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The breathtakingly beautiful coupe-like car with four doors now boasts a 469-horsepower V8 engine from AMG, the high-performance division of Mercedes-Benz. AMG has worked its magic on the CLS powertrain, interior and exterior, including AMG sport seats with nappa leather and new-design 19-inch AMG alloy wheels.
More Power and Grace for the Graceful CLS
While the CLS500 debuted in Canada in January with a 302-horsepower 5.0-litre V8, the new CLS55 AMG is powered by the Engine Technology International magazine's "Best Performance Engine" of 2003 - a supercharged 5.5-litre V8 that makes 469 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft of torque for eye-popping 0-100 km/h acceleration times of 4.7 seconds! The impressive power of the CLS55 AMG can be attributed to sophisticated supercharger technology that's found in the E55 AMG and SL55 AMG. A belt-driven Lysholm screw-type supercharger is located between the V8 cylinder banks and works together with a special intercooler to ensure low-temperature, high-density intake air. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a five-speed AMG Speedshift automatic transmission that can be manually shifted from either the conventional shift lever or from Formula-1 style gearshift buttons on the ergonomic AMG sports steering wheel.
To give performance-minded drivers total control of shifting, the manual mode of AMG Speedshift doesn't permit any automatic upshifts - even at max engine speed - or automatic downshifts, even under full load. AMG Speedshift electronic control provides 35 faster gear shifts and torque converter lockup from 1st gear.
Beauty That Is More Than Skin Deep
AMG engineers developed a new sports suspension for the CLS55 AMG that's based on the Mercedes-Benz semi-active air suspension. For flatter cornering, the springs, shocks and stabilizer bars are stiffer than on the CLS500. The CLS55 AMG air suspension includes automatic level control that maintains ride height even when the car is loaded with passengers and cargo, and the driver can choose from three sport-comfort settings as well.
Speed-sensitive power steering ensures low steering effort for low speed maneuvers such as parallel parking but automatically reduces the steering assist above 100 km/h to provide good road feel.
To make sure the CLS55 AMG stops as fast as it goes, giant vented and perforated disc brakes all around feature 355 mm (14-inch) discs and eight-piston calipers up front and 330 mm (13-inch) discs with four-piston calipers at the rear. Staggered 19-inch wheels with 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 inch widths carry 255/35 tires in front and 285/30 at the rear.
To help handle all the power, the ESP system can apply the brakes on just one wheel to transfer torque to the wheels with better traction, achieving much the same effect as a limited-slip differential. Beefier driveshafts, heavy-duty rear suspension parts and a stronger differential housing with cooling fins complete the package.
Powerful Supercharger Nestled in the Notch
The impressive power of the AMG V8 comes through a belt-driven "Lysholm," or screw-type supercharger that spins at over 23,000 rpm, making a maximum pressure of 11.6 psi, or 0.8 bar.
The supercharger is NOT spinning all the time. Depending on engine speed and load, the engine management computer decides whether to engage the supercharger via an electromagnetic clutch. Imperceptible to the driver, this system provides the best of both worlds - the efficiency of a non-supercharged engine at idle and part-throttle as well as the prodigious power of supercharging whenever it's needed.