CL500 - My ULEZ Friend!

[Londonscottish]

I must admit, the S is an epic car. I did nearly 500 miles in it at the weekend and it covered them perfectly, effortlessly in silence and comfort. The difference with my S though is you don't get in it to drive for the sake of driving. This feels quite different, it's as comfortable, it's as quiet but it's something you'd get in to go for a drive for the sake of it. Plus it's a pretty car. It's as pretty as the S Class is practical.


It's very nice, like a sportier, lower version of my S. I've not had a chance to take a proper drive in it but it's very lovely so far. Looking forward to revving up the V8 properly!

FWIW I find the 5.5 much torquier lower down than the 5.0. It's much more diesel-like in that regard. But you also get a top end which obvs you don't get from compression ignition.

I assume it'll feel sedate compared to a 63, of course. You're about 150bhp down.....

 

[ALFAitalia]

I wonder who it is that has the job of sitting behind a desk dreaming completely crap names for cleaning products!!??

 

[Alex225]

FWIW I find the 5.5 much torquier lower down than the 5.0. It's much more diesel-like in that regard. But you also get a top end which obvs you don't get from compression ignition.

I assume it'll feel sedate compared to a 63, of course. You're about 150bhp down.....

Yeah it's not as savage as the 63 but in turn it makes for a more relaxing drive at least. Which I'm all about with this, the whole reason I bought the S was because it was relaxing.

I wonder who it is that has the job of sitting behind a desk dreaming completely crap names for cleaning products!!??

Haha they're memorable though which I guess is the idea. Dodo Juice probably have the daftest names in the bunch. Tarmalade which is their orange tar remover, Ferrous Dueller for their iron fallout remover etc.

If it does what it's meant to though, it could be called Steve for all I care! lol


As a side note, I managed to find a similarly angled CLS63 vs CL500 picture to compare. You can tell these are from the same era!

 

[Londonscottish]

I managed to find a similarly angled CLS63 vs CL500 picture to compare. You can tell these are from the same era!

Two of my favourite MB's right there. Both stunning.

 

[Lenny63]

What a fleet!!! Small chubby incoming... have to say the CL is just gorgeous...possibly more gorgeous than the CLS?? You're like me Alex, a proper once over and clean really helps to make your stamp on a new car. Looking superb mate !!

 

[Alex225]

Two of my favourite MB's right there. Both stunning.

Thank you. They're certainly two models that are up there for me. Couple of my other favs are the SL55, newer S Class Coupe and AMG GT. Something to aim for when I grow up. I'm 40 now and definitely not a grown up haha

What a fleet!!! Small chubby incoming... have to say the CL is just gorgeous...possibly more gorgeous than the CLS?? You're like me Alex, a proper once over and clean really helps to make your stamp on a new car. Looking superb mate !!

How can you see from there??? hahahaha

It's a tough call isn't it as they're both similar, I think the CLS just edges it for me but they're both good looking cars.

Exactly that, I've made my stamp on it already. It goes off to my usual leather/interior guy for a couple of little bits inside to be done. Outside, other than the wheels I'm happy with it cosmetically. All coming together nicely.

 

[Londonscottish]

Thank you. They're certainly two models that are up there for me. Couple of my other favs are the SL55, newer S Class Coupe and AMG GT. Something to aim for when I grow up. I'm 40 now and definitely not a grown up haha

Yeah I also love an SL55. Nicely proportioned and detailed. And the first gen AMG GT's. They were nicely non-shouty, to my eyes, anyway. The later ones with the guppy grills however....

 

[Alex225]

Yeah I also love an SL55. Nicely proportioned and detailed. And the first gen AMG GT's. They were nicely non-shouty, to my eyes, anyway. The later ones with the guppy grills however....

That whole era of SL is just such a pretty car. We had the SL350 which just looked great but was too expensive for it's average performance (IMO) but it was a comfy cruiser and a lovely car. The 55 is just the best of the bunch though!

I agree on the AMG GT. I like them without a spoiler or the little subtle spoiler they had on them. I'm sure the higher performing ones with all the aero stuff on are quicker but the proportions look spot on without all the extra stuff.

 

[Alex225]

Bit of an update on the CL, had some bits and pieces touched up on the interior. I booked the car in with my usual interior repair guy, just to do some small bits that were annoying me. First up was the dial pad cover, clearly someone has really use that palm rest!

Nice turn around.

Not sure what this is but wouldn't clean up.

Entire arm rest was repainted to match up with rest of the interior.

Annoyingly someone has clearly had a smoke in the car and put a burn mark in the rear fabric.

Unfortunately there was no stretch on the material to enable stitching so the hole was was filled with matching fibres. Not a perfect fix but certainly better. Looks like a bit of wear rather than a hole at least.

Now, I never smelled any smoke residue in the car but I've obviously scrubbed the interior down pretty thoroughly anyway. Just for good measure I did some reading up and turns out odour eliminators are really good.

You mix two powders, some water and give it a shake. It's a bit unnerving that it basically lets off chlorine gas! Leave it in the car for 8 hours with 30 minutes of recirculating the fans in that time.

Certainly leaves a fresh, albeit chemically smell in the car but bit of peace of mind.

Found it odd that there's not proper foot rest, well not foot plate anyway.

It's not an exact match but for £10 from eBay it looks pretty good.

Had more of an opportunity to drive it as well. I must say it's quicker than I realised and it sounds great. Exactly as I felt it would be, a more subtle version of my CLS63. It cruises exceptionally well on the motorway and it pics up speed really well. In my head it was going to feel less perky than the S as it's down on torque but it definitely doesn't! haha

 

[SmartAmg]

Excellent stuff, Alex looks great, your trimming guy, is good, and that footrest is just the job.

