Lets Talk Big Modern Mercedes Benz

Test drove s 2012 CLS550 4MATIC biturbo today. 0-60 in 4.2 and the quarter comes up in 12.8. 

Oh yes please is all I have to say. And if all goes well it will be mine early next week. It is by far one of the nicest cars I have driven in a long time. I like it much better than the S550 4MATICs I have tested of the same vintage. All around feels sportier. You know it is a big car but it feels smaller than it is. It also feels so much better connected or planted to the pavement than the S550. It is faster. It is very noticeable that it is faster. A half second faster when you are in the 4 second 0-60 territory really is very noticeable. I also like the interior layout much better. It is a car that you can cruse around in and all is well with the world but get on it and it lets you know that it will kill you if you are not carful. Best have it aimed where you want to go before dropping the hammer as you are going to get there really quickly.

The real selling point for me is I have sciatic nerve issues. Not catastrophically bad but enough so when it flairs up it is a real pain in the. . .    Well you know.   This is the the first car out of about 10 or 12 I have test driven that I am completely comfortable in.  I can actually sit in comfortably with no back issues at all!!!  I am so excited about this!!!!   I actually for some reason even the S550 I have tried is not quit as good. It was up until now the car I was going to get but then I test drove the CSL550.  Flat out the best full size luxury AWD car I have tested that I can afford.  Speaking of affording things.  These cars  are a screaming deal in my book.  S550s can be had in the mid to high teens with 20k getting you a nice one.  Step up to the CLS and you will be starting in the low 20s with mid to upper 20s getting you a nice one.  To me that is a fantastic deal for a car like this with this performance.   

One last bit that I really like is the exhaust sound of this car. Much more aggressive than the S550 (you can not hear it at all in those). The CLS550 has a very nice sound to it. I am a complete fanboy of the noises the V8 merc’s make. 

Anyway I just wanted to share it has been a long time since I have been this excited about a car.   

Now (and I know this is a bad idea) I am wondering if you can add a tune to these and or up the boost. (Not that it needs it). Ok   Everything needs more boost.  I wonder how tunable these cars are or if Mercedes has them locked down. 

Awesome,  those are great cars.  You can definitely tune and they respond very well.  I’ve used Eurocharged for Benz tunes with great results. 

Eurocharged promises a bump of 128 horsepower and 163 lb-ft with a simple remap.

I love these cars as well. They'd be my first choice for any modern Mercedes (last 10 years). They're beautiful and that 4.7 is sweet and it tunes very well. DO IT! 

I have an old jalopy by comparison ('03 e55) but yeah. Big modern Benzes are, or at least can be, tha shiznit. I Never thought I could like a 2 ton car with a slushbox. Lighter is always better and manual trans or nuthin....riiiight up til I drove one of these. It's the jeckyll and hyde, iron fist in the velvet glove thing that does it for me, 4 years and 85k miles in and I still love this car.. 

Deal is done. Pick it up early next week. 

And now that I own it I can say I got it for 5k under NADA retail. 

Wife with my new car

Some more photos

This really is a monster of a car. It is the biturbo but not the bluetec or what ever they call the eco friendly version of there twin turbo motor option. What this means is almost a full second faster to 0-60 than the eco friendly twin turbo motor they are pushing these days. The eco friendly blue motor option is 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. This thing is 0-60 in 4.2. That second may net seem like much but the g force difference is really noticeable.  To me anyway it is stepping in to super car territory and all for under 20k. Oh and I get a one year bumper to bumper warranty with it.  

The interior looks to have zero ware. It has a complete servic history with it. It just got new tires. 

It really is like I got a brand new seven year old car. 

Beautiful car, I really like these. 

dean1484 said:

And now that I own it I can say I got it for 5k under NADA retail. 

I read this several times as "under 5k NADA retail"

ProDarwin said:

dean1484 said:

And now that I own it I can say I got it for 5k under NADA retail. 

I read this several times as "under 5k NADA retail"

 

I wish it was less than 5k. 

Jay_W said:

I have an old jalopy by comparison ('03 e55) but yeah. Big modern Benzes are, or at least can be, tha shiznit. I Never thought I could like a 2 ton car with a slushbox. Lighter is always better and manual trans or nuthin....riiiight up til I drove one of these. It's the jeckyll and hyde, iron fist in the velvet glove thing that does it for me, 4 years and 85k miles in and I still love this car.. 

And paddle shifters make it really fun. The burble crackling noises on the down shifts is one of those things you don’t need but once you have it you really do need it. 

Paddles are only one thing I didnt know I needed. Keyless entry keyless go fo anotherr one. Massive, massive torque and telepathic throttle response for yet another...

Nice score 

The throttle response is something that is just not describable.  The speed that you press the throttle is equal to the speed the car goes forward. It is a fantastic thing. 

With this and your other thread, me thinks you 'kinda' like this Teutonic sledge hammer....congrats/enjoy!!!! 

I have been a Merc fanboy for years. So yes I am really pleased with this purchase. It was this purchase that got me to start the other thread.  I realized I can not built or modify something that comes close to what I have now purchased.  Kind of a change in car philosophy for me.  Feel like I have gone over to the dark side or something and I am not ashamed to say that it is a good place to be in the car world.  

On the other hand...if I were flush with cash the latest CLS63AMG would be in the stable , but alas I'll just look at the pictures...

The AMG version of these is just bonkers. 

dean1484 said:

 

 

Wait - bought the wrong car.  Square body in background. 

That was not for sale. Belonged to the owners daughter I think. It was a really nice truck. 

Nice car. Too bad we didn't get the shooting brake variant in the U.S.