Mercedes CL65 AMG (2007) CAR review

Looks like a bit of a beast. Is this another warp-enabled starship from AMG?

Yep. This is Mercedes’ big CL-class coupe fitted with AMG’s ballistic 6.0-litre V12 bi-turbo engine and a bunch of go-faster, look-smarter goodies. It’s also the flagship model in the AMG range, which makes it the quickest and costliest Mercedes this side of the SLR. And speaking of the McLaren-badged wunder-Merc, the SLR has just 14bhp more than the CL65 and is only 0.6sec quicker to 60mph. The CL undercuts the SLR by over £150,000 too. Interesting…

That’s massive performance then. But is it usable? Does it need wheelie bars?

Well, 612bhp is an ungentlemanly amount of power. Therefore the Merc’s ESP and traction control systems act like a platoon of border guards between the marauding engine and the quivering rear wheels. Credit to the AMG and Mercedes engineers though; the ESP and traction control systems work well. The car is insanely fast in a straight line and combined with a nicely resolved Active Body Control system handles its ungodly girth (2240kg) with a surprising amount of finesse.