CAP d'ANTIBES, FR: Though no one has ever actually asked me this particular question, if they were now to do so I would be able to answer unequivocally.
That question would be: "Overall, what's the best 2-door car in the world?"The answer would be: The 2000 model year Mercedes-Benz CL 500, but only about a year, when the 2001 model year Mercedes-Benz CL 600 comes along to supplant it at the top of that esteemed heap.
To begin with, the CL coupe is essentially a duo-ported version of the S-class sedan, which itself is the answer to the question: "What is the best overall 4-door car in the world?".But there is more to it than that.
Much of the CL's charm comes from the fact that it has more techno-toys than a kid in Silicon Valley, but there is also a great deal of old-fashioned car design genius at work here.
By that I mean, if you strip away the new-fangled technology that is the icing on this coupe, you still have a sensational automobile underneath. It is well-balanced, nicely-proportioned, handsome, well-crafted, agile, smooth and quick.
Before we get to the nuts of the CL coupe, however, a word or two about its overall style. In its previous interaction, the CL was a clumsy version of a fabulously foreboding 4-door sedan.This time around, the coupe version of this architecture works better than the sedan version. The proportions of this car and the note it strikes are just right. It makes clear that the owner is doing very well, thank you, and knows a stylish car when he or she sees one.
It is also a showcase for the considerable engineering talents doing business in Stuttgart, Germany.
The primary achievement of the gearkopfs at Mercedes-Benz is Active Body Control (ABC), which is an active suspension system that transforms the ride experience by the way it changes dynamic handling and ride comfort, but particularly the later.
As luck would have it, I got to take a CL up from the Riviera through Graz (the perfume capital of France) and along a stretch of the Route Napoleon toward Digne, a route I had done a couple of months before in one of my favorite cars in the world, a Cadillac Seville STS.
The Caddy had StabiliTrak, which is one of the world's premiere active-handling systems, so it was extremely capable and aggressive on the roads along the edge of Les Petit Alpes. In handling terms, it was the equal of the CL.
But the CL's ABC system also eliminated a lot of the body roll that is found in virtually every production vehicle in the world, and that sets it apart from virtually every other production car in the world.
As a result, going up that road at those speeds was much more comfortable in the CL than it would be in any other car. It was as smooth as any luxury car and took corners as flat as a performance car with a much harsher suspension. ABC is quite amazing and standard on every CL.ABC is not the only technology in the CL worth commenting on, however. May I also draw your attention to the following:
On top of that there are the lavish appointments you'd expect in a car like this. That would include a deployment of leather so soft and so luscious as to make an animal rights activist like myself momentarily reconsider his view on hides. I'm still against leather, but there's no denying Mercedes does a great job with it in the CL.
The wood used (walnut or chestnut) is just as fine as the leather, with the added attraction of not being morally questionable.
The result is an interior that's designed to carry as many as four in comfort and safety but is really meant to cosset only two very lucky people. There's plenty of room for them to stretch out and store their stuff, but the car (which is shorter than the car it replaces) does not feel too big to handle comfortably.
A stylish car that is a joy to be in and rides as well as the ABC-equipped CL does is on its own a great accomplishment, but you must also save some serious applause for the engines that power this coupe.
The cars that will arrive in Canada first will be the CL 500 models, and they will be powered by a 5-litre V8 that delivers 306 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 345 pound-feet of torque at 4200 rpm.
All that power being delivered to the rear wheels makes the CL 500 a treat to drive. It provides right-now response and creamy-smooth transitions through the 5-speed automatic transmission.
It would be more than enough powertrain for anyone if the 6-litre V12 didn't exist in the CL 600, but it does, so all bets are off. The key numbers here are 367 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 397 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm.
It's impossible to argue that you need such an engine in a car this size, but it's also impossible to argue that it isn't one of the most outstanding driving experiences of all time.Indeed, with either engine and in any situation, the Mercedes-Benz CL coupe is one of the most outstanding driving experiences of all time.
That question would be: "Overall, what's the best 2-door car in the world?"The answer would be: The 2000 model year Mercedes-Benz CL 500, but only about a year, when the 2001 model year Mercedes-Benz CL 600 comes along to supplant it at the top of that esteemed heap.
To begin with, the CL coupe is essentially a duo-ported version of the S-class sedan, which itself is the answer to the question: "What is the best overall 4-door car in the world?".But there is more to it than that.
