2007 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Review

Big cars with a coupe body style really don't go together. Coupes are sporty and intimate, while large autos are expansive and spacious.

Big coupes have long, heavy doors that are awkward in tight parking spots. Entering or leaving their rear seat area is generally a hassle, and that area usually isn't very spacious.

It used to be that coupes of any size and convertibles were the sportiest cars. Convertibles are still very much with us. But large coupes rapidly began disappearing when car buyers began demanding more user-friendly cars -- and also when automakers began giving large four-door sedans coupe-like styling, with rakish coupe-like rooflines.

Automakers thus dropped big coupes years ago -- except for Mercedes. It's been building big, posh coupes based on its large sedan models since it introduced its 300S coupe based on a shortened 300 sedan chassis at the 1951 Paris Auto Show.

Mercedes is the only luxury car producer that offers a coupe version of its flagship sedan. The coupe market historically is fickle, with new models fading after being sold for a few years, but Mercedes coupes have avoided that fickleness.

Through the years, Mercedes coupes based on large Mercedes sedans have became flagship models. The new generation 2007 Mercedes CL coupe continues the tradition. It's based on the new Mercedes S-Class sedan, and Mercedes calls it a "flagship model."

Most coupes look better than sedans because their styling is sportier. The new S-Class sedan has rakish styling for a big Mercedes four-door model, but the CL coupe looks sexier, with its smooth, flowing lines. It shares no body parts with the S-Class.

The new-generation CL has a longer wheelbase and overall length than its 2000-2006 predecessor, which didn't look as good; the heavier new model has smoother curves, a lower roofline and a more rounded shape.

The 2007 CL also benefits from numerous improvements made to the new S-Class sedan, including a stiffer chassis. There's also more equipment and some high-tech gadgets buyers might not have thought they needed.

The $99,900 CL550 does 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. It comes with a smooth 5.5-liter V-8 that generates 382 horsepower and loads of torque. This is one of those German autobahn-bred cars that seems happiest cruising at 85-plus mph, so its drivers better keep an eye on the speedometer to avoid speeding tickets.

The over-the-top $144,200 CL600 version has a twin-turbocharged V-12 with 510 horsepower and really awesome torque. One must admire its locomotive-like output, but it's an odd engine for U.S. driving and doesn't really come into its own until speeds top 100 mph.

In any case, both versions of the CL have top speeds electronically limited to 130 mph here. The V-8 works with an alert seven-speed automatic transmission, while the V-12 is hooked to a good five-speed automatic.

Estimated fuel economy for the CL550 is 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. Figures for the V-12 are 13 and 19. However, most who buy this luxury/performance coupe want the best in all aspects of their lives and hardly care about fuel economy.

A hot rod AMG CL63 goes on sale next year with 518 horsepower V-8, but it is yet unpriced.

The CL550 and CL600 easily top 4,000 pounds and are too large and heavy to be considered sporty cars, although they don't feel especially large or heavy. That's partly because their Active Body Control suspension allows them to be remarkably nimble, with no body sway I could detect during fast cornering.

The power speed-sensitive steering is precise, and the ride is marvelous. Powerful brakes stop the car quickly and surely, with good linear pedal feel. Among the car's many high-tech features are brakes that partially apply themselves automatically if a driver is unaware that he's going too fast for comfort while approaching a vehicle ahead.

The lush life interior has easily read backlit gauges and large, supportive seats. However, long heavy doors are awkward in tight parking spots. And it calls for athletic moves to get in and out of the back seat area, where adult occupants don't have much room to spare.

The big trunk has a low, wide opening, although the lid has enclosed hinges instead of more compact hydraulic struts.

Mercedes luxury coupes always have fit in an exclusive niche market and have been somehow connected to famous past coupes from that automaker. The new CL is definitely one of the best such cars. 

2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL COUPE 

PRICE: $99,900-$144,200

LIKES: Stylish. Posh. Fast. Good roadability. Very refined.

DISLIKES: Long doors. No surplus of rear seat room. Over-the-top V-12 engine version.