Mercedes-Benz CL (07 on) - Review

Although it's a coupe, the back seats aren't a token effort with reasonable room for two adults. Legroom is only adequate, but the leather seats are deep, supportive and supremely comfortable for long journeys. While it's undoubtedly a performance car, the ride is very forgiving and on the motorway - it's almost as smooth as an S-Class. The cabin is sumptuous and exceptionally well insulated. In fact it's near-silent at speed, which is even more surprising given that it's powered by characterful V8 and V12 engines.

At five metres long it is little surprise that the CL is not shy of interior space. The boot is huge too with more than enough room for a weekend's luggage and at 490 litres it's larger than a C-Class. Its height off the ground and narrow opening means it can be difficult to access, especially with awkward shaped loads but there's a lot of cabin storage and a decent-sized glovebox.

This Mercedes excels when it comes to long distance driving, where it's ultra comfortable. The driving position is endlessly adjustable and the CL600 gets ventilated seats to keep you cool in the summer along with a system that inflates the bolsters to keep you in your seat if you're cornering quickly. All the controls are operated through a centre console, which is user-friendly and does away with lots of buttons. The speedo clock is a digital image and combines with the on-board computer to give the driver a range of additional information. Where the Night View Assist option is specified the speedo is replaced at the flick of a button by an image from an infra red camera giving the driver advanced warning in poorly lit situations.