2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Quick Spin

Her name was Sunshine, and boy could she shine. Richie was just a working stiff, a guy toiling for the Man – a good place to be in pre-WWII Harlem when the career alternative was to be a tough guy for the Mob. Richie was a good and decent man, a family man. The kind who went to church because his wife told him to, and made it home in time for dinner more often than not. A happy guy. Then Richie met Sunshine. And now Richie’s boys have no daddy. The 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 is the Sunshine of the luxury class. The other girls hate her because, well – it’s obvious, right, ladies? And the boys are afraid of her because they know all it takes is a glance and BAM! You’re on the phone, telling the wife you’re not coming home, not ever. Especially not after spending $70 grand on a car. Just as in the famous scene from Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights,” sometimes a moment of weakness can have long-lasting repercussions. If buying the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 is your moment of weakness, once lust leaves the room you’ll still be left with a beautifully bodacious car that does virtually everything well, from the smooth force of its powertrain to a delightful interior, topped off by a design that speaks quite well for itself.

Overview

Overview Even by luxury standards, it’s a bit of a gasp. For the 500 version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, count out close to 70,000 dollars, stopping when you get to the sticker price of $64,900. Born two years ago as the Mercedes-Benz “Vision CLS” concept vehicle, the CLS was sure to be a hit from the very start. Based on the E-Class platform but sharing parts of the S-Class, the result is a striking, technological wonder of a car that has few weaknesses – save, perhaps, the price tag. Ah. The price. Even by luxury standards, it’s a bit of a gasp. For the 500 version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, count out close to 70,000 dollars, stopping when you get to the sticker price of $64,900. Well – make that more of a pause, because you’ll likely want the optional Comand navigation system for $1,240, as well as other toys and comfort items such as a voice activated telephone for $1,400. Other options include Sirius satellite radio for $699 and a six-disc CD changer for $430. Also available is adaptive cruise control for $3,130. The best bet is to choose among the various packages that Mercedes-Benz offers, and you will probably want these two: the Lighting Package, for $1,220, which adds adaptive bi-xenon high intensity discharge headlights and heated headlight washers. There’s also the Premium Package, for $3,900, which adds everything except the lighting upgrades, including Comand navigation, heated and ventilated seats and more. Standard features include 10-way power adjustable front seats with three-position memory, four-zone climate control, a multifunction and adjustable steering wheel, a 10-speaker audio system with AM/FM/CD, leather upholstery, wood trim, power windows with express up and down, and auto-dimming mirrors with right-side park assist tilt feature. Standard with the AMG Sport Package is a steering wheel with manual shift buttons, special AMG body cladding, and unique alloy wheels. Case closed: This is one sexy tub of technology on wheels. Powering those wheels and lugging that technology along is an old favorite, the Mercedes-Benz 5.0-liter V8 engine, which creates 302 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, and has a torque rating of 339 lb.-ft. at 2,700 rpm. That’s more than enough to sling the 4,050 lb. curb weight of the CLS around town at an mpg rate of 16 city/22 highway. This engine, mated to the automaker’s new seven-speed automatic transmission, is virtually flawless. That’s especially true when you consider that the CLS, with its rakish design, sits lower and on a wide trackand has the aerodynamics to slice through the air with ease. Holding it up is a suspension that shares parts with the E-Class and the S-Class: the front multi-link suspension is derived from the E-Class, while the rear multi-link is borrowed from the S-Class. Wheels are stopped by front and rear discs; standard on the CLS is Mercedes’ Sensotronic Brake Control. An Airmatic suspension is also standard. Drivers can set the suspension dampening level with the push of a button. Safety equipment includes dual front airbags with multi-stage deployment, front and rear side airbags, side curtain airbags, and a rollover sensor. Other safety gear includes a Tele Aid emergency calling and communications system, a low tire pressure warning system and Electronic Stability Program.

