Photo: Original Image Created by autoevolution
Last month we had a spin in the Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG and the car's M157 engine got us so pumped up we had to experience it again, only this time in a different combination.
A very different combination, actually, as the CLS 63 AMG 4Matic beast is in an entirely different league than the SL 63 AMG.
First of all, it's not a cabrio-coupe but a four-door coupe, and it doesn't have two seats but four of them.
Second of all, and probably most important, is fact that the model we tested is among the first AMG cars from a new breed, where rear-wheel drive is no longer the standard choice, at least in countries like the US.
The AMG-tuned 4Matic all-wheel drive system in our test car has transformed the way that the (gargantuan) power is transferred to the road in such a way that it completely changed its character.
Sure, we're still talking about 557 hp (550 bhp) and 720 Nm (531 lb ft) of torque that can be modulated via your right foot any time and in any way you want.
The main difference is that the result of your heavy right foot translates into much more “go” instead of sideways “show” because of (or rather thanks to) the 4Matic all-wheel system.
In other words, the CLS 63 AMG in 4Matic guise is more of a surgical tool than a Cirque du Soleil acrobat, which may or may not appeal to the same group of AMG clients as before. You should read our complete test drive to fully understand what's up though.
A very different combination, actually, as the CLS 63 AMG 4Matic beast is in an entirely different league than the SL 63 AMG.
First of all, it's not a cabrio-coupe but a four-door coupe, and it doesn't have two seats but four of them.
Second of all, and probably most important, is fact that the model we tested is among the first AMG cars from a new breed, where rear-wheel drive is no longer the standard choice, at least in countries like the US.
The AMG-tuned 4Matic all-wheel drive system in our test car has transformed the way that the (gargantuan) power is transferred to the road in such a way that it completely changed its character.
Sure, we're still talking about 557 hp (550 bhp) and 720 Nm (531 lb ft) of torque that can be modulated via your right foot any time and in any way you want.
The main difference is that the result of your heavy right foot translates into much more “go” instead of sideways “show” because of (or rather thanks to) the 4Matic all-wheel system.
In other words, the CLS 63 AMG in 4Matic guise is more of a surgical tool than a Cirque du Soleil acrobat, which may or may not appeal to the same group of AMG clients as before. You should read our complete test drive to fully understand what's up though.
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