Stein Inges Car & Photoblog: AMG. OMG.

I´ve been a fan of Mercedes´ glidy-comfy-sturdy-yet-elegant-ness for quite some time. Even though they´ve had their share of problems with rust and electronics, the Benz-mobiles always seem to have a feel of longivety. But I´ve never really looked at a Mercedes-Benz and thought "wow, that´s a sporty looking automobile. I would like to drive it fast through twisty bends." That´s because I´d never really tasted an AMG.

I feel that I must apologise for the predictive text-pun above. I wouldn´t blame you for thinking that this photo blog is written by a 15 year old girl. I promise you, it´s not. There´s no Justin Bieber photos or need-to-know tips on how to apply make-up foundation here. But the CLS 63 AMG really made me giggle like a little school girl. And not just on the straightaways either. This massive chunk of German engineering (well over 1900 kg with fluids) somehow manages to seem light-footed when being chucked at a vicious bend. It goes like this: you enter it, apply a healthy dose of steering wheel lock, wait for the understeer to happen, get taken aback when it doesn´t, add some more lock and get totally blown away when the car eagerly leans even further towards the apex without a merest hint of front-wheel trauma. And when the bend opens up, you floor the pedal, releasing all those glorious 525 horses and feel the massive kick from 700 Newtonmetres. It´s like riding on a massive tidal wave, only broken when realising you´re still in Norway and yes, that´s a speed camera coming at you at an impressive pace.

So what´s the big deal? There are several cars out there that can deliver massive output as well as handling like a dream. There´s even a few that offers comfortable seating for four people as well as luggage, just like the CLS. But the comparison ends here. Take a few steps back and behold - a muscle car / performance car / Autobahn-shredder / cruise missile that actually looks GOOD. And that´s a real feat.

This week I´ve been fortunate enough to compare this car to its main rivals, the BMW M5 and the
Porsche Panamera Turbo. Both feature twin-turbocharged V8s with 500 horsepowers or more, just like the CLS 63 AMG. The M5, must be said, is a real beast. With 560 horses at your right foot and a temper unlike none other both on street and track, it´s probably the better drivers car. (The Panamera Turbo, you ask? Well, it simply doesn´t appeal to me, so I won´t annoy all the Stuttgart brothers out there by saying it´s a piece of ****. It really isn´t. It´s just not in the same league as the other two...)

But the problem with the M5 is not driving it, it´s getting out and looking at it. Yes, it´s got four great big exhaust pipes that snarl and shout and pops when driving in a spirited manner. But standing still, they look a bit... aftermarket. Huge side vents behind the front wheelarches are a nice touch, but it doesn´t hide the fact that any guy with a 5-series can beef up its looks and turn it into an M5 clone with a bolt-on exhaust system and some simple Rieger styling. And that´s not cool in my book. A hairy car shouldn´t be easily copied.

So am I saying that a guy owning a Mercedes CLS can´t possibly give it the AMG look? No. He can even buy the full AMG pack (sans the engine, of course) when ordering a new car, just as a BMW customer can give his fiver a real M treatment (albeit not a cheap one...). What I´m saying, is that a Mercedes CLS-owner is less likely to do so. And that says a lot.