 

[fabes]

I have a foot rest to put in mine.

What did you use to secure it to the carpet?

Double sided tape?

 

[Londonscottish]

Had more of an opportunity to drive it as well. I must say it's quicker than I realised and it sounds great. Exactly as I felt it would be, a more subtle version of my CLS63. It cruises exceptionally well on the motorway and it pics up speed really well. In my head it was going to feel less perky than the S as it's down on torque but it definitely doesn't! haha

Excellent, glad to hear you're happy with the 5.5.

 

[Alex225]

Excellent stuff, Alex looks great, your trimming guy, is good, and that footrest is just the job.

Yeah he and his wife did a great job on my S Class leather. Only difference now is they're not mobile so I dropped the car off at their house. The footrest is a good little touch. Doesn't feel right using the carpet as a footrest haha

I have a foot rest to put in mine.

What did you use to secure it to the carpet?

Double sided tape?

Yeah this one came with double sided tape the entire length of it so it's nice and secure. Would peel off easy enough if needs be too.

Excellent, glad to hear you're happy with the 5.5.

Yes very much so. On the test drives I didn't get to put it through it's paces but with some more time behind the wheel I have a good feel for it. Definitely quicker than my S Class which surprised me, throttle response is more immediate which I assume is the lack of turbo. That said, I do wonder how it would respond to a remap. haha

 

[Londonscottish]

On the test drives I didn't get to put it through it's paces but with some more time behind the wheel I have a good feel for it. Definitely quicker than my S Class which surprised me, throttle response is more immediate which I assume is the lack of turbo. That said, I do wonder how it would respond to a remap. haha

The throttle response is, indeed, immediate. Unlike the 4.3's and the 5.0 I had before where you have give the throttle more of a prod.

I've vaguely looked into it. The claims are 5-6% for bhp and 7-8% for torque. So you send up with something like 410bhp and 420 lb/ft.

If you do end up doing it, let me know.

So far, I've prioritised other things like ICE & paint.

 

[Alex225]

The throttle response is, indeed, immediate. Unlike the 4.3's and the 5.0 I had before where you have give the throttle more of a prod.

I've vaguely looked into it. The claims are 5-6% for bhp and 7-8% for torque. So you send up with something like 410bhp and 420 lb/ft.

If you do end up doing it, let me know.

So far, I've prioritised other things like ICE & paint.

Yeah it definitely feels responsive, pleasantly surprised by that. Where as my S surges on all that torque. Not quite chomping at the bit as much as my 63 does though.

My usual mapper claims an increase of about 25bhp and 30lbs-ft so may be something I'll consider further down the line.

Priority for me will be having the wheels refurbished. Someone has had them powder coated then tried touching up the marks with paint, so the 'repairs' stand out almost as much as if they'd been left.

I want to see if the wheels can be diamond cut and powder coated similar to my S Class wheels. The contrast of the silver and the light anthracite contrasts really nicely.

 

[Londonscottish]

Yeah it definitely feels responsive, pleasantly surprised by that. Where as my S surges on all that torque. Not quite chomping at the bit as much as my 63 does though.

My usual mapper claims an increase of about 25bhp and 30lbs-ft so may be something I'll consider further down the line.

Priority for me will be having the wheels refurbished. Someone has had them powder coated then tried touching up the marks with paint, so the 'repairs' stand out almost as much as if they'd been left.

I want to see if the wheels can be diamond cut and powder coated similar to my S Class wheels. The contrast of the silver and the light anthracite contrasts really nicely.

I had mine "smart repaired" a year or so ago and all the repaired patches are now discoloured.

I'll get them done properly after I get back from hols although I might skip the diamond cut this time - it's barely noticeable against the silver painted sections on Style IV's.

 

[Alex225]

I had mine "smart repaired" a year or so ago and all the repaired patches are now discoloured.

I'll get them done properly after I get back from hols although I might skip the diamond cut this time - it's barely noticeable against the silver painted sections on Style IV's.

I'm always very mindful of smart repairs. I guess they can be ok but don't always end up looking the best.

I'll book these in to be fully stripped down. I know what you mean by diamond cut on silver, hard to even spot. This is the colour I'd like to go:

 

[SmartAmg]

Yeah this one came with double sided tape the entire length of it so it's nice and secure. Would peel off easy enough if needs be too.

Alex, you might find the footrest comes loose, with the tape supplied, mine did, if it does, use 3m VHB tape, it's not moved since.

 

[Londonscottish]

I'm always very mindful of smart repairs. I guess they can be ok but don't always end up looking the best.

I'll book these in to be fully stripped down. I know what you mean by diamond cut on silver, hard to even spot. This is the colour I'd like to go:

Yeah they look good like hat although IIRC your new ones are the other way round? Proud spoke with a recess either side?

My C43 also rims looked good with a diamond cut - in the case it was the circumference of the rim itself - all the way round. Particularly noticeable at the rear as there was a deeper dish.

 

[Alex225]

Yeah they look good like hat although IIRC your new ones are the other way round? Proud spoke with a recess either side?

My C43 also rims looked good with a diamond cut - in the case it was the circumference of the rim itself - all the way round. Particularly noticeable at the rear as there was a deeper dish.

Exactly, the CL wheels have the centre of the spoke raised so there would potentially be less silver and a bit more graphite on show. I like the contrast though and it's got a lovely metallic to the finish.

I just need to check the design is suited to being diamond cut, if not they'll be refurbished in a hyper silver kind of colour.