There's no question that every tuner's house style suits certain models better than others. For instance, I like the AMG styling on the CL and Carlsson's take on the SL. Now that we have seen all the major tuners' interpretations of the CLS, I think the most aesthetically pleasing version comes from Brabus.
With its neat lower front lip, four fog and driving lights below the bumper and subtle three-piece rear spoiler, this conversion is fairly restrained compared to some of its competitors. And it looks amazing in black.
The big 8.5 and 9.5x19-inch Brabus Monoblock VI wheels with 245/35-19 and 275/30-19 ContiSportContact 2 tires are big enough to fill out the arches without impacting negatively on the ride and handling and strike just the right balance of appearance, ride and handling.
In stock form, the CLS suspension is pretty effective on the road. With the lowered ride height and bigger rubber, the 10% quicker steering and improved front suspension geometry shows off the full potential of the E Class-derived chassis. It does not feel out of its depth when asked to handle the extra power and torque of the Brabus 6.1S motor.
The big brakes are the usual Brabus/Alcon units with 14.2-inch cross-drilled vented discs and six-pot calipers in front with stock discs and four-pot calipers at the rear. Their ability to slow the car from huge speeds never ceases to amaze, and they are as impressive in both bite and resistance to fade as the 440-bhp motor is in its ability to project the car down the road like a ballistic missile.
Taken to 6,034cc with a 99.5mm x 97.0mm bore and stroke, the normal Brabus 6.1 motor is good for 420 bhp at 5400rpm with 458 lb-ft of torque at 4100rpm. However, continuing development found that using the big-valve heads from the 5.5-liter AMG engine and even more radical camshaft timing resulted in 440 bhp at 5500 rpm and 469 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm for the 6.1S.
The way this big V8 dumps its burnt gases into the big bore exhaust system, with its four purposeful highly polished outlets, gives it a deeper and more aggressive V8 growl. Its character is brawny and muscular and suits the sharpened chassis perfectly.
It is only in moments of quiet cruising, when you experience the smoother flipside of the CLS, that it may occur to you how odd it is for a cultured car like this to have such a thuggish alter ego. But if Arnold Schwarzenegger can wear Armani, a brutish motor can exist in a vehicle as suave as this. -Ian KuahBrabus (949)797-0177 www.brabus.com