Much of the CL's charm comes from the fact that it has more techno-toys than a kid in Silicon Valley, but there is also a great deal of old-fashioned car design genius at work here.
By that I mean, if you strip away the new-fangled technology that is the icing on this coupe, you still have a sensational automobile underneath. It is well-balanced, nicely-proportioned, handsome, well-crafted, agile, smooth and quick.
Before we get to the nuts of the CL coupe, however, a word or two about its overall style. In its previous interaction, the CL was a clumsy version of a fabulously foreboding 4-door sedan.This time around, the coupe version of this architecture works better than the sedan version. The proportions of this car and the note it strikes are just right. It makes clear that the owner is doing very well, thank you, and knows a stylish car when he or she sees one.
It is also a showcase for the considerable engineering talents doing business in Stuttgart, Germany.
The primary achievement of the gearkopfs at Mercedes-Benz is Active Body Control (ABC), which is an active suspension system that transforms the ride experience by the way it changes dynamic handling and ride comfort, but particularly the later.
As luck would have it, I got to take a CL up from the Riviera through Graz (the perfume capital of France) and along a stretch of the Route Napoleon toward Digne, a route I had done a couple of months before in one of my favorite cars in the world, a Cadillac Seville STS.
The Caddy had StabiliTrak, which is one of the world's premiere active-handling systems, so it was extremely capable and aggressive on the roads along the edge of Les Petit Alpes. In handling terms, it was the equal of the CL.
But the CL's ABC system also eliminated a lot of the body roll that is found in virtually every production vehicle in the world, and that sets it apart from virtually every other production car in the world.
As a result, going up that road at those speeds was much more comfortable in the CL than it would be in any other car. It was as smooth as any luxury car and took corners as flat as a performance car with a much harsher suspension. ABC is quite amazing and standard on every CL.ABC is not the only technology in the CL worth commenting on, however. May I also draw your attention to the following:
- a hybrid construction that uses aluminum, magnesium, plastic and thin steel to save weight, but especially the use of aluminum in the engine support structure
- climate control that adjusts to suit each seat, taking note for the first time of the relative humidity and the number of people in the car
- a multi-function steering wheel that allows the driver to operate the stereo, the phone, the navigation system and other devices
- seatbelts integrated into the seats for greater comfort and safety
- bi-xenon gas-discharge headlamps that work on high- as well as low-beam settings
- a power easy-entry system to let people in or out of the back seat by hustling the front seat in and out of position
- aerodynamic windshield wipers for more water clearance and less noise
- LEDs in each brake light, which illuminate faster than regular lamps and therefore give the vehicle behind more notice that the CL is stopping
- a cylinder-cutoff program that shuts down up to half of either engine's cylinders when they're not being used to accelerate the car, thereby saving fuel
On top of that there are the lavish appointments you'd expect in a car like this. That would include a deployment of leather so soft and so luscious as to make an animal rights activist like myself momentarily reconsider his view on hides. I'm still against leather, but there's no denying Mercedes does a great job with it in the CL.
The wood used (walnut or chestnut) is just as fine as the leather, with the added attraction of not being morally questionable.
The result is an interior that's designed to carry as many as four in comfort and safety but is really meant to cosset only two very lucky people. There's plenty of room for them to stretch out and store their stuff, but the car (which is shorter than the car it replaces) does not feel too big to handle comfortably.
A stylish car that is a joy to be in and rides as well as the ABC-equipped CL does is on its own a great accomplishment, but you must also save some serious applause for the engines that power this coupe.
The cars that will arrive in Canada first will be the CL 500 models, and they will be powered by a 5-litre V8 that delivers 306 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 345 pound-feet of torque at 4200 rpm.
All that power being delivered to the rear wheels makes the CL 500 a treat to drive. It provides right-now response and creamy-smooth transitions through the 5-speed automatic transmission.
It would be more than enough powertrain for anyone if the 6-litre V12 didn't exist in the CL 600, but it does, so all bets are off. The key numbers here are 367 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 397 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm.
It's impossible to argue that you need such an engine in a car this size, but it's also impossible to argue that it isn't one of the most outstanding driving experiences of all time.Indeed, with either engine and in any situation, the Mercedes-Benz CL coupe is one of the most outstanding driving experiences of all time.