What’s Cool

What’s Cool Once inside, the experience is -comfort, with occupants swathed in the fine leather and wood trim surfaces. Along with the materials used, fit and finish is excellent. What’s cool about the CLS is the style. There is nothing like it on the road, nothing as unique with such a smokin’ tone. This is style in metal; it’s almost as if the Mercedes-Benz design team spent a year living in Hollywood with weekends in Vegas. The result is a smooth design that makes a statement when it drives down the road, with its low-slung body, exaggerated shoulder line and dynamic arch. The two chrome exhaust pipes punctuate the rear of the car and serve as an excellent period to the prose that is this car. There is a sacrifice, however, and it comes when you smack your head against that low-slung roofline. Of course, if you’re not bright enough to watch out – you probably aren’t bright enough to afford the CLS. Once inside, the experience is -comfortable, with occupants swathed in the fine leather and wood trim surfaces. Along with the materials used, fit and finish is excellent, with gaps perfectly placed, though it would be nice to come up with a better cupholder design in the front, as the “push” button seems a bit redundant. While the size of the holder will easily fit a Venti-sized coffee cup, medium-sized bottles of water have some difficulty. Environmental controls are easy to reach and simple to understand, which is better than the Comand navigation system: Finding an alternate route while on the road was difficult, and the map display was a bit lacking in terms of the interface. Like most Mercedes models, the cruise control is activated by a stalk next to the turn signal stalk – a really, really interesting place to put it – but no surprise. Noise is non-existent, of course, and available room for elbows, shoulders and hips is surprisingly plentiful – given the dimensions of the car. Our assumption was that driver and front passenger would be a little cramped at the shoulders and hips. The back seat is another story, however. There’s not much legroom in back, but then, if you’re buying, you’re driving, so you probably don’t much care about rear comfort levels. Those who do sit in back, though, will tell you that the roof is a pain in the cranium and that there is not enough legroom – though the rear bucket seats are nicely designed.

Road Test

Road Test Open up the throttle and you get the best from the 5.0-liter V8 engine, all 302-horsepower of it, delivered to the rear wheels with enough torque to lift up those 4,000 pounds and send you on your way. Believe it or not, but the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 is not all sweet curves and sexy eyes. There are a few pimples, but hey – even former tuner mag model Shamron Moore gets a blemish once in awhile. For the typical CLS500 owner, however, the vehicle’s shortcomings are more like a minor irritant. Take, for example, the swooping roofline. Yes, it’s a very nice design – sexy and sweet. Now get inside, behind the wheel. Turn to your left and meet Mr. B-pillar, here to serve and to create a pretty large blind spot. Look to the right and note how small the back windows are, making it hard to get an uncompromising view of the road from behind. A large rearview mirror partially fixes this issue, and besides, you’re the one driving this car – you don’t watch people, they watch you as you glide around town and power your way through corners. Indeed, unlike Shamron Moore, the CLS is more than just a sexy model – it has a powertrain combination that’s hard to beat, even if your name starts with B and ends with W or if you’re partial to the letters XJ. Open up the throttle and you get the best from it’s 5.0-liter V8 engine, all 302-horsepower of it, delivered to the rear wheels with enough torque (339 lb.-ft. at 2,700 rpm) to lift up those 4,000 pounds and send you on your way. It’s not the fastest car off the line, especially with that weight, but it’s up there and more than enough. As a handler, the Mercedes-Benz Airmatic suspension sucks up anything the road offers. Sling the CLS into a corner and it responds by tightly sticking to its line – though you can feel the weight really begin to shift and lean during aggressive cornering. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of driving the CLS is the act of braking. Because Sensotronic is a brake-by-wire system, there is an unusual sensitivity to the brakes that takes a little getting used to. Though after a while you adapt, the end result is less brake feel than one would like during hard driving. Ah, well. Make no mistake – this little slice of Sunshine can fly. But it’s as if the CLS would rather stroll a bit and be looked at, rather than rush around and slip by, unnoticed. This is, after all, a car for long looks and admiring glances.

Wrap Up

Wrap Up Few luxury vehicles offer such a unique combination of extreme styling and capable power. Such a combination costs money, however, and perhaps the greatest weakness the CLS has is just that, stickering at around $70,000 with necessary options. Few luxury vehicles offer such a unique combination of extreme styling and capable power. Such a combination costs money, however, and perhaps the greatest weakness the CLS has is just that, stickering at around $70,000 with necessary options. That’s a big investment – even for those of us who can commonly buy such luxury vehicles. And while the price may be high, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz delivers a pretty good argument: a strong V8 mated to a seven-speed transmission, and a style that is unique to the auto world. Alas, the final decision comes down to passion and emotion. Do you really want to spend that much of your hard-earned cash for a little sunshine, just for you?

