2008 Mercedes-Benz CL600 Base Coupe 2-Door 5.5L

Mercedes - CL 600 - Automatic

Mint Condition

The strong, silent type. The best way we can think of to spend the kids' inheritance.

This Mercedes CL600 is so determined to reach the horizon when you step on its accelerator that it barely pauses for breath. Automatic gearshifts pop off one after another, but the onward rush is hardly interrupted. From the moment the car lunges away from rest with a sharp squeal of rear wheelspin until the 130-mph speed limiter gently restrains its charge, the CL rushes forward on an unstoppable tide of torque.

Passengers in the rear seat will gasp in astonishment at the sustained acceleration, and with good reason. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 produces 612 pound-feet of twist from a mere 1800 rpm and sustains that level to 3500 rpm. So each of the five gears provides relentless thrust throughout its range.

When driven in this somewhat extravagant manner — with both BorgWarner turbochargers blowing a 14.5-psi kiss of life to their respective cylinder banks — the 4800-pound CL600 will reach 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. The quarter-mile marker blurs by at 113 mph in a brief 12.8 seconds, and that's just 0.2 second behind the fabulous new Audi R8 mid-engined supercar.

This tells you in no uncertain terms that gargantuan forces are at work in the transmission tunnel and that these should be treated with respect. Not just because of the huge potential this car possesses for mischief in the wrong hands but also because of an absence of the usual clues relating to high speed.

Sure, the car's acceleration impresses itself on the mind by sheer physical force, but once high speeds have been attained, there's little noise from the drivetrain, tires, or wind passing by to alert you to the massive momentum on hand. New owners will need to get used to this feeling or suffer the inevitable consequences — numerous traffic citations or possibly financial impacts of a more physical nature.

It's probably a good thing, then, that this new flagship coupe introduces the Pre-Safe brake system. As its title suggests, this is a system that utilizes the range-finding capabilities of the Distronic Plus active-cruise radar to foresee closing speeds likely to result in a collision and then cancels the throttle and applies the brakes at up to 40 percent of maximum pressure. Numerous accident studies have shown that an early response to a recognized hazard greatly reduces the intensity of the collision. Since electronic devices are ever vigilant and their responses super-fast, this intervention is undoubtedly welcome.

For anyone who gets nervous at the idea of autonomous braking in a vehicle, we can testify that nothing peculiar happened while we drove the car. With its historical record of safety achievements, Mercedes is not likely to introduce technology that would have the car braking hard in the fast lane of a freeway for no good reason.

Speaking of safety devices, the CL600 is loaded with them. There are nine airbags for four people, along with all the usual vehicle-dynamic watchdogs such as ABS and ESP, plus an infrared night-vision system displayed on the large speedometer dial.

Whereas the other instruments have real needles, the speedometer is just an image of an analog gauge and can thus double as a message center and night-vision display. It's a high-tech solution masquerading as an old-fashioned instrument, but it matches the rest of the dashboard, which includes a small square analog clock, and is pretty convincing to boot. Like the gauge cluster, the car's interior is a blend of new and established techniques. Leather — lots of it — embraces the seats and the headliner. Or is that headliner Alcantara? Whatever, it's pretty cool, with neat stitching and tidy pleats. The leather is set off with high-quality moldings and chestnut or burled-walnut trim used sparingly in a stylish flourish.

There's plenty of space up front for the driver and passenger, both of whom are cosseted by seats that adjust in every way imaginable and offer four-level massages, too.