Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 63 AMG 4dr Car Review - March 2012

The CLS-Class coupe engines all vary vastly in performance, but the special version 63 AMG is in a league of its own with super fast speed and an incredibly smooth drive.

You can select which chassis setting you want for the CLS-Class and this affects handling and suspension of the coupe. The suspension is absorptive and makes the drive fairly smooth even on rough surfaces. Steering is good too.

The V8 engine is 5461cc and uses super unleaded petrol with a fuel tank capacity of 80 litres. There is a seven-speed automatic gearbox, which provides smooth acceleration.

The engine is refined and there is a little wind noise at high speeds, but otherwise the coupes are quiet without too much exterior noise penetrating the cabin.

The 63 AMG has a 518bhp engine delivering 516lb-ft of torque at 1700-5000rpm and reaches 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds with a top speed of 155mph.

The interior of the CLS-Class coupe is well-designed and high-quality, living up to the reputation of Mercedes-Benz as a stylish manufacturer, especially as some of the features are the same as the S-Class cars.

The seat and steering wheel adjust comfortably and the dash is fairly comprehensive, although the controls are quite small and fiddly. The seats are supportive and comfortable and the visibility good.

The 63 AMG comes with leather seats, power steering, cruise control, rear parking sensors, metallic paint, climate control, stability control, alloy wheels, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, MP3 connectivity and stereo as standard.

For fuel economy, the CLS-Class coupe has a start/stop system, which allows for great efficiency and low CO2 emissions.

The CLS-Class coupe comes with all the safety equipment you would expect in a high-quality car including driver, passenger and front side airbags, alarm and immobiliser as standard. It also has the stability control, Attention Assist system, which alerts tired drivers, the Pre-Safe anticipatory crash-protection system and a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians in the case of a collision.

Mercedes-Benz has a great record in reliability and came 6th in the 2011 JD Power survey out of 28 other manufacturers.

The boot is a fair size offering 520 litres of space. The CLS-Class coupe seats four quite comfortably and there is plenty of head and leg room in both the front and the back.

The running costs are usually modest with the CLS-Class coupe due to the efficient engine stop/start system, although the size of this engine does make that efficiency fairly redundant. The 63 AMG model costs £80,645 and has a combined economy of 28.5mpg and CO2 emission rate of 231g/km.

The CLS-Class coupe is incredibly expensive, much more so than the E-Class. The running costs are steep too, although still fairly good considering the size of this V8 engine. For those concerned with efficiency, a smaller diesel engine in the CLS-Class would fare much better, but the performance of the CLS cannot be beaten.

The 63 AMG comes with loads of equipment and is definitely not short on features as standard.

The resale value on the CLS-Class coupe is not as good as the less expensive E-Class. However, Mercedes-Benz promise good service and reliability as well, but servicing is expensive.