Driving, Part Two

The CL's standard Airmatic suspension is hard to fault. It can operate in either its default Comfort setting or a firmer Sport setting. Without going into technical details, I'll say that it absorbs bumps like little else I've driven.

I drove the CL on my normal route and experienced nothing but a muted "whump" over a road imperfection that makes other cars crash and bang. Granted, that was in Comfort mode, but when I switched to Sport I didn't notice any real degradation in ride quality, just a slight jiggle on really bumpy roads.

Where I really noticed the difference while driving in Sport mode was on highway on-ramps; it does a nice job of holding the car steady. That, combined with the CL's standard all-wheel drive, lends a lot of confidence at sane — but still fast — speeds. It's stable and gets a great amount of grip. I didn't get anywhere near the CL550's limit; there was always enough grip and comfort to put a big smile on my face.

One thing with which I wasn't as enamored was the need for Mercedes' optional blind spot warning system, which I normally don't use. Unfortunately, the CL550's standard mirrors are just too small to be of much use. As far as highway driving goes, the mirror issue is the only major fault I noticed. Other editors pointed out that there was absolutely no road or wind noise, making the CL an excellent road-trip car.

    See also:

    Programming the integrated garage door opener on the rear-view mirror
    Programming WARNING Only press the transmitter button on the integrated garage door opener if there are no persons or objects present within the sweep of the garage door. People could otherw ...

    View through the camera
    The area behind the vehicle is displayed in a mirror-inverted manner, as in the rear-view mirror. WARNING The rear view camera is only an aid and the obstacle display may:  - show a ...

    Downhill gradients
    On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the load on the brakes by shifting early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and helps avoid overheatin ...