{"id":25027,"date":"2019-06-07T15:36:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/mountain-wheels-turbo-power-diversifies-mercedes-cls-performance-models\/"},"modified":"2019-06-07T15:36:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:36:00","slug":"mountain-wheels-turbo-power-diversifies-mercedes-cls-performance-models","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/local-news\/mountain-wheels-turbo-power-diversifies-mercedes-cls-performance-models\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Wheels: Turbo power diversifies Mercedes\u2019 CLS performance models"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The move to provide distinctive and ultra-specific choices to every Euro-Luxe customer on the planet now means an absolutely bewildering range of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, even among the company\u2019s once-exclusive AMG performance line.<\/p>\n

And so while you once could soup up only Mercedes\u2019s sleek and sexy CLS coupe-sedan mix with a roaring 5.5-liter V-8 poking toward 600 horsepower \u2013 and yes, you still can \u2013 the new AMG CLS53 model has appeared to provide a thrilling alternative with a 3.0-liter inline-six engine turbocharged to an impressive 429 horsepower.<\/p>\n

As much as I loved the higher-power CLS63 on a drive a few years back \u2014 it remains the car my mother wants me to buy her when I finally win the lottery \u2014 this somewhat more low-key CLS53 has all of the AMG sports experience, plus what might arguably be a better setup for high-altitude, all-season driving. And really, at a little more than $87,000, optioned out, my all-wheel-drive 4Matic CLS53 was really not austere in any way.<\/p>\n

Granted, casual usage and start-ups do not provide quite the same perversely gurgling cascade of muscle car exhaust, with mostly pretty mild turbo engine noises experienced instead.<\/p>\n

But flip the dynamic mode rocker into Sport Plus and not only do you get an endless series of rude blaaps and braats as the car hustles through its nine-speed transmission, you\u2019ll switch over the exhaust to noisy mode and irritate the neighbors \u2014 as you might do when you totally floor the car, in any mode.<\/p>\n

These options reinforce CLS\u2019s position as a sort-of family-friendly speed machine. Meaning it is ideal for spirited cavorting, strangely decent in the snow but really set up for Southern California-style conspicuous consumption galleria cruising.<\/p>\n

I got a combination of all of that last week while rolling in the CLS, both gifted and damned by super-high-performance winter tires that made our ongoing winter-spring blend a safe experience, but somewhat restrained my cornering audacity on a tour over Squaw Pass near Mount Evans.<\/p>\n

Suffice to say that the CLS53 hauls along impressively, with deftly grounded and firm cornering and ride characteristics. Its electronically controlled, air-damper-enhanced handling, especially with winter tires, bordered on brutally precise, and I had to be very careful to avoid the ever-widening potholes on Interstate 70 to avoid destroying the vehicle\u2019s beautiful 19-inch wheels.<\/p>\n

You also can pretend you\u2019re in full race-car mode as you settle into the highly sculpted and heavily bolstered seats, gripping the asymmetrical race wheel and stomping on the aluminum pedals or tapping the super-fast shift paddles through the car\u2019s nine-speed, high-performance transmission. Compound brakes also offer confident stops from bigger speeds.<\/p>\n

The core CLS provides dazzlingly streamlined looks, with a long, loopy roofline that looks head-crushing for adult-sized rear passengers but offered ample room. But the AMG performance upgrades really spice up the whole low-slung and visually broad vehicle, enhancing its jet-engine-styled face, swapping in those super-cool, chrome-outlined black AMG wheels and an aggressive splitter on top of the trunk lid. The puffed-out quad pipes in the rear also mean business, V-8 or not.<\/p>\n

The vehicle also enjoys the added push of Mercedes Benz\u2019s electrified EQ system, which provides an additional 21 horsepower of overboost, but also acts as a light hybrid setup to accentuate performance and provide 48 volts, a precursor to the fully hybrid models on the very near horizon.<\/p>\n

Like other new Mercedes models, the cabin has been equipped with a double-length, all-digital instrument and navigation\/entertainment screen, using tiny touch-sensitive thumb trackballs on the steering wheel or a knob\/touchpad on the center console. You can customize the instrument displays and get gigantic and brilliant maps.<\/p>\n

Interior details are equally dazzling, with a wide swath of real carbon fiber throughout the cabin, six jet-engine-styled air vents and leather with highlight stitching on virtually every surface. Adjust the temperature and you get LED lighting feedback in the vents.<\/p>\n

Invite some friends or family into the back seat and they\u2019ll enjoy equally posh amenities, including the aluminum covers over the high-end Burmester surround sound system and suede inserts in the seats to keep them planted while you test out the CLS\u2019s handling.<\/p>\n

Access via the rear doors is a little truncated but the sculpted roofline is actually tall enough to provide reasonable headroom. A sizeable transmission hump and a very small center spot make the vehicle more appropriate and comfortable for four passengers, though Mercedes boasts that the setup is actually an improvement from previous rear seat design.<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The move to provide distinctive and ultra-specific choices to every Euro-Luxe customer on the planet now means an absolutely bewildering range of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, even among the company\u2019s once-exclusive AMG performance line. And so while you once could soup up only Mercedes\u2019s sleek and sexy CLS coupe-sedan mix with a roaring 5.5-liter V-8 poking toward […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 19:27:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIFT - The LIFT FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25027\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}