Specifications

Specifications Primary competition for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 comes from the Jaguar XJ8 and the Lexus GS 430 Test Vehicle: 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Price of Test Vehicle: $76,000 Engine Size and Type: 5.0-liter V8 Engine Horsepower: 302 at 5,600 rpm Engine Torque: 339 lb.-ft. at 2,700 rpm Transmission: Seven-speed automatic Curb Weight: 4,050 lbs. EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 16/22 mpg Observed Fuel Economy: 18.5 Length: 193.0 inches Width: 73.7 inches Wheelbase: 112.4 inches Height: 54.7 inches Legroom (front/rear): 42.1/35.0 inches Headroom (front/rear): 36.9 inches Max. Seating Capacity: 4 Max. Cargo Volume: 15.8 cu. ft. Competitors: Audi A6 4.2, BMW 545i, Cadillac STS V8, Chrysler 300C SRT-8, Infiniti Q45, Jaguar S-Type R, Jaguar XJ8, Lexus GS 430, Lexus LS 430, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz E500, Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Mercedes-Benz S430

2nd Opinion – Wardlaw

2nd Opinion – Wardlaw A piece of advice: Don’t let other reviewers tell you the back seat is too small. I wear a 33-inch inseam, measuring six feet tall, and with the driver’s seat set comfortably for me, it’s no problem sitting in back with just enough clearance between the seatback and my legs. If not for the brakes, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 would be nearly flawless, the perfect German luxury sport sedan. Just look at the thing. Representing sex and lust on wheels better than any four-door on Earth, the CLS is the most beautiful sedan in decades. That’s right – sedan. Mercedes wants me to call this a coupe, but that’s balderdash, marketing mumbo-jumbo, and I’m not caving. The interior is just as nice as the exterior, with a dashboard that sits close to the base of the windshield, arcing elegantly into the door panels. I can’t even complain about the Comand navigation and entertainment interface, which is much easier to use than ever, except to note that a touch screen would be nice to have. Comfort up front is excellent, though I wish the dead pedal and accelerator were on equal planes and that the front seats had better side bolsters for aggressive driving. A piece of advice: Don’t let other reviewers tell you the back seat is too small. I wear a 33-inch inseam, measuring six feet tall, and with the driver’s seat set comfortably for me, it’s no problem sitting in back with just enough clearance between the seatback and my legs. With someone shorter driving, I could cross my legs. The problem is getting in and out. The door openings are small, and that roofline significantly cuts space for entry and exit. Hey, if you care that much about the comfort of your passengers, get the comparatively dowdy E-Class. Design, comfort, ergonomics – all close to perfect. But what about the performance and handling? The 302-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 and seven-speed automatic are a terrific team, with manual shifting via buttons on the back of the steering wheel spokes or the gear selector. Adaptive software matches your driving style, and grade-logic control limits hunting on hills. Plus, there’s a Sport mode for more aggressive shifting. The Airmatic suspension is fantastic, too, though in Comfort mode there’s too much lateral body motion on undulating pavement, creating too much head toss. Using one of the Sport modes fixes that problem in a jiffy. Complaints about the CLS 500’s driving character are limited to the tires, steering, and brakes. Our test car wore Michelin Pilot Sport tires, and normally I like this brand and type of rubber. But on the CLS, the tires announced clearly my rapid rate of travel in the twisties, which is something to be concealed rather than broadcasted. The steering was decent, but seemed too stiff off-center at speeds between 20 and 40 mph, and suffered kickback through the column in tighter turns. But the CLS 500’s Sensotronic brakes were the worst aspect of the car. A brake-by-wire system, Sensotronic uses electronic sensors (thus the name) to measure brake pedal application and then transmit data to the calipers without using a “hard” connection as in a conventional hydraulic system. The end result is a brake pedal that proves hard to smoothly modulate, making the brakes feel grabby and inconsistent. Plus, when you let your foot up quickly, you can hear and feel the computers deciding what to do about it, and the brakes don’t release instantly. But just as a positive test result for Hepatitis A wouldn’t necessarily keep me from a night on the town with Pamela Anderson, I could live with the Mercedes-Benz CLS 500’s Sensotronic brakes. Our test car ran $76,000. For that money, there’s no other luxury sport sedan I’d rather own. – Christian J. Wardlaw

Courtesy of the auto manufacturers