Here’s where the jet comes in
Take a gander at the dash board, and you’re once again reminded of a private jet. It’s veritably crumbling under a mountain of controls. The steering wheel alone boasts 12 of them, and the central dash is peppered with about 40 others. Naturally, the COMAND system’s dial has been thrown into the mix as well. This avalanche of hardware requires one to take pause to discover the various functions and features. A pause better taken BEFORE hitting the road!
After all, this coupe is all about the voyage, as the size of its trunk indicates. With a wide opening and considerable size, it’s well-suited to long road trips requiring an arsenal of luggage. Boasting 450 spacious litres, it’s as large as the 650i’s trunk and 23% larger than that of an S5.
On the road, the precise, though somewhat light, steering is particularly appreciated. The brakes seem like they’ll never quit and the completely independent suspension is all about offering a comfortable ride, as one might expect. Sometimes at the expense of the performances you can coax from the commanding V8. Abrupt accelerations are enough to briefly derail the front end. Briefly, as very quickly a slew of safety systems (starting with traction control) kick in to remedy the situation.
The sophistication of the active and passive systems is such that this Mercedes is capable of detecting advanced stages of driver fatigue by way of “Attention Assist”. And yet, after satisfyingly gobbling up one kilometre after another behind the wheel of this superb specimen, I simply can’t imagine how someone could be lulled to sleep by it!
Take a gander at the dash board, and you’re once again reminded of a private jet. It’s veritably crumbling under a mountain of controls. The steering wheel alone boasts 12 of them, and the central dash is peppered with about 40 others. Naturally, the COMAND system’s dial has been thrown into the mix as well. This avalanche of hardware requires one to take pause to discover the various functions and features. A pause better taken BEFORE hitting the road!
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| Could this avalanche of controls be a weapon against boredom? The steering wheel alone features a dozen! (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
After all, this coupe is all about the voyage, as the size of its trunk indicates. With a wide opening and considerable size, it’s well-suited to long road trips requiring an arsenal of luggage. Boasting 450 spacious litres, it’s as large as the 650i’s trunk and 23% larger than that of an S5.
On the road, the precise, though somewhat light, steering is particularly appreciated. The brakes seem like they’ll never quit and the completely independent suspension is all about offering a comfortable ride, as one might expect. Sometimes at the expense of the performances you can coax from the commanding V8. Abrupt accelerations are enough to briefly derail the front end. Briefly, as very quickly a slew of safety systems (starting with traction control) kick in to remedy the situation.
The sophistication of the active and passive systems is such that this Mercedes is capable of detecting advanced stages of driver fatigue by way of “Attention Assist”. And yet, after satisfyingly gobbling up one kilometre after another behind the wheel of this superb specimen, I simply can’t imagine how someone could be lulled to sleep by it!
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