Mercedes-Benz CLS500
If what Mercedes says is true, a quick check of the e-mail would serve as proof.
Let’s see. There are 348 invites to buy Viagra cheap; 231 messages saying a mortgage has been approved; and, as always, a couple missives from Nigeria promising to send a fortune this way if we first send one that way.
But no threats from Mercedes owners to hold their breath until their skin turns as blue as their blood unless the automaker produces a four-door sedan that looks like a coupe.
Yet, Mercedes has done just that. For 2006, it has come up with the Mercedes-Benz CLS500, a four-door “coupe” derived from the E-Class sedan platform to satisfy driving enthusiasts enamored with two-door models.
“We wanted the styling of a coupe, the four-door function of a sedan,” Mercedes spokesman Rob Moran said. “Enthusiasts place a big emphasis on style and luxury, and the coupe styling of the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 makes a statement.
“Our only rival is the BMW 6-Series, a traditional two-door,” he added.
Even with only one rival, the CLS will be a niche vehicle with sales projected at 12,000 units annually.
While BMW sells about 8,000 6-Series coupes annually, sales of the CLS through June already top the 8,400 mark. And reports are that the cars aren’t staying in showrooms long enough to gather dust.
If memory serves, the compact C-Class started the look-like-a-coupe trend a few years ago when it abandoned the stand-up sedan roof line in favor of the coupe sloper.
When testing the car, a surprising number of admirers took two to three glances and smiled in approval. Of course, none were invited to get in or out of the back seat.
Mercedes says the look stirs emotions. It neglected to warn that the roofline stirs the brains as the melon bangs off the rear glass and bumps against the roof when in the back seat and when trying to escape.
When you open the door, the roofline offers a minuscule entryway, not the spacious arch provided by a stand-up roof.
In fairness, cabin room upfront is pretty good, thanks to door panels curved sharply outward to provide massive arm room. But whether front or back, a center console and transmission tunnel separate occupants so you feel compartmentalized.
Next up for the coupe look is the top-of-the-line S-Class sedan that comes out in the first quarter of next year as a 2007 model.
On the positive side, the 5-liter, 302-horsepower V-8 does a good job of moving the more than 4,000-pound car, with a zero to 60 mph time of less than 6 seconds.
But such quick propulsion results in a 16 m.p.g. city/22 m.p.g. highway rating and a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax.
The V-8 is teamed with a new 7-speed automatic, which Mercedes said made for a wider spread of ratios between first and top gear and smaller increases in engine speed as the car accelerates to maximize performance and mileage. But it didn’t maximize enough to avoid that guzzler tax.
Those who want more action can opt for the high-performance CLS55 AMG version with its 5.5-liter, 469-h.p. V-8. But be prepared to dig deep into pocket or purse because it starts about $20,000 more than the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 at $87,375.
And with a 14 m.p.g. city/20 m.p.g. highway rating, add a $1,700 guzzler tax.
While short on mileage, the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 is strong on ride and handling. It’s very mobile for its weight, and you don’t feel all the poundage in the wheel. It’s not cumbersome, and the turning radius is surprisingly tight.
The CLS comes with a computer-controlled air suspension system to continuously upgrade ride quality based on road surface and vehicle speed.
It also has electronic stability control, traction control and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Can’t fault the quality of the ride or the precision of the handling.
The Mercedes-Benz CLS500 starts at $64,900 and, as you’d expect, comes with power windows, mirrors, locks, sunroof and AM/FM/CD systems. You also get dual-stage front air bags with sensors that detect whether a passenger is in the seat and the size of that passenger to determine at what speed the bag should deploy. And there are front and rear side-impact bags as well as side-curtain bags with rollover sensors.
When it comes to attention to detail, there’s four-zone climate control so each occupant can set his or her preferred temperature; power adjustable steering column; and heated wipers and washer jets.
To help spot the car in a dark lot, not only do head and tail lamps light up when you press the key fob, so do parking lamps, license plate lamp and front fog lamps.
You can get a slew of other goodies for a price, though, unfortunately, a helmet for rear-seat occupants isn’t offered.
A power-operated rear window sunshade and ventilated front seats that heat in the winter, cool in the summer, are part of a $3,650 premium package.
Adaptive cruise control that keeps a safe distance between you and the car ahead using brakes or engine management runs $3,130.
Self-leveling bi-xenon headlights that turn in the direction of a curve and keep the proper aim even when the car accelerates quickly or brakes hard are $1,220. Bi-xenon provides a brighter, whiter light without the blue tint common with regular xenon lamps.
And there’s a power deck lid. Press the key fob or button on the driver’s door to open (or a button on the deck lid or driver’s door to close) after paying $510. With the coupe slope, the trunk isn’t very deep once open.
Rather than camouflage a sedan to look like a coupe, Mercedes should have devoted its energy to scoring better in the influential J.D. Power and Associates studies.
In the recent Power dependability study, for example, Mercedes placed 27th, up from 28th a year ago, but still behind Pontiac, Volvo, Jaguar, Dodge, Nissan, and, for heaven’s sake, the deceased Oldsmobile.
“Power surveyed owners of 2002 models, and there’s a lag time between problems reported and changes made,” Moran said.
