Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.  Kicking things off this balmy Monday afternoon comes the first of two Mercedes Review Roundup installments, starting with one that looks at the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, the S450 4MATIC, the CLC 200K and the Maybach 62 S.  As is the case with all our Review Roundups, you can find excerpts from each review as well the links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG (via Automobile)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"Delivery of the car to our office was delayed as a previous loan put in 'bad fuel'. I'm not sure if this meant bad quality or low octane but all was sorted and it showed up at our office. During the first 200 miles or so, the S65 didn't feel as crazy fast or powerful as I remembered. Sure, it is blistering on the highway but it didn't feel much faster than the S63. I ran the car until the reserve light came on and then filled it up at a Sunoco station with 94 octane. Wow, did it make a difference. The freight train pull was back and I felt the full power of that mega V-12. It looks like the S65 wants to drink the good stuff. And does it drink. On a lengthy highway journey running just over 80 mph, it averaged 17 mpg. I guess that's better than many full size SUVs.

In the end, I'm still not sold on these 'sporty' S-Class models but they are fast. They're quite pointless and I can't understand why Mercedes insists on tuning in so much weight into the steering. Plus, the ride can get a little rough on broken pavement. I'd save the cash and get an S550.

One last thing, both the S63 and S65 sound great when you start them up from cold. Both raise up the revs at idle when cold and sound fantastic. OK, maybe that's where the extra money goes."

Read Full Review »



Mercedes-Benz S450 4MATIC (via Auto123.com)
Reviewer's rating: 

"Leather, wood and metal come together inside for an opulent atmosphere that's as comfortable and relaxing as a full-day spa treatment. All the while, every sci-fi gizmo is present- including voice control, electronic displays, navigation, and even a central-command system.

It's all extremely well made and comfortable, and every moving part has a heavy, solid and bolted-down feel. Despite a relatively restrained looking visual execution, it's easily the most purely sumptuous interior you've probably ever visited.

A magnificent Harman Kardon stereo drenches the cabin with rich, triumphant sound or complete silence at a twist of the volume knob. It's ready to satisfy your every mood, and the adaptive transmission and suspension systems do the same. A tap on a switch dials up a comfortable and soft attitude, or an aggressive and sporty one.

The engine matches this eager-to-please character as well, depending on the positioning of your right foot. Cruise at 130, and the S-Class's 7-speed automatic allows the 335 horsepower V8 to spin along at a mere 2000 revs. In the process, there's a subtle calm with minimal road and wind noise. You could nearly hear a pin drop."

Read Full Review »



Mercedes-Benz CLC 200K (via CarPoint.com.au)
Reviewer's rating: 

"From behind the wheel it's easy to appreciate that the 200K is amply brisk, securely balanced and an all-round good drive.  Apart from constricted rear view, the CLC presents few if any targets for criticism. Alright, the cowl may be a bit higher than short occupants would ideally wish, and purists may grizzle about Merc's inevitable foot-operated park brake.

Far more significantly, the accommodations are visually and physically hospitable, and the driving dynamics are sufficiently broad-based to inflict no undue demands on everyday motoring, yet encourage exploitation when enthusiasm effervesces and winding roads beckon.

At first the Direct-Steer system feels overly responsive, making the car distractingly darty, but it all becomes second nature and wonderfully, um, direct once you're accustomed to its off-centre alacrity and precision. Afterwards, regular steering seems vaguely lazy, needing handful after handful of wheel twirling."

Read Full Review »



Maybach 62S (via TimesOnline)
Reviewer's rating: 

"On the Bedford Autodrome racetrack it performs a little bit like that television commercial that showed an overweight man – actually a gymnast in a fat suit – doing back flips. Hoof the throttle and the Maybach will sprint to 60mph in 5.4sec, faster than a Porsche Boxster 2.7. It stops surging ahead when it reaches 155mph only because of an automatic speed limiter.

The marketing spiel insists the new Maybach preserves the spirit of the original – a luxury marque in the first half of the last century. But I’m afraid that’s a little bit like saying Burberry check is the choice of the English country set. It may have been once, but you and I know it isn’t now.

The truth is, the Maybach is new money. It doesn’t contain an ounce of heritage (unlike the Rolls which, with the BMW Mini, is a successful fusion of British design flair and German attention to detail; designed by Brits, refined by Fritz). In every other respect, though, the Maybach is the superior car [compared to the Rolls-Royce Phantom] and exposes the Phantom for what it is, a rather prim and stately slowcoach."

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And before I go, a special thanks to our friend Shiv for the tips.  As always my good sir, we sincerely appreciate it.