bigbobs cl
Active Member
Had my CL for a couple of months now so thought i`d post my opinions and bit of a review on it, may be usefull to any potential buyers!
My last car was a Nissan Skyline GTR33, bought as totally standard and a UK car (there were only 100 official UK ones). After about 6 months i wanted more power so had it booked in to be taken upto 550BHP. This was going to take 6 months or so (not known for their speed tuning companys!!) had a look round for something to run round in while it was in and picked up a `98 E55 AMG cheap.
This car got me hooked on the MB marque, luxury, power and looks!
Skyline came back as a monster, nothing could touch it off the mark or top end (circa 185mph) but with a triple plate clutch was going to be more of a toy than an every day car so found myself getting more attatched to the E55.
12 months passed and decided the Skyline was to go, 9mpg steady driving and 3mpg driving it in anger along with the clutch made it an expensive car for a toy. So the search was now on for a replacement for the Skyline and the E55 but was going to be a Mercedes!!
Didn`t take long before i spotted my next car, an 03 CL500 in Emerald Black!! Fell in love when i saw it and knew it would be mine.
Eventually did the deal and got the car, Skyline and E55 traded in for a swap!
The car is truly stunning, i thought i would miss the power of my last cars but with "only" 300 or so BHP the CL feels just as quick as the 380 the E55 had, feels much smoother even on the 19" wheels that the previous owner fitted. Pulls away with the distinctive V8 roar (cats have been removed for more grunt!) but almost silent with no wind or road noise at cruising speed.
All the controls are easy to opperate although the steering wheel controls do take some getting used to! The only thing that would be usefull (may be there but i can`t find it yet!) would be the ability to change discs on the CD Changer, aswell as track up and down.
For compfort, there is no question it is the most compfortable car i have ever owned, the seats seem to hug you in without making you feel closed in. I had a back injury a few years ago and find it difficult to sit in one position for more than 20 mins without discompfort, not in the CL, its like sitting on the sofa at home, better infact!
Night driving really changes the car altogether, the dash lights and door controls make you feel like being in a plane cockpit it really is stunning, along with the ambient footwell lights and downlight from the rear view mirror you feel enclosed in your own little space, a feeling of safety and warmth that is hard to describe!!
Motorway driving is an absolute pleasure, cruise control set at 80, rpm on tickover at 2000 and not a sound from the outside world thanks to double glazing. Add a fuel consumption of 28.5 mpg at cruising speed and some good music through the Bose system, i could drive forever in this car.
Fair enough at normal round town driving a return of 13mpg isn`t great but the head turning and grunt make up for that! The sound and the torque delivered soon take your mind of fuel and you just sit back with a grin like a Cheshire Cat!!
To sum the car up, it`s a stunning looking V8 power machine, plenty of power when you need it and silent cruising on a motorway with compfort to match any sofa in the land. By far the best car i have owned and will be staying with the MB marque for quite some time. Only covered some 500 miles so far but no going back to anything else now!!
Thanks
Bob
My last car was a Nissan Skyline GTR33, bought as totally standard and a UK car (there were only 100 official UK ones). After about 6 months i wanted more power so had it booked in to be taken upto 550BHP. This was going to take 6 months or so (not known for their speed tuning companys!!) had a look round for something to run round in while it was in and picked up a `98 E55 AMG cheap.
This car got me hooked on the MB marque, luxury, power and looks!
Skyline came back as a monster, nothing could touch it off the mark or top end (circa 185mph) but with a triple plate clutch was going to be more of a toy than an every day car so found myself getting more attatched to the E55.
12 months passed and decided the Skyline was to go, 9mpg steady driving and 3mpg driving it in anger along with the clutch made it an expensive car for a toy. So the search was now on for a replacement for the Skyline and the E55 but was going to be a Mercedes!!
Didn`t take long before i spotted my next car, an 03 CL500 in Emerald Black!! Fell in love when i saw it and knew it would be mine.
Eventually did the deal and got the car, Skyline and E55 traded in for a swap!
The car is truly stunning, i thought i would miss the power of my last cars but with "only" 300 or so BHP the CL feels just as quick as the 380 the E55 had, feels much smoother even on the 19" wheels that the previous owner fitted. Pulls away with the distinctive V8 roar (cats have been removed for more grunt!) but almost silent with no wind or road noise at cruising speed.
All the controls are easy to opperate although the steering wheel controls do take some getting used to! The only thing that would be usefull (may be there but i can`t find it yet!) would be the ability to change discs on the CD Changer, aswell as track up and down.
For compfort, there is no question it is the most compfortable car i have ever owned, the seats seem to hug you in without making you feel closed in. I had a back injury a few years ago and find it difficult to sit in one position for more than 20 mins without discompfort, not in the CL, its like sitting on the sofa at home, better infact!
Night driving really changes the car altogether, the dash lights and door controls make you feel like being in a plane cockpit it really is stunning, along with the ambient footwell lights and downlight from the rear view mirror you feel enclosed in your own little space, a feeling of safety and warmth that is hard to describe!!
Motorway driving is an absolute pleasure, cruise control set at 80, rpm on tickover at 2000 and not a sound from the outside world thanks to double glazing. Add a fuel consumption of 28.5 mpg at cruising speed and some good music through the Bose system, i could drive forever in this car.
Fair enough at normal round town driving a return of 13mpg isn`t great but the head turning and grunt make up for that! The sound and the torque delivered soon take your mind of fuel and you just sit back with a grin like a Cheshire Cat!!
To sum the car up, it`s a stunning looking V8 power machine, plenty of power when you need it and silent cruising on a motorway with compfort to match any sofa in the land. By far the best car i have owned and will be staying with the MB marque for quite some time. Only covered some 500 miles so far but no going back to anything else now!!
Thanks
Bob
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