I do love a CLS...AMG

[Alex225]

My C43 estate was once featured in Performance Car and Dan Trent was the journo. He'd recently ended up at the Ring in 211 E500 (the facelift one with the 5.5). He was a massive Scooby head at the time but said he'd been astonished at just how quickly the E Class would do a lap when he really went for it

I think people would be surprised. I recall a friend of mine going on a bit of a road trip, he was taking an E36 M3 and he really didn't conceive of the idea that my CLS63 would keep up. I like the underrrated-ness haha.

The 5g and 7g are tortoise slow in comparison to the mct transmission. Does really transform the engine/Car.

Undeniably so. I've driven a GLC300 and more recently a C63S, the latter being savagely fast. No doubt the gearchanges are virtually instant.

Only issue I take with many of these 7+ gear, gearboxes is unless you leave them in sport, they're never in the right gear for normal driving. Spent a couple of weeks with the GLC and you'd want to accelerate and it had to change down 2+ gears before it moved. Found the same with the DSG VAG gearboxes. I know it's all about fuel efficiency and being in a higher gear but annoying.

That said, few people change gear quicker/smoother than even a 5g box on an average change, so I can't grumble.

 

[350cls]

Unless you have it in manual. I find it to be just as intelligent as the slow but robust 5g and 7g. But with like said the much quicker changes. Still lacks one or two gears the 5g. But for it's time was ok.

 

[Will]

Personally I feel the 55K engine with the 5-speed box is a perfect match - there is just so much torque it doesn’t really need to change down and rev so high. Wafts about and has very good response when needed - it can pull well in almost any gear at any time.

A CLS or E-class is not a sports car at the end of the day - similarly to above these are large heavy 4-door cars with big engines that can put down some serious power when the opportunity arises

 

[Alex225]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the 5g is any more intelligent for emissions and fuel efficiency the later gearboxes are undoubtedly better. What I found from my old E class was that by having less gear to choose from, it often felt in the right gear at the time which I found the 9g boxes felt like in sport mode. Just held the gear better, in a similar way to how I'd drive if it were a manual car. That said, the torque from a mapped diesel probably helped that.

Put it this way, I'd rather the newer gearbox in manual mode in the likes of an A35/45 as it would suit the snappy, sharpness of those cars.

 

[Londonscottish]

I think people would be surprised. I recall a friend of mine going on a bit of a road trip, he was taking an E36 M3 and he really didn't conceive of the idea that my CLS63 would keep up. I like the underrrated-ness haha.

I blame the very narrow focus through which journos fixate on one tiny things. The ability to clip an apex on the Ring and shave 0.001s off the laptime. It's why I stopped reading Evo. I don't give a shit about the Evo triangle. Its totally irrelevant to me.

I once built up a 200SX. Engine & suspension mods. Followed what PC were going to theirs. I ended up with a quasi-track car which was incredibly harsh on a commute. Sold it a jumped in a C43. It was a revelation. MUCH more suited to my needs.

 

[Alex225]

Little after work tweak on the CLS this evening. The engine bay has clearly been cleaned in it's life but not for some time. Here's a little reminder.

Not awful but not good enough. So I busted out the Chemical Guys APC. First time using this one as I like their Nonsense APC but this is actually very good.

Cleaned up, plastics were then treated with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel. Not 100% but tonnes better.

 

[Alex225]

Popped out last night to the local docks to take a few better photos of the 55. Nice little national speed limit road down there so able to test the acceleration a little too. I am yet to clean the outside but it was clean enough for some photos.

I did also go for a good drive. Main impressions are, it's savagely quick. I've driven newer Mercs/AMGs but this still feels damn fast. To the point where actually, Comfort mode is the nicest balance for driving but having that acceleration on tap. Sounds a bit girly but that supercharger shove hits harder than the high revs of the 6.2. Plus, the exhaust sounds excellent. No drone when driving but a real growl when use the throttle, and enough sound when you're not heavy on the throttle.

