Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the 2005 CLS 55 AMG, the company's latest hot rod and the flagship of its new CLS-Class sedan line. The CLS 55 will go on sale in January along with the rest of the CLS-Class cars.
While Mercedes officials said in an interview that they do not have an estimated price for the CLS 55, they did say the CLS-Class' pricing will fall between that of its top-tier sedans, the E-Class, which will start at $49,220 for 2005, and the S-Class, whose 2004 model starts at $74,970. Hot rod AMG variants typically cost about 15 to 20% more than the mainstream models on which they are based.
Mercedes, which is owned by DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ), had already said that it wants the CLS-Class to be a sportier sedan line than the E- and S-Classes, and that the company expects the CLS will attract more customers who are new to the brand than its other high-end sedans do. Despite this information--and the benefits of making the CLS a slightly more aggressive-looking car, with such styling elements as a belt line that rises as it heads toward the back of the vehicle--we still don't have a satisfactory answer as to why Mercedes thinks it needs to add another sedan line (it has three already) to a cluttered market. Mercedes has too many models that feature the 5.0-liter V-8 engine which will power the base model, the CLS 500. That V-8 is getting old and, relative to other luxury brands' engines, doesn't produce a great deal of horsepower (302) given how big it is.
We are still excited to drive the CLS 55 AMG, if only because it is more powerful than the red-hot, 469 hp E55 AMG sedan. Using the supercharged, 5.5-liter V-8 engine that appears in other Mercedes AMG cars, the CLS 55 will make 476 hp--more than the E55, less than the S55. Its 516 pounds-feet of torque matches the figures from the E55 and S55.
The results of this engine tuning are impressive: Mercedes said in a statement that the CLS 55 will be able to accelerate from 0-62 mph in
4.7 seconds, and that it will have an electronically limited maximum speed of 155 mph. In addition to the souped-up engine, it will feature a sports suspension and a high-performance braking system.In the CLS 55, as with other AMG cars, the engine's power is transferred to the wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. The driver can choose between automatic or manual gear changes, the latter of which are controlled either through a selector lever or gearshift buttons on the steering wheel (BMW's hot rod M cars have the same choice).
Like other AMG and M cars, the CLS 55 AMG will feature subtle styling differences from its parent model. It has 18-inch light-alloy wheels with wide tires, large air inlets near round fog lamps and two chromed, oval exhaust pipes. AMG fans will recognize the badge on the car that says "V8 Kompressor"--"supercharged V-8" in English. The interior will feature perforated sports seats and Nappa leather in a choice of three colors.
Forbes Fact Mercedes previewed the CLS line at last September's International Motor Show in Frankfurt with the Vision CLS prototype. The company unveiled the new, ready-for-production CLS 500 at April's New York International Auto Show.
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