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Archive for October, 2006
Mercedes-Benz CL550 First Drive - 2007
Author: <ADMINNICENAME>
Vehicle Tested:
2007 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class 2dr Coupe
First Impressions:
It’s not as athletic as a BMW 6 Series and less eye-catching than the Jaguar XK, but the Mercedes-Benz CL550 delivers the luxury end of the equation so well, you’ll forget about the rest.
Hutzenlaub is right about the previous-generation CL500. Its exterior design was understated to the point of being forgettable. The fact that it was an otherwise flawless coupe wasn’t always enough. Now that Hutzenlaub’s team has given the new CL550 a more memorable shape, all the engineers had to do was keep up.
Big car, small streets
The engineers at Mercedes-Benz rarely get left behind at anything, so it’s no surprise that the CL550 feels just about perfect a half hour into a drive on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The narrow, shoulderless streets make the car feel massive, mostly because it is. At 199.4 inches in length, this new CL is 3 inches longer, nearly an inch taller and slighter wider than the previous model. Those numbers put it about 9 inches longer than a BMW 6 Series and only about 5 inches shy of the S-Class sedan.
Weight is up, too. At 4360 pounds, the CL550 is more than 500 pounds heavier than the 650Ci and has nearly 700 pounds on the Jaguar XK. Program Chief Hans-Dieter Multhaupt says the extra pounds come from additional safety equipment, more interior features and the bulked-up hardware needed to give the CL even better performance.
The biggest chunk of that hardware is Mercedes’ new 5.4-liter V8 and the seven-speed automatic transmission that goes with it. Together they shave nearly a second off the previous CL’s 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds, according to Mercedes. Sending 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels, the new engine is one of Mercedes’ cleanest, most fuel-efficient V8s ever, while the gearbox not only offers seven speeds, it also has three shift programs: Comfort, Sport and Manual.
Adjustable transmissions are nothing new, but in this CL the system is integrated with Mercedes’ second-generation Active Body Control (ABC) suspension which is now standard. Going from Normal to Sport not only gets you more aggressive shifts, it stiffens up the adjustable struts and quickens the engine’s throttle response. Manual mode delivers even quicker shifts and gives you full control of the gearchanges through steering-wheel-mounted buttons. Throttle and ABC settings remain the same.
Photo Gallery:
read comments (0)The Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Extreme Will Smoke Your Ass
Author: <ADMINNICENAME>
The second pimped-out performance ride we had the opportunity to taste this morning at the Dearborn Development Center was a meaty F-150 pickup seasoned with an FX2 package and then spiced-out with add-on accessories straight from the pages of Ford accessories catalogs. That’s the message the FoMoCo media mommies were pushing today — that this pickup with pick-up (the 5.4 liter V8 delivers 450hp to be precise, thanks to a Ford racing screw-type supercharger with ceramic-coated headers and Ford Racing side exhausts) could be designed by any die-hard Ford truck man (or woman, I’m sure) just by checking the right boxes on FoMoCo’s in-house parts catalog. In addition to some neat little touches to the outside of the truck including a dark billet grille, headlamp treatments, monochromatic paint and “unique wheels” it also sports some neat techie features like headrest mounted video entertainment units for the little ‘uns and a line-in on the top of the dashboard — plus it’s got a hard fiberglass tonneau cover to close-up the rear end from the elements. But despite the interior prettiness, as you can see from the photo above, the most attractive feature are the 450 horses under the hood, giving you more than enough go to take care of getting your ass to the job site and back in style. Smokey burnouts not included.
read comments (0)2006 Tiree Wave Classic
Author: <ADMINNICENAME>
If it’s ever windy where you live, spare a thought for those poor souls out on the Isle of Tiree, they get battered with it 365 days a year. The only upside is that they get to host one of the sickest Windsurfing events in the calendar; the Tiree Wave Classic.
Despite some decidedly dodgy weather conditions this time around the contest still went off with a bang, hardly surprising when a well known beer company were providing the refreshments!
In the Ladies competition it was a two-way battle for supremacy with Ruth Elliot’s aggressive riding eventually staving off a determined effort from Louise Emery. Congratulations to Ruth but Louise will no doubt be looking for revenge in the months to come.
In the Mens event Phil Horrocks was laying it down for all to see, and despite winning the prize for the most extreme move of the week his performance was only good enough for third place.
That was because Andy King and Jamie Hancock were ripping it up with a consistency and style which no-one else could match. Both were hitting huge airs and landing them with ease.
It must have been a super tough decision, but the judges decided that Jamie was the better man on the day and the title was his.
And then there was the after-party, the phrase ‘fun and frolics’ simply doesn’t come close – a cracking finale to a wicked weekend.
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