Performance to Match Looks
Despite its size and 4,650-pound curb weight, the CL550 has performance to match its looks. It shares its engine and seven-speed automatic transmission with the S-Class, and as of the 2009 model year, it comes only with 4Matic all-wheel drive — an option on the S-Class. 4Matic adds $3,000 to that sedan's price, but even with the feature, the S550 costs $15,550 less than the CL. You also pay for all-wheel drive in terms of highway fuel economy. The CL is rated 14/21 mpg city/highway, matching the S-Class 4Matic and bringing a gas-guzzler tax of $1,300.
At least the thirsty drivetrain pays off, with zero-to-60-mph times around 5.5 seconds. (All the other CL-Class versions take about a second less — while increasing the price anywhere from about $35,000 to $96,000.) The seven-speed transmission is just as happy to accelerate gradually and smoothly, and steering-wheel-mounted paddles allow you to shift manually if that's your thing. Or you can choose between Comfort and Sport settings, which make the transmission more or less reactive in automatic mode, and adjust the adaptive suspension's firmness as well.
See also:
Mercedes-Benz G-Class: a success story that spans three decades
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permanent all-wheel drive with a low- ...
Folding the exterior mirrors in or out
automatically
This function is only available in vehicles for
Canada.
If the "Fold in mirrors when locking" function
is activated in the on-board computer
- the exterior mirrors fold in automa ...
Information about driving abroad
Converting to symmetrical low beam
when driving abroad: switch the headlamps
to symmetrical low beam in countries in
which traffic drives on the opposite side of the
road to the country where the ...
