Driving the CL on the twisting mountain roads just north of Cannes, the new coupe proved to have very sharp, precise handling. The lack of body roll in corners is uncanny and inspires confidence. The system could actually let the car lean into curve like a motorcycle, but test drivers found the effect unnerving, according to Mercedes engineers, so the CL maintains an even keel instead.Charging through the twisties, the antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control systems all worked unobtrusively. The brakes are powerful enough, and the tires grippy enough, that extremely heavy braking is possible without triggering the ABS. We found the brakes easy to modulate and fade free after a lengthy charge through the mountains.
With the ABC system switched to normal mode the CL's ride is downright plush and handling is excellent. But switch to sport mode and the CL hones the edge on its handling blade, while ride suffers so little that no enthusiast is going to care. In sport mode there is less body roll and the car feels more responsive on turn-in. Side-to-side transitions in switch-backs are also better controlled in sport mode.
On the French Autoroute, the CL cruised serenely in the 80-100 mph range. According to Mercedes, the top speed is about 155 mph.
The CL500 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, which is on par with the Jaguar XK8 and edges the Aston Martin DB7's 6.2 seconds. On the road, the CL500's aluminum 5.0-liter V8 is as smooth as you'd expect from a Mercedes and feels every bit as strong as the 302-horsepower rating. The V8 left us wondering why anyone would want the V12.
The five-speed automatic transmission changes ratios imperceptibly. Acceleration comes in a steady rush with no perceptible spikes or flat spots in the torque curve and the transmission seems perfectly matched. However, manual-minded enthusiasts looking for Porsche Tiptronic-like action from the Mercedes Touch Shift will be disappointed. Touch Shift functions like a traditional automatic transmission that is shifted manually. It can be forced to a lower gear, but it continues to shift automatically among the selected gear and lower ones. It will downshift unexpectedly mid-curve, and then won't respond to the request for a manual upshift at full throttle on the ensuing straight. A manual shift option should provide true manual shifting, not automatic shifting with fewer available ratios. The Touch Shift seems pointless because even skilled drivers do just as well to leave the selector in 'D'. It seems to be the only flaw in the CL's otherwise apparent perfection.
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