 

[350cls]

When I owned the 55k I always felt it packed that solid punch especially when the SC kicks in. But when on a cruise it did feel it lacked that 6th or 7th gear just to lower the revs that little bit. It always felt like it was on the edge, waiting to pounce. For me the 6.2 has both the brute force when needed. But at the same time can waft around like a 500. Again the mct gearbox has a massive factor on the overall performance of these power plant vehicles. It's nice to have rev matching shifts also. I was always waiting for the SC to ingage on the 55k otherwise it wasn't as much fun.

Fun engine the 55k

 

[Alex225]

Yeah the 7G and 6.2 does feel less frantic as that power comes in way higher, the 55 just feels that bit more immediate. It's interesting as in the E320cdi I had, I preferred the 5G as once it was mapped it always felt in the right gear to get moving. Less stirring around for gears like the 7G did in my S and other half's ML. When you double the horse power and add 100lbs of torque the need to drop down changes. Definitely think being light footed for day to day driving is key, that said it's a weekender at most.

On an oddly environmental note, it does better fuel than the 63 well judging by the gauge. Manages to do 19-20mpg over an indicated 14-15mpg but that said, in a V8 who really cares! haha

 

[350cls]

The the 320cdi I had definitely suited the 5g especially on a cruise it would sit in 5th at like 1700 1800 revs. The 55k I found wouldn't sit at them revs in 5th. It felt as if it wanted to downshift to suit the revs. It's an engine I feel just wanted to be pushed all the time. When was in the mood for it, it was fantastic but I feel it wasn't suited for driving conservatively. My experience of the 7g in the cls350 I had was ok but again more notchy than the 5g in both e55 and e320cdi. The e39 M5 I ran was just right with the 6th gear for the cruising aspect. But when you wanted to go for it, it was ready to pounce. Which is so much like the 6.3 albeit with a mct 7g+. The different variations of the 6.3 with different chassis and gearbox variations is also a factor. Would of been interesting if the M113k had different gearbox variations in different chassis vehicles, like the 6.3 has had over its production run.

It has to be highlighted the 7g and the 7g+ are night and day difference in performance. The 6.3 with the mct 7g+ is a different car to the 6.3 with the 7g transmission.

 

[W1ghty]

Little after work tweak on the CLS this evening. The engine bay has clearly been cleaned in it's life but not for some time. Here's a little reminder.

Not awful but not good enough. So I busted out the Chemical Guys APC. First time using this one as I like their Nonsense APC but this is actually very good.

Cleaned up, plastics were then treated with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel. Not 100% but tonnes better.

That’s more like it Alex ! Has the twitch and rash gone now ?

 

[Alex225]

The the 320cdi I had definitely suited the 5g especially on a cruise it would sit in 5th at like 1700 1800 revs. The 55k I found wouldn't sit at them revs in 5th. It felt as if it wanted to downshift to suit the revs. It's an engine I feel just wanted to be pushed all the time. When was in the mood for it, it was fantastic but I feel it wasn't suited for driving conservatively. My experience of the 7g in the cls350 I had was ok but again more notchy than the 5g in both e55 and e320cdi. The e39 M5 I ran was just right with the 6th gear for the cruising aspect. But when you wanted to go for it, it was ready to pounce. Which is so much like the 6.3 albeit with a mct 7g+. The different variations of the 6.3 with different chassis and gearbox variations is also a factor. Would of been interesting if the M113k had different gearbox variations in different chassis vehicles, like the 6.3 has had over its production run.

It has to be highlighted the 7g and the 7g+ are night and day difference in performance. The 6.3 with the mct 7g+ is a different car to the 6.3 with the 7g transmission.

It's funny you say that, had exactly the same feeling when my other half had a CLS350cdi, the 7G was never as smooth as the 5G in the E. I've not taken the 55 out for a long cruise yet, seems it sits at 2k rpm at 70ish but acceleration seems pretty immediate. I'll likely stick with cruise control where I can haha.

That’s more like it Alex ! Has the twitch and rash gone now ?

Just but that's car related! hahahaha

I'm due to give the outside a clean today since I've not had a chance since it arrived. Silver is such a forgiving colour though as it doesn't look too bad but will get a proper shine out of it today.