Automotive Einstein

We all know that the Mercedes-Benz CL is a fabulous ride with stunning design and the ability to sprint to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds (and that’s the “base” CL550). But what I got to enjoy about the CL this time around is its excellent all-weather capability. Even on all-season tires, the all-wheel-drive CL550 easily tackled Ann Arbor’s first real snowstorm of the season. You’ve actually got to be careful because the car insulates you so well from what’s going on outside and on the road surface that it’s easy to find yourself going faster than you should be on slippery surfaces. The heated steering wheel and seats and excellent defrosters made my snowy late-night drive home that much nicer. With winter tires on a CLS550, the only limiting factor in winter would be ground clearance.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

Three years ago, my mother almost bought a C300 sedan but cited the fact that it “wasn’t special enough” as a deal breaker. Given the comprehensive update Mercedes gave the C-class for 2012, my mother was obviously not the only one who thought that the baby Benz could be more deserving of the three-pointed star. Simple changes like the silver, watch-like gauge faces go a long way, but the all-new interior makes all the difference. No longer is the center stack a large wasteland of black plastic; instead, it’s an artfully laid out and usable infotainment space decorated with wood trim and chrome. All of the controls come straight from the Mercedes-Benz parts bin, which is not a bad thing in this case – the same radio and climate controls from the C-class can now be found on the $130,000 CLS63 AMG test car we recently had.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

This C63 AMG coupe seems like a total bargain compared with the CLS63 AMG four-door test car that we also recently drove here at Automobile Magazine. That car was larded up with $34K in options, making it sticker for a breathtaking $130K. This C63 is, arguably, a more entertaining proposition, even though it has 69 fewer hp and 147 fewer lb-ft of torque than the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 CLS63 with the AMG performance package. That’s because the C63 sticks with the normally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8, which is a grunty, characterful beast. In an age when more and more engines are getting turbocharged and supercharged, the 6.2-liter V-8 is all the more cool because it relies on old-fashioned displacement and relatively high revs, among other things, to deliver the goods. Go light on the options, and you could have a pretty well-equipped C63 for about $70K. Even if you pile on all the available equipment and end up with an $80K car like our tester, the C63 AMG coupe makes for an interesting alternative to a Porsche 911 Carrera or Carrera S.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe – Editors’ Notebook – Automobile Magazine

More power. It’s just what every two-and-a-half-ton SUV needs. Not. For that reason, if you had asked us a few weeks ago to pick a sensible vehicle for touring the winding mountain roads around Santa Barbara, California, chances are excellent we’d probably have neglected to mention Mercedes-Benz’s ML series, much less its top-of-the-line ML63 AMG. Fettled by the company’s in-house tuning department, the extra-picante version of the weighty SUV has only just reemerged in a third edition with more power than ever: 518 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, from the now-ubiquitous AMG 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG – Automobile Magazine

I have to be careful. There are a lot of police around today,” said Jurgen Weissinger. He’s the chief engineer for the complete Mercedes-Benz sports car line — and specifically for the highly camouflaged SL550 in which I was a passenger, the model to be revealed at the 2012 Detroit show. That we were rocketing uphill on a winding two-lane mountain road at about 110 mph made his words slightly inappropriate, but since the car felt as if we were proceeding quietly at half that speed, I was relaxed and just enjoyed the ride.

Photo Gallery: German Icons 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: German Icons 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL – Automobile Magazine

The Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid is set to make its world debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, and it’s expected to be the most eco-friendly E-Class ever sold in America.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid – 2012 Detroit Auto Show – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid – 2012 Detroit Auto Show – Automobile Magazine

For more than 50 years, the Mercedes-Benz SL has occupied a special place atop the German automaker’s lineup. The current-generation SL, armed with timeless sheetmetal and the brand’s latest and most innovative technology, has admirably carried on the tradition. As the all-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class prepares to take the stage at the 2012 Detroit auto show, there’s no doubt the Benz faithful will have higher expectations than ever for the latest-generation of the iconic roadster.

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class – Automobile Magazine