2013 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG review

The CL63 AMG comes with a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 mated to a seven-speed multi-clutch sequential manual

Boy, does this 2013 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG ever make you feel filthy rich.

In weather like we had on my drive -- sheets of rain, standing water, little visibility -- my focus was basically not sliding into a curb or another car and pranging a $180,000 worth of gorgeous Benz. Mission accomplished.

The turbo V8's 536 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque are nice power numbers don't you think? And do I ever love the hot-rod exhaust note. The higher you rev it the sweeter it sounds. This is definitely a radio-off kind of engine.

In the wet, Benz's ESP and traction control systems kept things considerably calmer than I imagined, and they worked well without being overly intrusive. Near as I can tell the car is near supercar-fast -- the V8 is outstanding, propelling it forward in a smooth whoosh -- when you want it to be, but will trundle around town smoothly when you want that. The ride was a lot more user friendly than I thought, with it soaking up potholes and such nicely. So this CL63 AMG is sort of a dual personality car in other words. 

It's heavy and I'm not in love with the steering (not enough feel), but for long-distance mile gobbling this would be near the top of my list. The cockpit is outstanding when it comes to materials and build quality, and I loved the cradling buckets. 

And to think, of Benz's coupes this isn't even the flagship. That would be the twin-turbo V12 CL65 with its 621 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. Gobsmacking.

The interior is everything we have come to expect from Mercedes-Benz

This CL63, according to Benz, competes with the likes of the Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin Vantage and, I would argue, a Lear jet. 

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: A lot of us around the Autoweek office called past Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMGs that have come through our fleet a German muscle car, which I still think is fitting. It weighs in at a little over 4,800 pounds, has a petty big footprint and packs a big 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 with 563 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque if you opt for the available AMG performance package. That sounds like a recipe for a serious straight line monster, but I also thought that the car handled itself well through corners with its adaptive suspension system and wide tires.

For an around town cruiser, the CL63 is stellar. It makes all the right sounds, gets off the line quickly and possesses looks that still get it noticed. It's also comfortable with heavily bolstered front seats that also automatically pump up more around corners and the backseat features enough room to carry average sized adults. You can't complain about the materials used throughout with soft leathers.

On longer rides, the car is pleasant. The suspension soaks up road imperfections beautifully and the cabin is well isolated from wind and road noise. It made my ride to and from South Haven, Michigan from Detroit quite enjoyable.

What was I doing in South Haven? To visit our friends at GingerMan Raceway and to see how the CL63 AMG did on track of course. I'm not sure how many if any CL63 owners take theirs to a track, but I was interested in finding out how it felt around the 2.14-mile road course because as I said early it feels pretty decent on the street rounding corners.

Not surprisingly, there are no complaints about the lack of power. The turbo V8 helped the CL63 make quick work of the straights and all that torque made getting a good jump out of corners easy. You have to be a little delicate on the throttle because the rear tires easily break loose.

The 536 hp twin-turbo V8 delivered awe-inspiring acceleration

The multi-clutch gearbox's manual mode was disappointing with muted response to shift commands. For my timed lap, I opted to just leave the car in automatic mode and the computer did a good job picking optimal shift points. 

How did it handle the corners? Well, it handled them well for a 4,800-pound vehicle. Lots of body roll with steering that's way too light and offers little feedback. The larger AMG brakes held up well considering it had to slow this boat from about 127 mph on the back straight to about 60 mph for Turn 11 numerous times. Under hard braking the car is a bit of a handful, though. 

What didn't hold up well was the left front tire. GingerMan is hard on that tire and then there's the weight factor of the car and it ended up delaminating. It's an extra load tire and considering the number of laps we did on it, it did a darn good job. 

So the CL63 AMG is sloppy in corners on a race track, but a riot on the straights, which isn't much of a surprise. If you're a CL63 owner and want to do a track day with it bring an extra set of tires of tires or two, but again I'm almost certain not many would even think about doing that. That's what the SLS AMG is for.

But honestly, the car is meant for the streets where it will surely impress your friends with its brutal acceleration, which seems very muscle car-like to me. We were able to get to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds according to our Vbox, which is faster than Benz's claimed number of 4.3 seconds.

2013 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

Base Price: $153,905

As-Tested Price: $181,615

Drivetrain: 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8; RWD, seven-speed multi-clutch sequential manual

Output: 563 hp @ 5,250-5,750 rpm, 664 lb-ft @ 2,000-4,500 rpm

Curb Weight: 4,806 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 15/22/18 mpg

AW Observed Fuel Economy: 19.1 mpg

Options: Light brown edition leather interior with leather upholstery, wrapped steering wheel, Alcantara headliner ($8,900); AMG performance package with increase hp and torque, raised top speed limit ($7,300); matte white exterior paint ($ 3,950); driver assistance package with Distronic plus, Pre-Safe braking, active blind spot, lane keeping and lane change assistance ($2,950); rear view camera with night view assist ($2,200); five-spoked AMG forged wheels ($1,700); Splitview center stack display ($710)