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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG [w/video]

Michael Harley — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, New Car Reviews, Luxury

The Original Four-Door Coupe Still Tickles Our Soul

The Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG is an Olympic decathlete wearing a hand-tailored tuxedo - its well-rounded performance is every bit as impressive as its physical appearance. Such talent and charm is often acknowledged by the automotive press, but such accolades don't always guarantee a winning combination in the showroom.

But Mercedes-Benz knows its AMG customers, understands what stirs them and realizes how to pry open their checkbooks. The automaker is aware that its affluent clientele don't purchase objectively. Rather, they gaze at the styling, take a deep whiff of the leather interior, grasp and hold the thick steering wheel and absorb the raucous note of the exhaust. A sale isn't far behind.

The sound of signed checks fluttering to the table may be common at the Mercedes-Benz dealership, but how does the CLS63 AMG perform out in the real world? What separates it from its CLS550 sibling? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Most importantly, what makes this iconic seven-year-old four-door coupe unique? We recently spent a week with the CLS63 AMG to figure it out.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

Chris Paukert — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives, Design/Style, Luxury

Sometimes, Less Means More Of Everything

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

Sometimes, luxury isn't about having more - it's about having less, albeit artfully architected. Just ask BMW, which lops off a heaping helping of headroom and cargo space to turn its well-conceived X5 into the costlier, less utile X6. Admittedly, the X6 isn't particularly artful, but its rival, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport is. Both vehicles are more indulgent - and more costly - despite offering reduced lebensraum and less exotic mechanicals.

Perhaps the originator and best practitioner of this less-is-more movement is Mercedes-Benz, whose designers adroitly took the last-generation E-Class, chopped off gobs of headroom and trunk space, added some CLS badges, and then proceeded to give the four-seater a much larger price tag. Given that luxury and practicality are nearly polar opposites, perhaps this trend shouldn't be that surprising. The ability to fritter away utility in favor of fashion is arguably the ultimate statement of luxury ("We could be rational, but why be so sensible, dahling?").

Of course, we needn't be so cynical - especially when the end result from Mercedes is so striking. The 2006 CLS wasn't simply a Stuttgart cut-and-shut job - any fool with a pair of working eyes could see that Benz had developed a voluptuous creature that looked downright otherworldly compared to the stodgy E-Class that sired it. Mercedes would go so far as to market the original CLS as a 'four-door coupe,' and while pedants broke out in hives upon hearing the term, the reality was that Benz had created something far sexier than an ordinary sedan. The CLS' sleekly beveled form wasn't for everyone, but it sparked a rash of imitators in nearly every segment of the industry, from fellow luxury players to workaday sedans. Clearly, Mercedes had no small job when it came to reinventing its style icon.

And this being our first drive of the new-for-2012 CLS family, what better way to start than with the Big Daddy CLS63 AMG range topper?

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Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG: First Drive

Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2010: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG - Click above for high-res image gallery

On the eve of the LA Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off the 2012 CLS63 AMG, the bi-turbo V8 version of its thoroughly restyled and utterly delectable sedan.

AMG's new baby - the M157 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 - is finding a home in nearly every new Mercedes product, and when fitted to the CLS63 the blown mill is good for 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque... in standard form. Option up for the AMG Performance Package and Merc's in-house tuner turns up the boost from 14.5 to 18.8 psi and output rises to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft of twist. Equipped with AMG's seven-gear "Speedshift" MCT automatic tranny, the CLS63 takes an estimated 4.4 seconds to run from 0-60 in standard guise and 4.3 seconds with the AMG pack. Similarly, top speed also rises from 155 to 186 mph with the performance upgrade. And if you care, both variants clock in at 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.

In addition to the reworked engine and transmission, the front axle has been widened by nearly an inch and AMG fitted its independent adaptive suspension with electronic damping and a three-stage traction control system. The 19-inch, five-spoke wheels are wrapped in 255/35 tires in front and 285/30s out back, while 14.2-inch drilled and ventilated discs are fitted at all four corners.

A special "Launch Edition" will be available when the CLS63 goes on sale this coming summer and comes coated in matte grey paint with a mix of carbon fiber and piano black interior trim, alcantara headliner and AMG sports seats swathed in "Corteccia Pearl" leather. Make the jump for all the details and specs.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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LA 2010: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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