2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 S AMG: Style, Speed, and Substance - Ignition Ep. 99 - video Dailymotion

MotorTrend

On this episode of Ignition

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 Here we have the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 S AMG.

00:17 Now, this being an S model AMG, that means it has more power.

00:20 It's 5 and 1/2 liter twin turbo V8

00:26 makes 577 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque.

00:30 Now, if that sounds similar to the E63,

00:35 that's because that's what this car is.

00:37 But it is a little bit more interesting because

00:39 of its four-door coupe styling.

00:42 Whether it's worth the cost difference between this

00:44 and the E63 is what we're going to find out this week.

00:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:51 Mercedes calls the CLS a four-door coupe.

01:06 Never mind that coupes have two doors,

01:08 it's the design that Mercedes is referencing

01:10 which has created a new class of car filled by the A7

01:13 and the BMW 6 Series Grand Coupe.

01:16 The roof is raked back aggressively

01:17 to the rear, which compromises rear headroom versus the E

01:20 class by two inches, but gives the CLS's shape a smoother

01:24 character.

01:26 Unsurprisingly, the CLS 63 matches the last E63

01:30 we tested in acceleration.

01:32 It's all-wheel drive allowing for a very aggressive launch

01:35 that helps it reach 60 in 3.4 seconds.

01:38 That ties the Viper.

01:40 Passing the quarter at 11.7 seconds at 122.7 miles an hour,

01:45 it's also on pace with the SLS AMG.

01:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:50 While averaging 0.97 lateral G, the CLS 63

02:03 makes up for it on the straights.

02:05 It's 23.9 second figure eight lap time

02:08 matches the SLS AMG and 911 Carrera 4S.

02:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:16 [ENGINE REVVING]

02:19 The first thing you notice when you drive the CLS

02:27 is that it looks big and it looks heavy,

02:30 and yet it moves with a certain agility.

02:32 It's not sports car like.

02:35 It doesn't feel as big as it seems.

02:37 It feels slightly smaller.

02:39 You can guide it through corners with surprising ease.

02:42 [ENGINE REVVING]

02:44 I think it has to do with the steering.

02:46 I think the relationship between the steering and the front

02:48 wheels gives this car a certain slight nimbleness that makes

02:53 it very easy to point around.

02:55 [ENGINE REVVING]

02:58 Now the power.

03:00 Yes, there is lots and lots of power with 590 pound feet

03:05 of torque.

03:06 [ENGINE REVVING]

03:09 The downside is the transmission.

03:13 It changes gears quickly, but it takes a second

03:17 after you request a gear change to actually deliver it.

03:20 But if you're hunting down red line in this car all the time,

03:24 you may not be driving it the best way.

03:28 This isn't a car I really enjoy driving 10/10, to be frank.

03:32 It's a car I enjoy driving a bit slower.

03:35 [ENGINE REVVING]

03:38 And as you get up against the limits of the chassis,

03:43 you start sensing that understeer, that hesitation

03:46 throughout the car.

03:47 Right there.

03:47 Yep, there's some understeer.

03:49 And it's not very fun.

03:51 But if you back off a little bit,

03:54 we're in the intermediate damper setting.

03:56 There's three stages.

03:57 We're in the intermediate one, and that seems

03:59 to be the best of both worlds.

04:00 The first stage is a little bit too soft.

04:02 The third stage is a little bit too stiff for the public roads.

04:05 The second stage seems to work best,

04:07 but there's still a little bit of that movement around.

04:09 [ENGINE REVVING]

04:13 As we mentioned earlier, this is all-wheel drive

04:15 with a constant torque split.

04:17 A little bit going to the front, majority

04:18 of it going to the rear.

04:20 And on the road, you don't really notice it.

04:23 [LAUGHS]

04:24 If you're going to put a performance all-wheel drive

04:26 system on a car, it needs to be a smart all-wheel drive system,

04:29 like what we've seen in the GTR and the 911,

04:32 that only doles out torque to the front wheels

04:34 when it's absolutely necessary.

