San Diego, California - Crossovers are all the rage these days, but really there's little new about cross-breeds that blur the boundaries between automotive species. Some, though, have been more successful than others.
Remember the Subaru Brat? Turned out the proposal for a compact four-wheel-drive car with a pickup bed lacked staying power.
Ditto Suzuki's concept for the X90 - a two-seat "personal coupe" body sitting atop an off-roading 4x4 chassis. People laughed.
Nobody's laughing, though, at the four-door coupe concept that Mercedes arguably created (hey, what about the Mazda RX-8?) when it penned the original CLS in 2004.
Even if you don't buy the four-door-coupe definition - where does "boldly bodacious sedan" end and "four-door coupe" begin? - this package has legs.
Why should your need for accessible rear seats always sentence you to the frumpy form of a traditional sedan? And really, how many sedan buyers regularly require room for three grown-ups in the rear anyway?
Four seats, four doors, enough rear-seat room for long drives with shorter people - or short drives with longer ones - plus enough visual drama to steal limelight from a Lamborghini: that was the formula for the first CLS. And it resonated with enough wealthy buyers that Mercedes has committed to a second generation.
Less room for more money
The "wealthy" part is important. CLS style commands a steep premium over the E-Class sedan upon which it is based.
The new 2012 range begins with a 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 worth 402 horsepower (no V6 will be offered); also new for 2012 will be standard all-wheel drive.
That "base" version, the CLS550 4Matic, will debut in Canada this fall, at prices yet to be determined but unlikely to start below $90K.
In a reversal of usual industry practice, moneyed Benz buffs won't have to wait quite that long for the überversion. The new CLS63 by AMG, Benz's in-house performance division, comes to Canada this summer.
More than ever the 63 car is a performer of staggering proportions. An AMG-modified 5.5-litre version of the new twin-turbo V8 raises peak power and torque values to 518 hp and 516 lb.-ft., from the 505 and 465 respectively of the previous 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8.
And that's just the regular version: an available AMG Performance Package (APP) boosts outputs to 550 hp and 590 lb.-ft. respectively.
Saves fuel like a hybrid - well, sort-of
Yet even more staggering is the accompanying reduction in fuel consumption of up to 32 per cent (depending on which official test you're looking at).
Given that the new car is only 35 kg lighter than its forebear (extensive deployment of aluminum body panels was offset by more safety hardware) how was this even possible?
Several ways, beginning with the engine's combination of gasoline direct injection and a sizable reduction in displacement.
As well, the CLS now gets AMG's unique MCT-7 automatic transmission, which replaces the gas-wasting torque converter of a conventional automatic with a multi-plate clutch.
Finally, a new standard stop/start function (a feature usually reserved for hybrids) is activated in the powertrain's default "C" (Controlled Efficiency) mode, along with softer throttle response, early upshifts and (in most circumstances) second-gear launches from rest.
Even in "C" the CLS will accelerate explosively if you dig deep enough into the throttle. Or you can select from Sport, Sport Plus or Manual settings to progressively up the levels of powertrain fervour and driver involvement.
Engage the Race Start function on a piece of deserted pavement that is suitably flat and straight, and the CLS will automatically "dump" the clutch and regulate the consequent fury of wheelspin en route to a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds ... or 4.3 for the APP.
Pulverizing performance is never more seductive than when it is delivered with such casual ease.
And then there's this
Our drive route through the mountains inland of San Diego comprised long sections in convoy stuck behind local traffic, with occasional brief foot-flat romps when we found a gap.
For the drive to lunch, climbing from sea-level up to 1,400-plus metres, my CLS63's trip computer showed 13.5 L/100 km. Returning to San Diego in an APP, 9.7 L/100 km. Astonishing.
Turbochargers usually muffle exhaust music, but not here. Even pussy-footing in the most efficient mode you hear a deep, basso profundo whooffle that intensifies to a ferocious bellow when the hammer is down.
Ease off into cruise mode and the engine fades to a lazy murmur (1,850 rpm at 120 km/h); there's too much tire roar on all except the finest surfaces, however, to qualify the CLS as truly quiet.
That aural feedback from the road also hints at what to expect when the road turns playful. The CLS embraces and engages with winding pavement in a way that few Benzes - even AMGs - ever have before.
Admittedly, the new electro-mechanical steering could be crisper on-centre, but once dialed in, its solid effort and direct, linear response are a revelation.
Firm, firmer and, er, firmer-er
Three driver-selectable suspension settings (Comfort, Sport and Sport+) let you fine-tune your preferred blend of comfort and control, but all within a range that remains mostly comfortably at the firm end of the spectrum - neither too spongy in C, nor too brittle in S+.
The only exception was the APP version in S+, when staccato ride motions sometimes set us bobbing on the seat cushions.
Seat comfort should not be an issue at any other time, given the 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat and power tilt/telescopic steering column.
The wheel itself is enormously satisfying to grip in a way that builds on your feeling of control; likewise the sense of cockpit intimacy that helps the CLS feel smaller on the move than it actually is.
As for the back seat, the primary sacrifice compared with a conventional sedan is how many passengers you can put back there - only two - rather than their size.
With the front seat set for my 172-cm frame (and I like to sit well back from the wheel) I could sit behind myself with eight cm of both kneeroom and headroom to spare.
Trunk looks a lot smaller than it claims
The reduced number of potential passengers also makes the small trunk (Mercedes cites 15.3 cubic feet, but it sure doesn't look that big) a little less of an issue.
And yes, the rear-seat backrests do fold down. As well, accessories are available that enhance the usability of the trunk.
According to AMG insiders, surprisingly many customers buy the AMG versions of their chosen Benzes for the sole purpose of spending as much money as possible (the outgoing CLS63 AMG lists for $126,700); the car's performance means nothing to them. What a waste.
This new Mercedes is a terrific driver's car. In a segment that also includes the Aston Martin Rapide, Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera and the Jaguar XFR, it's also a looker.
But if you only want a CLS to be seen driving a work of art, save your money and get the CLS550. Get the CLS63 if you truly care about the art of driving.
2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
Price: $TBA
Type of vehicle: RWD four-door coupe
Engine: 5.5-litre, 32-valve, DOHC, V8 twin-turbocharged
Power/Torque: 518 hp/516 lb.-ft. (Performance package: 550 hp /590 lb.-ft.)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
0-100 km/h: 4.4 seconds (Performance Package: 4.3)
Fuel consumption (European combined city/hwy): 9.9 L/100 km
Competition: Jaguar XFR, Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera Turbo
PREVIEW SUMMARY
PROS
Engine is a pussy-cat when it's loafing and a monster when unleashed
Capable of astonishing fuel economy for a car that can do 300 km/h
Encourages and embraces "expressive" driving like few Benzes before
CONS
Needs all-wheel drive to make its performance fully useable
Small trunk, and only two rear seats
Intrusive tire roar on most pavement textures
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