Mercedes-AMG
Driven: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz has done an interesting balancing act with the CLS63 AMG. On the one hand, it’s a lavishly equipped, tech-laden luxmobile for four people, that looks like very few other cars on the road. On the other, it’s essentially a street-legal rocket, capable of sending your eyeballs towards the back of your skull with little in the way of provocation. It’ll then attempt to remove your eyeballs clear from the sockets when you stomp on the huge carbon-ceramic brakes. This is a bipolar car, stable one minute, and absolutely bonkers the next. Which is exactly the way we like it.
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series
Mercedes-Benz debuted the 2012 C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, a special edition that the company is calling its fastest C-Class ever. Its 6.2-liter V-8 engine boasts 510 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque, up 59 horsepower and 14 pound-feet over the current C63 AMG. Capable of 0-60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds, the Black Series borrows some technology and components from the SLS AMG.
Quick Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG
This car is a work of art. It’s really understated for a machine with a $150K-plus price tag, making it a perfect vehicle for the driver who has the money to spend on a car like this, but isn’t looking to necessarily flaunt their wealth. And you can’t go wrong with that engine, either. This car is fast and smooth. And, while it may look like just another Mercedes to the casual passerby, it’s unforgettable to any person who takes it for a ride.
Quick Drive: 2011 Lexus IS-F
This car is better than the old IS-F, by a fairly large margin. It feels sharper, more communicative, and generally a lot more fun. I still love the dual-stage exhaust, which sounds mellow at low engine speeds but sounds downright burly and racy north of 4000 rpm.
First Look: 2012 BMW M5
Think of performance sedans, and one name pops right to the forefront: the BMW M5. Originally launched in 1985, the M5 has been the benchmark for ultimate four-door performance. Over the past few years, though, the competition has become more intense, with new entries from Jaguar and Cadillac, and an stalwarts like the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. Thankfully for Bimmerphiles everywhere, though, a new M5 has arrived for 2012.
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
There isn’t much not to like about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In fact, we think the only way of improving the gull-winged supercar is by chopping the roof off, which is exactly what Mercedes has done for 2012.
Mercedes-Benz Outlines Model Year 2012 Plans
Mercedes-Benz has released a wealth of details about the changes to the brand’s model year 2012 offerings. While some aren’t terrifically exciting, there are a few good nuggets of information pertaining to new engine options and body styles.
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
Based on the soon-to-arrive C-Class Coupe, the two-door C63 shares its powertrain with the AMG sedan, which means a sweet-sounding 6.3-liter V-8 sits under hood. Performance should be more than acceptable, with 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque on tap.
Secondhand Gems: $50K Fast Sport Utes
High-performance sport utility vehicles are a lot like veggie burgers. Yes, they can be tasty, but the whole time there’s this sense that the meal is trying to be something it’s not, which of course, is the exact truth. That doesn’t automatically mean the feast is destined to be a bad experience, just don’t take a bite expecting it to taste like a medium-rare hamburger.
Quick Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
If you ever need any hard proof of the brilliance of the AMG engineers, you should set yourself up in back-to-back test drives of a “standard” ML550, and then the ML63. Night and day. Well, night and mid-morning, anyway.
List: What Car Would You Buy With $100,000?
Here’s a party game to try out with all of your car-loving friends and family members over the upcoming holiday season. The scenario is this: someone hands you $100,000 in a suitcase and tells you to buy a car. You can only buy one vehicle with the money, and you don’t get to keep the change when you’re done.
Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG In The Cold
Our spy photographer caught the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG again, this time doing some winter testing in snowy Europe.
Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Shows Its Top
Looks like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster is undergoing further winter testing before its debut in Frankfurt, as these spy photos show. This time it has less camouflage, and we can see the actual canvas top of the vehicle.
Brabus Introduces Widestar Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Brabus has debuted the Widestar version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. As the name hints, the tuner has widened the rear of the gullwing’s body in order to add bigger tires in back, improving the car’s handling.
LA 2010: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz has just taken the wraps off of the AMG version of its new CLS-Class. The 2012 CLS63 AMG produces 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from its 5.5-liter biturocharged V-8.
Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Glimpsed
Our spy guy just delivered these sneaky peeks of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series, sure to give other factory-tuned sedans quite a fright.
First Look: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG
If you are in the market for a top-notch grand tourer, odds are you’ve already considered Aston Martin’s DB9 and DBS, Ferrari’s California, 599 GTB, and 612 Scaglietti, Maserati’s aptly named GranTurismo, and Bentley’s Continental GT. If you are looking for something more subdued, might we recommend a stop at your local Mercedes-Benz dealership?
Driven: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL- and S-Class
We’ve always wanted to be in love with the great big Mercedes CL proper 2+3 luxo-coupe, but it always ended up just sort of sitting there in the shadows of everything else going on around it in Stuttgart. It became such a wee niche that even the car’s project leader Hans Multhaupt was in favor of renaming it the S-class coupe. Frankly? We were always in favor of it, too. Still are
Brabus Tunes The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
The Gullwing just got a little cooler, thanks to makeover by Brabus. The tuner added a titanium exhaust, electronically adjustable suspension, a carbon fiber aeroynamic package, lightweight wheels, and a custom interior to the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Caught
Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of Mercedes-Benz cars, particularly of the AMG line, caught in the lens of our spy photographer. The latest is the SL AMG.
Winding Road Issue 60 Is Now Available!
In this issue of Winding Road, we drive the all-electric version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG stealthily around Norway to see what the silent Gullwing is made of.
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