The Mercedes-Benz CL500 provides a glimpse into the future for the rest of us, writes CAMERON McGAVIN.


I won't lie. Evaluating a big Mercedes-Benz coupe costing more than your average house was something of an exercise in over-indulgence. But it wasn't totally pointless. That's because history suggests the new-generation CL's technology - much shared with the still-fresh S-Class sedan - will trickle down to the market's lower reaches.

So, based on the fact that airbags, anti-lock brakes and other Benz firsts eventually became commonplace, it's fair to say the CL offers a glimpse of what we mere mortals might be driving in the next decade.

And that means more techno toys than NASA. The air suspension has active body control to eliminate body pitch and roll. Night vision allows you to see in the dark, while hard-drive data storage eliminates the need to carry CDs and DVDs.

Then there's Benz' pre-safe system, which utilises the radar cruise control to detect an imminent collision and prepare the cabin for impact. Brake Assist Plus, meanwhile, gives visual and audible warnings if it senses a rear-end collision coming, automatically calculates the braking force required to avoid it and delivers it as soon as the pedal is pushed.

All familiar if you're an S-Class driver, perhaps, but the CL takes things even further. Ignore the warning signals and it will actually apply the brakes, allowing one last chance of avoidance. Still fail to react and it will throw out the lifeline by continuing to brake, reducing the severity of the impact.

The other-worldliness of the CL is only reinforced by our $308,000 CL500 test car's lowly base-model status. The fire-breathing V8 CL63 AMG and volcanic twin-turbo V12 CL600 await fat-walleted buyers, at a trifling $383,000 and $389,000 respectively.

Not that the 500 will ever be confused with poverty motoring. The cabin is a sumptuous delight, with loads of front-seat stretching space, pampering heated leather seats and a bespoke, classy atmosphere. The mouse-style control system, lifted wholesale from the S-Class, is a model of logic, with its plentiful shortcut buttons making life much easier than with some rival set-ups.

The back-seat environment is just as impressive, although very tall occupants might find headroom a bit lacking. And while the 500's specification is undoubtedly lavish, from its Logic 7 sound, TV and DVD player to its voice-activated functions and satellite navigation, Benz still manages to leave room for the odd option, such as massaging seats.

There are no such issues with the 500's performance. True, the 5.5-litre V8 lacks the free-wheeling vigour and bellowing soundtrack of its 6.2-litre AMG sports sibling, but it's not about to get sand kicked in its face. Smooth, quiet and flexible, and surprisingly economical on the highway, it fairly flies when the foot is floored. Benz' seven-speed auto is a typically excellent match, offering all-but imperceptible shifts.

The road manners are similarly hard to fault. The CL's ability to quietly soak up almost any road surface and just glide along is deeply impressive. And while a long way from being a sports car, it is surprisingly agile and composed for what amounts to two tonnes of coupe. All it really needs is sharper steering.

There's little doubt the CL will go down in history as a harbinger of what was to come for the humble automobile. That it also succeeds brilliantly in the here and now makes it even more appealing, even if few of us will ever sample its charms.


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M

I've never seen the interior with dark wood before! I thought, that it doesn't fir on the CL! But on that pictures, it doesn't look bad. But I think, I would prefer the designo piano "wood" instead of it or just "normal" wood.

damn that AMG package for CL is so sleeek