Mercedes 65 AMG Preview
Drop a V12 into pretty much anything with only four wheels and it will be interesting, but make it a twin-turbo V12 good for 604 hp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque in a pair of high-class Mercedes two-doors and interesting doesn't cover it.
The CL65 AMG four-seater and the SL65 AMG roadster have been clocked by the German firm's performance car division in Germany at 4.2 seconds on the journey from 0 to 102 km/h, and that puts them in the very front row of any production vehicle dragster comparison.
On top of that, of course, they do wear that famous three-pointed star, so there's also an expectation of a certain amount of luxury and overall general ability in all situations.
All of which goes to explain why they'll be small-volume, big-ticket (or maybe tiny-volume, huge-ticket is more representative) items when they go on sale in Canada later this year.
There's more to the CL65 AMG and SL65 AMG than big engines, of course, since they are also equipped with Active Body Control (ABC) and special AMG spring struts with firmer damping.
At the same time, fully reworked dynamic handling control systems such as anti-lock brakes, Brake Assist, ASR and the ESP stability control program are meant to complement the enhanced chassis setup.
In order to cope with the high power output of the AMG twin-turbo engine, the front wheels of both models are equipped with a newly developed, high-performance eight-piston compound brake system, and contact with the road is achieved by 19-inch twin-spoke wheels equipped with 245/40 ZR 19 tires at the front and 275/35 ZR 19 tires at the rear.
Along with being very, very good at the launching these two cars, the V12 is also very good at general cruising. Imagine the power available to get up a ramp onto a four-lane highway or around some slow-moving vehicles on a two-lane road.