04:35 [ENGINE REVVING]

04:38 [ENGINE REVVING]

04:41 [ENGINE REVVING]

04:43 But why would you buy this over an E63?

04:46 That's the core question.

04:47 So you buy this car for the styling cues,

04:50 not for any added functionality.

04:51 Because if you sit in the rear seat,

04:53 it seems like the hood or the roof cuts in a little further.

04:58 But I do like the looks of this car versus the E63.

05:02 The rear 3/4, the quarter panels especially,

05:05 give this car a certain persona and style that

05:09 is a little bit more exciting.

05:10 [ENGINE REVVING]

05:14 The interior is upholstered nicely

05:17 with these red material leather, really nice controls.

05:22 Everything's easy to use, laid out very simply.

05:25 The steering wheel has this nice microfiber-like suede stuff

05:29 on the wheel that's really nice to hold on to.

05:32 [ENGINE REVVING]

05:35 What I like about driving this car,

05:36 and that is not driving it extremely fast.

05:38 [ENGINE REVVING]

05:41 That is taking it easy, guiding it through corners,

05:44 setting your reference points and your apexes,

05:47 hitting those, but not trying to kill your front tires

05:50 with acceleration.

05:51 [ENGINE REVVING]

05:56 And what's admirable is that this Turbo V8 doesn't

05:59 sound like a turbo car.

06:00 Most turbo cars sound really quiet

06:03 because those turbos muffle so much of the exhaust.

06:05 But this still has a nice, deep growl.

06:08 [ENGINE REVVING]

06:11 It feels good, not going to lie.

06:12 [ENGINE REVVING]

06:15 What I keep being impressed by with these cars

06:17 is how effortlessly you can maintain and deliver speed.

06:20 It's actually kind of, I think, not dangerous, but risk

06:24 for your license.

06:25 Because you could just be cruising along,

06:26 not looking at the speedometer.

06:28 Look down and be like, oh, we are way over the speed limit.

06:31 But there's nothing in the car telling you that.

06:33 There's no sense of urgency.

06:35 There's no increased road noise.

06:37 You don't even hear the engine that much.

06:39 It's just this effortless delivery of speed.

06:42 [ENGINE REVVING]

06:46 The CLS 63 behaves like the sum of its parts.

06:49 And that's a very good thing, considering

06:51 the ridiculous acceleration from that incredible V8.

06:55 I love the way it builds in torque

06:56 when you're puttering around town,

06:58 how the exhaust note burbles along,

07:00 sounding like you're on a boat.

07:01 The conversation, though, ultimately

07:03 will come to the E63 and whether the CLS

07:05 is worth the extra $6,730.

07:08 The answer will undoubtedly change

07:10 depending on whom you ask.

07:11 Some might like the muscular hard lines

07:13 of the E63's quarter panels--

07:15 I know I do--

07:16 while the smooth shape of the CLS and its exclusivity

07:20 might sway others.

07:21 Either way, you're ending up with a sedan with simply

07:24 astonishing performance.

07:25 [ENGINE REVVING]

07:30 [ENGINE REVVING]

07:33 [EXPLOSION]

07:36 Why isn't there a tuner shop named--

07:40 Bro?

07:40 --The Turbo Bros?

07:42 That's actually a good name.

07:43 The Turbo Bros.

07:44 Turbo Bros?

07:45 Turbo Bros.

07:46 It's like Bob Loblaw's Loblaw from Arrested Development.

07:49 Bob Loblaw.

07:51 Turbo Bros.

07:53 It's Bob Loblaw Loblaw.

07:56 Loblaw, yeah.

07:57 Bob Loblaw's Loblaw.

08:00 Loblaw.

08:02 Best character.

08:03 Turbo Bros.

08:05 Yeah.

08:06 OK.

08:06 [BEEP]

08:07 [ENGINE REVVING]

08:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:13 [ENGINE REVVING]

08:16 (car engine roaring)

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 S AMG: Style, Speed, and Substance - Ignition Ep. 99

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