2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Reviews, Luxury

Leaving Little Cuba For A Date With Destiny

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG in Miami

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

Miami’s a giant concrete brothel; a municipal madame hosting sweaty assignations that pair every income with its choice of cruise, cuisine, club, narcotic or panorama. We were there on a quest for a quest, anxious Lancelots after a late night run in a Series II E-Type over the A1A – yes, the Vanilla Ice road – had turned into a late, late evening with two Spaniards and three Ecuadorians discussing the merits of Top Gear and flying to Bogota to learn Spanish.

That’s when Destiny called. Not fate itself, but a ferociously alluring lass with a voice of such fine tenor we had to fight the urge to put the phone down and bow to it whenever she spoke. She requested our presence in Tampa, 271 miles away, and we could only credit fortune for the delivery of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG for the purpose. It’s the ultimate in modest-yet-graceful savagery (modest compared to the Bentley Continental GT), two tons of animatronic shark – a modern, mechanical Jaws – that would get us safely through the gators, hawks and sawgrass of the Everglades.

It turns out the predators were the least of it. First, we had to get out of the humid human swamp that is Miami. Continue reading

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2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG mixes Wall Street and Miami Vice

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

Making the swap from a naturally aspirated 6.3- 6.2-liter V8 to a direct injection, twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 hasn’t at all reduced the Mercedes CL63 AMG’s brawny beauty. The standard version gets 544 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Opt for the AMG Performance Package and you boost that to 571 hp and 664 lb-ft. All that power doesn’t come with a bigger fuel price, either: at 22 combined miles per gallon with the help of stop/start and the AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed sport transmission, the new car posts a 25 percent increase in fuel economy over the 6.2-liter beast.

The AMG Performance Package that throws in all that extra gumption also comes with double-spoke wheels in titanium gray, extra carbon fiber trim under the hood and in the cabin, as well as a leather and Alcantara steering wheel. With it you get a 4.4-second 0-60 time, without you’ll have to make do with 4.5 seconds.

Helping you keep things composed while on the move are crosswind stabilization added to the Active Body Control, Direct Steer and Torque Vectoring Braking, which brakes the inside wheel when necessary to maintain crispness when things go curvy. If you’re looking for a bit of green, you’ll find it in the regenerative braking. The rest better be in your wallet. All the details are in the press release after the jump and the high-res gallery of images below.

Gallery: Paris 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

Photos copyright (C)2010 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL

Continue reading Paris 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG mixes Wall Street and Miami Vice

Paris 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG mixes Wall Street and Miami Vice originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

How does one make the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class more exclusive than it already is? If you’re Mercedes, you unveil the gonzo AMG variants. Appearance-wise, changes are minimal for the 2011 CL63 and CL65 AMG, save for the addition of Mercedes’ new corporate face, which includes the standard LED running-light strip and some small tweaks to the rear fascia. The big news, however, centers on the changes underhood.

Gone is the naturally aspirated 6.3 6.2-liter AMG V8 in favor of a smaller and more powerful 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged mill. In base form, this V8 cranks out 536 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque (increases of 18 and 125, respectively), and with the optional AMG Performance Package, these numbers increase to an even more robust 563 hp and 664 lb-ft. Sweet stuff, and when matched with Mercedes’ AMG Speedshift seven-speed automatic, 0-60 runs will take just 4.4 seconds (4.3 if you opt for the more powerful setup). What’s most impressive, though, is that even with this added power boost, fuel consumption has been reduced by 27 percent. The range-topping CL65 AMG will carry over its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12, though Mercedes has managed to coax an additional 17 horsepower from it for 2011. Output for the CL65 is now rated at 621 horses and 738 lb-ft of torque.

Both AMG CLs get a host new standard equipment as well. Mercedes-Benz’s Direct-Steer system is on hand, as is a new crosswind stabilization feature that alters wheel-load distribution to keep things in line during heavy breezes. From there, a new torque-vectoring brake system applies one-sided braking during instances of understeer. The full suite of Mercedes-Benz driver aids is thrown in as well, including drowsiness detection, night-view assist, active lane-keeping assist and blind-spot assist. After all, with so much power on tap, you’ll need a nanny (or several) to help keep things in line. Interior upgrades are similar to what we’ve already seen in the 2010 S-Class.

Official pricing hasn’t been released yet, but expect MSRPs to increase slightly over the 2010 models ($145,200 for the CL63 and $207,170 for the CL65). Shoppers in that tax bracket shouldn’t have any trouble shelling out a few grand extra for the latest in CL-Class exclusivity.

Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 and CL65 AMG

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG

Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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