On this episode of Ignition
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MotorTranscript
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)