2014 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class: Class With a Capital 'CL'

t’s long, it’s low, and it has a seductive silhouette, yet it is handsomely understated. It’s not flamboyant or garish, yet when it comes around a corner it turns heads. The Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is the car you’d consider if you make your purchases selectively, and you like to make a subtle yet strong message about your lifestyle by the type of car you drive.

You don’t wear a Timex; you select, instead, to wear a Patek Philippe Calatrava, a timepiece with pedigree that easily runs into the five digits. You won’t attend a formal dinner in anything less than Salvatore Ferragamo lace-up shoes, and you get your suits custom tailored exclusively from fine Merino wool in New York City.

• Also: Mercedes S-Class Coupe Sketches Confirmed as Real

Your lavish fashion sense says a lot about your personality, so why not extend your distinguished tastes into your garage.

Two doors down

The CL two-door coupé is available in two standard versions, and two AMG versions. It shares some mechanicals, chassis elements and the V8 engine with the S-Class sedan, but with two fewer doors. Selecting which model comes down to just how much horsepower you think you need. Canadian models benefit from the AMG Sport Package as standard, which is a styling package that includes AMG-specific grille, tailpipes, exterior trim and wheels.

The CL 550 4Matic uses a 4.6-litre, twin-turbo V8 with direct injection that produces 429 horsepower and a bountiful 516 lb.-ft. of torque. The latter is a remarkable 32-percent increase compared to the previous-generation 5.5-litre V8. This engine is coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission that delivers power to all four wheels, so if for some reason the CL 550 is your only vehicle, it will handle winter with little fuss. The CL 63 AMG steps up the power with a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 563 horsepower and 664 lb.-ft. of torque, but its seven-speed automatic drives only the rear wheels.

Both V8 engines produce a wonderful growl if you let them rev, but it’s the 4.6-litre that delivers the best balance between power and fuel efficiency of the CL-Class model range, returning an average 11.4L/100 km.

If you’re looking for more of an exotic flair, then walk by the CL 550 and have a look at the CL 600. It’s powered by a twin-turbo, direct-injection V12 that produces 510 horsepower and rather impressive 612 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s enough to propel the hefty 2,185 kg coupé from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds, three tenths of a second quicker than the CL 550. This engine sends power to the rear wheels only through a five-speed automatic transmission. You’ll pay the price in fuel economy for the added performance, however, as the CL 600 averages 14.7L/100 km.

If you’re looking at all of these horsepower numbers and are beginning to sweat, you may have a horsepower addiction. If this is the case, then what you need is the CL 65 AMG. It’s twin-turbo V12 delivers a very impressive 621 horsepower and a mindboggling 738 lb.ft. of torque. This engine propels the 2,245 kg CL 65 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. If that’s not enough power to satisfy you, you may need some therapy. We won’t bother publishing the fuel consumption numbers for the AMG CLs because we figure you probably don’t care.

Opulent luxury, coddling comfort, agility

Regardless which CL-Class you choose, the well-adorned leather interior will embrace you in opulent luxury and coddling comfort. Interior colours include some exotic tones like Cashmere Beige and Aubergine among others, and a selection of wood trim includes Burl Walnut, Dark ash and Brown Poplar, all polished to a high-gloss finish.

The semi-active air suspension delivers plush yet very well controlled compliance over rough roads. The Active Damping System allows you to select different suspension settings (Comfort or Sport mode) with the touch of a button to match your driving style. Active Body Control (ABC), available on all models but the CL 550, uses two computers to control high-pressure hydraulics to level the suspension, whether you’re turning, accelerating or stopping. It works very well, and the CL models with ABC exhibit very little body roll.

The CL-Class has a number of available driver assist systems, including Active Lane Keep Assist, which first produces a vibration in the steering wheel to alert an absent-minded driver who is drifting out of his lane, and the applies the brakes gently on one side of the vehicle to bring it back into your lane if the driver does not correct and return to the centre of his lane. There’s also available parking assist, adaptive high-beam assist, blind-spot assist and attention assist that senses if you’re drowsy.

Of course, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is expensive, and with prices starting at just over $136,000 (2013 pricing) and going up to almost $200,000 for the CL 65, ownership almost certainly guarantees exclusivity. And when making a statement about your personality, exclusivity is paramount.