2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic Review
Consider the 2011 CL-Class to be a fairly extensive mid-cycle refresh. The most striking visual differentiator is the reworked V-shape grille. The headlights are also much wider and there are two de rigueur LED running light strips. The hood has been resurfaced to appear more cut and less blobular. There's a rear apron fitted with what looks like a diffuser between the reworked quad exhaust pipes. The reverse lights have been separated from the taillights and now reside on the trunk lid. Not much has changed on the side of the car except for new 20-inch wheels and the badging. The CL 550 4Matic gets "BlueDIRECT" badges while the CL63 receives "V8 Biturbo." A big Mercedes-Benz coupe wouldn't be a big Mercedes-Benz coupe if it weren't loaded up to the sliding glass sunroof with the latest and greatest in electronic whizbangery. The big news for 2011 is actually two systems: Adaptive Blind Spot Assist and Adaptive Lane-Keeping Assist. The blind spot system works in three stages. First, if another vehicle is detected in the CL's blind spot, a red triangle illuminates in the appropriate wing mirror. If the driver ignores the warning and puts his/her turn signal on, the car beeps. If the driver still ignores the warnings and tries to merge into the detected object, the brakes on the opposite side of the car bite in an attempt to pull the CL away from the impending accident. I never tried to pit maneuver myself, but I can report that the beep when you signal and someone's in your blind spot works as advertised.

Walkaround
The interior is rather splendid, especially on the CL550 4Matic. Almost every surface is covered in glossy wood or rich leather. My favorite attribute is the fact that despite more onboard systems than an aircraft carrier, the CL is relatively button-free. Most of the gizmos are buried within the Command menu, leaving the really important stuff out in the open but still basically hidden. Take, for instance, the button to switch the suspension into Sport. It's right in front of you, to the left of the navigation screen. But it's smartly disguised in black trim and therefore doesn't call attention to itself. Devoid of ill-placed buttons, the CL550's wooden center console resembles an antique jewelry case or humidor. In the CL63s, the wood had been swapped out for optional carbon fiber, a much less tasteful choice.


Summary
The real news is what lies under the long, luxuriant hood. In the CL550 resides a totally new 4.7-liter twin-turbo direct-injected V-8 that puts out 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This is a significant increase in output compared to the 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of the old 5.5-liter V-8. But that's not all. The new M278 motor also gets 10% better fuel economy than the outgoing M273, an estimated 15 city and 22 highway. Not great, but for a 4650+ pound car that can hit 60 mph in an estimated 4.8 seconds, not terrible. Of course, the above numbers (which, we must point out, would have been exotic supercar figures just a few short years ago) pale in comparison to what Mercedes' in-house tuner AMG has cooked up for its new CL63.

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