“We were marked down for excessive brake dust, cupholders (small and flimsy, as the survey says) and uneven tire wear, but we’ve made changes to our cars in those areas since 2002.
“We now give owners concerned about excessive brake dust a wheel cleaning kit and starting with the `05 models we offer a complimentary tire rotation at 6,500 miles for those concerned with tire wear.
“Cupholders are difficult for the Germans (Mercedes engineers) to understand since you don’t find too many 44-ounce cups except during Octoberfest,” Morgan said. “But we’ve made revisions and now you can get one 32-ounce and one 44-ounce cupholder in the M-Class (SUV), and with the R-Class (crossover) this fall one 44-ounce and two 32-ounce cupholders.”
Knowing that, Mercedes owners can now rest better though not in the back seat of a Mercedes-Benz CLS500.
2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS500
Wheelbase: 112.4 inches
Length: 194 inches
Engine: 5-liter, 302-h.p., 24-valve V-8
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Fuel economy: 16 m.p.g. city/22 m.p.g. highway
Base price: $64,900
Price as tested: $72,450. Includes $510 for electronic trunk closer; $890 for wood/leather shift knob and steering wheel; $1,200 for bi-xenon lamps with active lighting and headlamps washers; $3,650 for Premium package with ventilated and heated seats, DVD navigation system, CD changer, power rear window shade and Harman Kardon audio system. Add $1,300 for gas-guzzler tax and $720 for freight.
Pluses: Eye-catching design. A new novelty for Mercedes aficionados.
Minuses: Head-bumping design so helmet should be an option. Gas-guzzler tax.
Q.
My car is 22 years old so I don’t have to worry about an air bag exploding. But I rent cars now and then, and there’s no way to turn off the air bag. Car buyers should have the right to choose air bags or no air bags. If cars came with no air bags, a lot more would be sold. And look at the money saved if you could order a car without them. If new cars were sold without air bags, used cars could be labeled “No Bags,” and they would sell more quickly.
J.A., Palos Hills, Ill.
A.
To support your theory that bags are bad, you enclosed a news article from California about a man who some witnesses say may have been unable to see where he was going because his air bag had deployed. He ran into a crowd where he killed eight people and injured 40.
But the article also said the man was 86 and told police he “saw something in front of him, tried to stop, hit the gas (instead of the brake pedal) and continued to go forward.”
Chances are that even if the bag was in his way, he would have had time to apply the brake before striking 48 people. So perhaps there was another reason for the accident.
That aside, bags deploy in fractions of a second and release the air and collapse almost as quickly to cushion the blow when an occupant hits it. So it’s hard to believe a bag was blocking the view when they don’t stay deployed.
Federal law mandates all the safety technology found in cars now that is absent from your 1983 sedan. There’s a good chance that if you run into someone or something or someone or something runs into you, potential injuries from a deploying air bag would be minor compared with those from an unprotected crash.
Q.
I believe that if an automaker comes out with an affordable hybrid sport-utility vehicle, it’ll hit the proverbial home run. The Highlander is available as a hybrid, but Toyota forces the buyer to purchase thousands of dollars of extra features. Your thoughts?
R.T., Elwood, Ill.
A.
It’s difficult to fathom that folks who willingly hand over $1 and more for a pint of bottled water revolt at paying a premium for a high-tech gas/electric car.
Yet many consumers are vocal in their belief that hybrids should be priced the same as gas models. If they were, hybrids would sell in higher numbers than they do now.
But that, of course, won’t happen for now because it costs automakers more to develop and produce a hybrid than it does a gas-only vehicle.
The added cost, at least a share of it, is passed along to consumers. Several industry observers feel even with the premiums, hybrids are being sold at a loss by automakers more concerned with getting established in that segment for the long term than in turning a short-term profit.
The Highlander hybrid, as you point out, carries not only a $4,500 premium for the power system, it also has as standard items that are optional on the gas model, but for $2,300 to $3,200. That means, Toyota is getting $6,800 to $7,700 more for the hybrid than the gas version _ and may be losing money.
Q.
Why does every article I’ve seen regarding hybrids focus on the extra cost of the electric system, but neglects the federal tax credit for purchasing one? It’s my understanding the tax credit for 2005 is $3,000.
M.P., Oak Park, Ill.
A.
You understand wrong. And the IRS calls it a tax deduction, not a tax credit. The deduction is $2,000 for 2005, $500 for 2006 and zip for 2007. The deduction takes some sting out of paying a premium, but doesn’t offset it. But as we’ve said before, if consumers want to reduce, if not eliminate, our dependence on foreign oil while cleaning the air, they have to expect to pay for it.
Q.
In your comments to M.P., Chicago concerning warranty advice, I used to think the same way as you do _ buy a product that doesn’t require expensive service and you won’t have to buy the warranty. But I don’t possess a crystal ball to predict how an expensive automotive product is going to perform in the future, so it’s a wise investment.
M.P., Chicago
A.
If something goes wrong and it costs more than what you paid for the warranty, it’s a wise investment. If nothing goes wrong or the problem isn’t covered based on neglect or abuse, it’s a poor investment. Actually, either way it’s not an investment, it’s a gamble.
