What is it?
Fifty-three, then. Not 63, not 43 and, heaven forbid, not 65. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS – the sleek four-door coupé now into its third generation, can you believe? – is here, and the rapid AMG variant, the 53, is almost as significant as the fact that the car itself is new.
Perhaps more so. But let’s deal with the CLS bit first. It’s a new CLS, frameless of window, large-Mercedes-platformed of platform, seating five and promising to do the same ‘sleeker E-Class thing’ as it has done during the past 15 years. To that end, it’s Mercedes-Benz E-Class sized, 4.98m long, with a range of turbocharged and electrically enhanced diesel and petrol engines, which will extend to a four-cylinder petrol come September.
In ‘53’, a new AMG naming strategy has emerged, as it has for the regular models, where an increasing number indicates merely an increasing power output, albeit derived from a structure originally based around engine capacity.
On some models, a 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine becomes the AMG 43, while there’s also a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 known as the 63. Between these, AMG reckons there’s enough room to slot a 53 derivative. Whether a particular car will get 43, 53 or 63 options will, ultimately, be at AMG’s whim, but my guess is that if there’s a stand-alone AMG model above it, you’ll get a 53 and an AMG, and if not, you’ll have a 43 and a 63. So the E-Class coupé has a 53 with the AMG GT coupé above it. The CLS has a 53 and the upcoming GT4. The E-Class, say, would have 43 and 63 derivatives. Perhaps. I’ve been wrong before. Some might get all three.
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Choices aplenty
Interesting choice Mercedes offers. The CLS 53 is faster, roomier, cheaper and arguably better-looking than the AMG 43 four-door sibling.
Brand dilution?
So it's entirely undifferentiable from a slightly stretched C class Coupe.
Brand dilution with yet another AMG moniker on it.... To follow all the C220d AMG Line idiots with ebay AMG badges on their cars....
And you can guarantee that the centre console switches will all still be left as the LHD car even on UK cars so hidden behind that daft mouse thing so the driver can't even see them....
Best or nothing?
my Aunty Evelyn got a nearly
my Aunty Evelyn got a nearly new blue Hyundai Accent Hatchback just by working online with a laptop. hop over to this site..................> www.netcash7.com
So?
So what. Is she saving up to buy the Mercedes being discussed in this forum? Now go away and bother someone else