On October 1, 1970, Janis Joplin recorded the song “Mercedes-Benz”, in which she asked the Lord to buy her that particular luxury car. She never did get a Mercedes (she owned a psychedelic ’65 Porsche), as she died three days after the recording was made. While the song was a social commentary of the times and it spoke to the excesses of material possessions, if the blues singer had lived and had come to embrace the worldly extravagances in life, they’d likely be playing her song to images of the car that exemplifies Mercedes-Benz lavishness, artistic style, performance and prestige: the 2008 CLS 550.
Among the sportiest-looking luxury sedans on the market, the angular CLS 550 is based on The M-B E-Class cars, but is designed with its own personality as a front-engine, rear-wheel drive 4-door, 4-passenger coupe.
This Teutonic beauty is 193 inches long, 73.7 inches wide and 54.7 inches high, with a curb weight of 4060 lbs. and ground clearance of 5.7 inches. Its architecture is one of graceful curves and liquidity, devoid of any Mercedes boxiness of years past. My test vehicle was covered with a classy Indium Grey exterior paint mated to Cashmere Nappa leather interior.
With a credo of performance, quality, luxury and style, the CLS 550 is powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 engine that quietly rumbles out 382hp and 391 lbs.-ft. of torque. An option is a jet-thrusting 6.2-liter V-8 that thunders out 507 horses and can blister the track or the drag strip, and can unrefinedly burn rubber on your way out of the theater or fine dining establishment. With the 5.5-liter powerplant, linked to a 7-speed automatic transmission with touch-shift, I was able to bring this lavish lovely from zero to 60mph in 5.6 seconds, en route to a 14.4-second quarter-mile; both very formidable times for a two-ton luxury conveyance.
The aluminum plant is EPA rated at 14/city and 21/highway under the new 2008 protocols. That probably translates to about 17/25 under the old system, and during my seven days of testing, with much more time on Pennsylvania and Maryland highways than city streets, I did better than the estimates and averaged 23.3mpg.
The silent engine portends a quality quiet ride in all gears and the tight turning radius, low center of gravity and responsive suspension make for a cultured driving and passenger experience.
A driver’s car, the CLS 550 has an independent 4-link front suspension with antidive geometry, 5-arm multilink independent rear suspension with anti-squat geometry, airmatic semi-active suspension and rack-and-pinion steering.
Inside, the plush cabin is spacious with 36.9 inches of headroom up front (36.1 in row two), 42.1 inches of legroom in the first row and 35.0 behind, with 56.3 inches of front shoulder room and 56.0 inches in the second row.
Interior comfort, convenience and richness are the Mercedes lynchpins for the CLS 550, as illustrated by large easy-to-read, circular gauges, analog clock and rich high-gloss laurel wood throughout. The exterior’s angular architecture is also seen in the cabin, with roundness and sensuous curves inside as well.
Lavishness abounds via a glass sunroof with tilt and one-touch open and close, Harmon/Kardon Logic 7 digital surround sound system with 6-CD changer and Comand system, AM/FM/WB/CD player and Sirius Satellite radio, though the operation is push-button and a bit convoluted. Other interior amenities include leather upholstery, auxiliary input in the glove box to accommodate MP3 and iPod devices, multifunction steering wheel, 10-way power adjustable front seats with position memory for seats and mirrors, power switches on the door, 4-zone climate control, electronic cruise control, remote central locking with smart key, power windows with express up and down feature, autodimming driver and rearview mirrors, electric adjustable tilt and telescoping steering column, integrated garage door opener and intermittent wipers with rain sensor.
Safety and security are attended to with a steel reinforced cabin with front and rear crumple zones, front dual-stage airbags, front and rear side window airbags, front and rear side airbags, driver side knee airbag, 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brake assist, electronic stability system, roll-over sensor and tire pressure monitoring system.
The CLS 550 is base priced $67,600, and my test vehicle was priced at $80,445
The Premium II package adds $4770 to the sticker and includes an accurate but very tedious to program and use DVD navigation system, heated and active ventilated front seats, power rear window sunshade and hands-free communications system. The 321 AMG sport package is a $5030 option that includes 18-inch 5-spoke rally wheels, covered with Continental 255/40R18 high-performance tires up front with 285/35s behind – that might be a Chrysler holdover, as I would have expected Pirellis or a more exotic tire. The Cashmere Nappa leather interior adds $970. Destination and delivery charges of $775 and the undeserved gas guzzler tax of $1300 stickers the car out at $80,445; and for that price, is missing only a back-up camera for total electronic inclusion.
If there is one Mercedes-Benz that ends up in your garage, no matter who buys it, you’d be well-served to make sure it’s the 2008 CLS 550.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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