Radar also plays a part in the new Park Assist system, which replaces Parktronic. Ask it for help, and it will measure possible parallel parking places suitable for the CL's dimensions, alert you it has found one, and then guide you into place with a graphic bird's-eye view of the scenario shown on the new COMAND system's display screen.
The coolest new feature, however, is the improved infrared Night View Assist system. Two projectors in the headlights shoot out invisible infrared beams in two separate arcs. Images reflected in the beams are then picked up by a camera mounted in the windshield and converted to a grayscale image on the high-resolution display.
High-tech lighting is another aspect of Mercedes' holistic approach to safety. Not only do the CL's headlamps perform wondrous swiveling tricks and adaptions to rural roads or high-speed highways, the taillights also play a more crucial role in reducing collisions. Now, when the driver of a CL hits the brake pedal hard, the rear LED taillights blink rapidly, quickly alerting following traffic that something is happening up ahead. This industry first also turns on the emergency flashers when the car comes to a halt after emergency braking, turning them off again only after the car exceeds 6 mph.
Yeah, you get what you pay for and all CL-Class cars are magnificent returns on the dollar--from the most modestly equipped eight-cylinder CL550 through to the 12-cylinder CL600, up to the most lavishly appointed CL63. Every model comes with an astonishing array of creature comforts and technological innovation, yet none are intimidating.
This patrician character has come naturally to Mercedes' flagships since the 300S coupe of 1952, and the spectacular performance-tuned luxury coupe rolling me on toward Munich might, one day, be considered the best of a great lineage. After all, it got me to the airport on time.
*Three engines: a powerful V8, a more powerful twin-turbo V12 and the most powerful range-topping 6.2-liter V8 from AMG
*Pre-Safe Brake, a system that can save the inattentive driver by automatically applying the binders in an emergency situation
*Park Assist will find a suitable space and guide you into a parking spot via cool digital graphics
*Interior borrowed from the S-Class but with even more custom fittings and high-end materials, spectacular seats and a friendly central COMAND center
*Second-gen active air suspension transforms the CL from a cushy cruiser to a sport coupe at the push of a button
*Standard 18-inch wheels on the CL550 and CL600 can be upgraded to the standard 19-inchers on the CL63 AMG