2009 Mercedes-Benz CL Class Performance Review

As long as you’re not racing through the Alps, the 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class boasts all the performance you desire. Because of the negligible gas mileage trade-offs and the year-round traction and stability benefits, on both wet and dry roads, the 2009 all-wheel-drive CL550 4Matic should prove to be a popular vehicle.

According to Edmunds, the high-end AMG Mercedes-Benz CL-Class coupes boast either an "AMG-developed 6.3-liter normally aspirated V8 (518 hp and 465 lb-ft)" on the CL63 AMG or a "604-hp twin-turbo V12" on the CL65 AMG. Automobile testers find that you can "launch yourself across the entire city of Ann Arbor in no time, or at least to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds" in the CL63 AMG they drove.

"The 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL550 is powered by a 5.5-liter V8 (382 hp and 391 pound-feet of torque)," while the "CL600 features a twin-turbo V12 engine (510 hp and 612 lb-ft),” says Edmunds. In the CL550, Cars.com reviewers states that the "V-8 effortlessly builds speed, and before long you're doing 70 mph." ConsumerGuide calls the power delivery in the CL550 "ample" and notes that the estimated 0-60 time on the car is "5.3 seconds."

In the words of Car and Driver, the Mercedes-Benz 2009 CL-Class offers "mind-boggling acceleration." And no matter which engine is fitted in the CL-Class, these 2009 Mercedes-Benz coupes are blazingly fast.

There are two transmissions available on 2009 CL-Class models: one transmission for two models and another for the other two. According to ConsumerGuide, the CL65 AMG and CL600 both get a "5-speed automatic transmission w/manual-shift,” and in the CL63 AMG and CL550 is a "7-speed automatic transmission w/manual-shift." Kelley Blue Book describes the seven-speed automatic as "traveling seamlessly." Cars.com also approves, noting that "the shifts are almost imperceptible and the transmission willingly kicks down under hard acceleration." The five-speed automatic is equally good at handling what Car and Driver calls the "gargantuan forces" that "are at work in the transmission tunnel."

Winning huge praise from reviewers are the brakes on the 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, which ConsumerGuide says "provide short, drama-free emergency stops" and Edmunds adds "are faultless, as they provide plenty of bite with little fade." Cars.com reviewers find that "Mercedes' Active Body Control active suspension reduces body roll, acceleration squat and braking dive," all of which contribute greatly to performance and help "keep the CL550 fairly flat during cornering." ConsumerGuide adds that the 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is "reassuringly stable when cornering." However, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is not meant to be a sports car, as Edmunds reviewers observe: "When pressing hard on long, sweeping turns, the grip from the standard 18-inch tires runs out more quickly than you might expect," while "when you transition from one tight corner to the next, even its sophisticated suspension can't always make the CL feel graceful."

Fuel economy on the 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is marginal, though the CL550 does manage to crack the 20-mpg mark in highway driving. The full EPA fuel economy estimates are 14 mpg city, 21 highway for the CL550, while the CL600 returns 11/17 mpg. On the AMG versions, the EPA rates the CL63 AMG at 11/18 mpg and the CL65 AMG at 11/17 mpg.