TWO DOORS, TOO FUN; Like the S-Class, only more so.(News)

Byline: MIKE DUFF

You didn't need a crystal ball to see this one coming. Mercedes has produced S-Class-based coupes since the 1981 debut of the SLC, so it was just a matter of time before this latest S-Class begat itself a two-door variant.

Cue the new CL that rolls into U.S. showrooms next month. The car is, as you would expect, mostly a coupe-sized version of the sedan. But for Mercedes it's more than that; this is the range-topping technological showcase for the brand. That means a seemingly endless list of standard equipment, including five-mode bi-xenon headlamps, adaptive suspension and even Pre-Safe collision mitigation. This is a car capable of taking control if it thinks you're not doing a good enough job.

Engine choice is simplicity itself: V8 or twin-turbo V12. Both motors are evolved versions of the powerplants in the outgoing CL and are common to the S-Class. Despite sharing near-identical 5.5-liter displacements, they couldn't be more different in character. The CL550's naturally aspirated V8 is now good for 382 hp and 391 lb-ft, with drive channeled through a standard seven-speed autobox. The CL600's twin-turbocharged V12 now has marginally more power than the last generation (keeping it ahead of the 63 AMG V8 in lesser Benzes), making 510 hp at 5000 rpm accompanied by a monstrous 612 lb-ft of torque available all the way from 1800 rpm. That's more twist than the new 7G transmission can handle, so the 600 uses Benz's old-fashioned five-speed automatic.

Design is clearly based on the S-Class, with a fair amount of visual DNA having made the transition. That means a lower and leaner take on the sedan's front end and similar accent lines creased into the flanks. At the back end, the C-pillar continues with a toned-down interpretation on the previous-generation CL's wider-at-the-top-than-the-bottom form. And like the CLK, there's no B-pillar, giving a single aperture with the windows lowered. The effect is far more forceful than the dull-looking previous-generation-classy, not brassy.

The cabin is pure S-Class with the same switchgear and materials and a similar design theme. No bad thing, as the end result is beyond reproach. The material quality is superb; space is good for front-seat occupants and fair for those in back. Neat details abound, with favorites including the flat-screen display speedometer, which can integrate other data into the display, and one of the best original-equipment satellite navigation systems around. Many functions are controlled by what Mercedes describes as second-generation COMAND, which seems at first glance to be a shameless lift of BMW's turn-and-click iDrive.

Driving the twisty roads of Germany's Black Forest it becomes clear the CL is more about waft than all-out back-road pace. The standard Active Body Control suspension uses a high-pressure pump to supply hydraulic fluid to spring struts at each corner, with this used (under microprocessor control, of course) to firm up the springs to counteract cornering and braking forces. The net result is an ...