Contents Show
It is probably something like my duty to point out right at the beginning of this driving report that I could muster absolutely zero objectivity towards this car. No matter how hard I tried - I was completely denied an objective view of this “vehicle”.
Disclaimer: I think the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake just mercilessly cool!
They were the first drawings of the Brakes shoot, even sketches were enough to fix me for this mixture of station wagon and coupé. Shooting Brake. After the four-door “CLS” coupé, the Stuttgart-based company and above all their designer Gordon Wagoner have done it again, they have invented a new class of vehicle.
Combined with a bull of engine, the bi-turbo V8 from the tuning subsidiary AMG, the extravagant coupé, which is believed to be the most elegant and powerful way to drive kids to school, briefcases on the job or just to smoke rubber in smoke turn.
I was able to test my very own dream car for 14 days and he has me as a production vehicle for the project "IThunder" served.
In the driving report:
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake
Performance for the senses.
€ 161.721 - the price of lust.
To get ahead of the game, the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake came to the test in an opulent version and the special equipment alone had the equivalent of a premium compact car. Anyone who can seriously concern themselves with the idea of buying such a bogus, should be out of the "rough". € 161.721 list price is simply a house number. Literally, because others buy a house for this sum.
But which house already owns a 525 PS strong sound generator? Ventilated seats and brakes in the format of compact car rims that were also made of ceramic?
That's what I mean.
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake
The other combination
It is the window line framed in chrome that is most impressive when viewed from the side. Narrow, coupé-like lines. Sitting on a sturdy tin shoulder bursting with strength. Including the 19-inch forged wheels. The often cited big cat, crouched, ready to leap in search of prey. From the outside, the CLS Shooting Brake leaves no questions unanswered.
form follows function
Not here. An unusual elegance, a line to the kneeling down belongs to the holistic concept of the extraordinary station wagon. To the idea of the coupe with the big trunk. In the AMG variant, the whole concept is taken to the extreme.
More track width. More sills. More air intakes. A quad exhaust system. The optics leaves no doubters behind. In front of me is a testosterone filled driving fun howitzer in the dress of an unusual vehicle concept. Question answered?
Only when it grows right, it is really good. Admittedly, the narrow and flat A-pillar does not make people with a belly look particularly elegant when they get into the Shooting Brake. However, once you have found your place on the active multi-contour seats, you don't want to get out again. Drive to the horizon and if the world should end there, then just turn around and drive the whole distance again.
As part of the Italian road trip, I drove more than 1.000 kilometers in a row in the CLS and felt better afterwards than ever before. It may be due to the intoxicating effect of the overall composition. It may be this sonorous sound of the power plant under the long hood, or just the extremely good seating comfort and the perfection in the operating concept of the entire vehicle.
1.000 km CLS 63 AMG are similar to opiate pressure refueling.
The fascinating thing about the AMG CLS is not its sporty performance. Not even the addicting sound. It's his driving culture, the balancing act that is necessary to unite the opposing worlds under one roof. Top sporting performance and relaxed long-haul travel. And always with you, the sonorous sound of motor potency. Never pushy. Never uncomfortable, but always present and stimulating for body and mind.
5.5 liter V8 bi-turbo - more would be too much.
Fascinating is the ambivalence of the CLS 63 AMG under its bonnet. There, resting at a standstill, a motor masterpiece whose revival leaves no doubt about its performance. The start is answered with the hotter barking of the eight, in diameter almost 10 centimeters large combustion chambers. After a few seconds of warm running, the spectacle calms down and the eight pots bubble deeply relaxed. Brief sugar of the right foot is answered by the 5.5 liter V8 ventilated by two turbochargers with energetic climbing of the speed ladder. Turbo charging ensures breathing breaks when entering? Not in this case. The V8 storms off without a hitch.
Power in its acoustically hottest form
Cruising under 2.000 tours in seventh gear on the motorway? No problem. The seven-speed automatic speed shift is long enough and the V8 has enough power not to become an obstacle even in this combination. Shift down three gears, the V8 barks up the scale, snotty cheeky it pushes the station wagon over the 200 km / h mark. It only takes a few moments to reach Tacho 260, then the extraordinary station wagon runs into an imaginary wall. Sealed off at 250 (series) - a shame for the engine. A surreal spectacle for the driver.
For 3.213 €, the inclined AMG buyer can indulge in the AMG Drivers Package, and a one-day driver training session at the AMG Driving Academy rounds off raising the top speed to 280 km / h.
For friends of the long leg also a recommendation on 80 liter enlarged tank. As an extra option for narrow 119 € deposited in the surcharge list.
One thing is clear - if you hire 525 hp, you have to pay for the feed. 13 liters on average are normal. 17 liters no problem. If you move the AMG with 11 liters, you will experience the sonorous rumble of the V8 at idling speeds, but you will have to do without the splendid intermediate-gas volleys in sport mode.
The most important numbers:
Power:
525 PS
Force:
700 Nm
Power to weight ratio:
3,7 kg / PS
Everyday escape
Who wants to be beautiful must suffer. "Power in abundance and cargo space, that cannot be avoided. " Forget these prejudices. The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake shows how it's done. Beauty and practicality paired with an absolutely decadent range of services.
The first thing my wife did with the Shooting Brake was a visit to the drinks retailer. By mail, I got the proof photo sent. It may be that the 5.5 liter V8 swallows 15 liters and more during fast stages, but the trunk packs even more!
That ended the subject of “meaning and justification” for me. The CLS Shooting Brake is the finest way to drive a station wagon and, as an AMG, it is also the most potent.
Advantages - disadvantages - conclusion .. the next page continues.
Home | Advantages disadvantages | Technical data | Gallery
The premiere of the Shooting Brake took place in Florence ..
___________________________________