propel the rear-drive coupe from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. If that doesn't light your fire, you can move up to the CL600 with a 517-horsepower, 12-cylinder engine that sends the coupe to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.
Torque flows through a seven-speed transmission that ranks as state-of-the-art.
Safety and security are nonpareil in the CL series. Standard equipment includes Active Body Control suspension, Intelligent Light System with five lighting functions and the anticipatory occupant protection system Pre-Safe.
A new control system for the radio, DVD player, car phone or navigation system features a large dial on the center console for making selections. When your selection is highlighted on the dash-mounted video screen, you push the dial down as you would the "Enter" key on your laptop computer.
The central control system is somewhat imitative of BMW's, and I know some people who hate it. However, the Mercedes system seems somewhat more intuitive. After I learned it, I did not have to take my eyes off the road to operate it. To ease use, designers added redundant controls for the sound and communications system on the steering wheel.
The video screen can also show what's behind the car when you back up. The system not only provides a clear image behind the car when you put it in reverse, it also helps guide you along the driveway.
The Active Body Control suspension is designed to eliminate pitch and roll of the body that occur when accelerating, cornering and braking. Using sensors on the axles, ABC instantly adjusts damping.
The Intelligent Light System provides five different lighting functions that are activated to match driving and weather conditions. The country road mode illuminates the driver's-side edge of the road more widely and brightly than the existing low-beam headlamps. Motorway mode, which comes on automatically when driving above 55 mph, delivers a uniform cone of light that illuminates the entire road width.
With a reputation for creating new safety systems, Mercedes-Benz has established another milestone with Pre-Safe. During emergency braking or skidding, the system moves the passenger seat into a more favorable position so that seat belts and airbags have maximum effect on impact. It also inflates air cushions in the seats, which envelop and support the driver and front passenger. Pre-Safe also closes the side windows and the sunroof in critical situations.
Pre-Safe works with Brake Assist Plus, which warns the driver of an imminent rear-end collision through visual and audible signals and automatically calculates the required braking pressure to prevent an accident. The braking-power support is available as soon as the brake pedal is operated. If the driver does not react to the BAS Plus warnings, the Pre-Safe Brake system triggers automatic partial braking and slows the coupe using about 40 percent of the total braking power.
Never, perhaps, have safety and performance blended so seamlessly in a passenger car.
WHAT'S NEW: Larger dimensions, new styling, added features.
PLUSES: Safety, performance, comfort.
MINUSES: Price, fuel economy.
BOTTOM LINE: Supersafe supercar
Richard Williamson writes about automobiles for Scripps Howard News Service.