JumpinJim

I got to spend some time driving the 2015 CLS63 today. Thought I'd share what I thought about it. I owned a 2012 CLS63 for 2 years for those interested in how it compares. I thought it would be very same feeling, and in many ways it was familiar, but in the areas where I felt the CLS was weakest it's been improved.

I always felt the achilles heel of the CLS, and every other AMG really, was the lackluster performance of the MCT transmission. AMG revised the software and hardware of the MCT in the 2015 CLS and it shows. To be honest it’s a night and day difference. The MCT of yesterday was slow shifting and slow to respond to any inputs. This newly revised MCT is extremely responsive. I tried it in the S+ and M modes and when you hit the paddles to shift, it shifts. Right then and there. It doesn’t think about it for a second, it just does it. And it does it a lot faster. It’s not quite as fast or responsive as the BMW M DCT, but it’s so close it doesn’t really matter. AMG really nailed it with the revised MCT. Anyone poo-pooing the car for not having a DCT doesn’t know what they’re talking about. The suspension felt a little firmer and less floaty, but not rough by any means. The steering also felt crisper and more precise. I always felt the steering on the old CLS and even my SL felt too spongy and more suggestive of where you wanted the car to go instead of exactly where you wanted it to go.

The interior they didn’t change much. I like the new deviated stitching. That’s a nice touch. The screen that sticks out isn’t too bad, but what is bad about it is though the “screen” is bigger it’s actually not any bigger than the old one because ½ of the new screen is nothing but a black bezel. Every time I looked at it I couldn’t help but ask “Why?” Why make it stick out like an afterthought only to put the same sized screen on but with a huge bezel? The other thing about the interior I didn’t like is the wood/etc trim on the dash sticks out and not flush with the rest of the dash. This is because they wanted to put led lighting on the bottom edge of the trim. It looks kind of goofy. For those who are tall, the 2015 CLS has about 2 inches less headroom. I used to take my 2012 to the track and could wear a helmet in it, though I didn’t have much room to spare. In the 2015 I had very little room even without a helmet on. I borrowed a helmet and could not sit in the car with the helmet on at all. Unless I wanted to stick my head in the hole where the sunroof was.

The exterior has a lot more presence than the old on. It looks more aggressive. Not great in pictures, but once you see it then you appreciate what they did with it.

So there you go. I was really impressed with the job they did with the MCT. I swore I’d never buy another AMG until they dumped that lousy MCT, but with the revised one that’s not a concern anymore. If you’ve felt the same way and that’s all that’s holding you back you need to go check out the new 2015. If it wasn’t for the headroom issue I’d look at trading my M5 for one.

squid23

Are you sure this wasn't the new 9-speed transmission?

JumpinJim

Positive. The AMG 63 uses the revised 7 MCT. The 400 and 550 gets the 9 speed.

PeterUbers

A 2012 mct to 2015 mct seems likely to be a significant difference

Doubtful 2014 to 2015 would be as significant ... I find my 2014 mct crisp and responsive

Nice review

otakki

A good review of things to come for the MCT in other AMG's.
Why is the headroom less by 2 inches?

ced357

Thanks for the writeup Jim,

I was hoping the improvement wasn't so noticeable because, I just fitted my car with downpipes and don't want to mod a new car anytime soon

JumpinJim

The MCT in the 2014 and the 2012 are the same. I drove a 2014 CLS63 at the AMG driving academy. The MCT was sluggish compared to the 2015. The revisions are only in the 2015.

JumpinJim

They didn't know. I adjusted the seat as low as it would go. I sat in a different 2015 CLS63 they had there at Park Place to be sure it wasn't just that car. Both were the same.

JumpinJim

I wasn't expecting much of it, but I came away surprised. It really bangs those gears in fast and hard. The MCT in my SL feels so snail like now. It has transmission envy.

DATURK

I wonder if it can be adopted to 2014's by software upgrade...???

JumpinJim

Sadly, no. Its a hardware change and not just software.

hyperion667

thanx for the writing JJ, I think they look great, maybe I should go and drive one

Mr. Happy

Thanks for the review. I jumped out the AMG ship for the same reason...I couldn't stand the MCT anymore. I'll part ways with my 2012 CLS63 in the spring. Happy to see that they have addressed the issue. I still like a lot of things about AMG. Maybe I'll come back eventually.

PeterUbers

My mct drives great, and I don't track my car

Glad you liked it

Rambino951

I really wonder if the updated mct hardware and software is retrofittable on our 2012-2014 models.. I know weistec has a transmission upgrade.. i wonder if its similar?

mainly

thanks for confirming the quicker transmission. i was telling about this on another thread several months back but some didnt believe me. lol.

i cant believe the headroom is even lower than the 2012!!! thats crazy.but why would there be 2 inches less headroom? is the whole car lower as well?

i had trouble getting a helmet on even in my 2012. had to put the seat all the way down and recline it to further than i normally would, and im barely 6 feet.


2 inches less headroom, would be impossible.

Vic55

Well Jim thanks for this--- how does it compare to your SL as you and I have gone back and forth (agreeing) that the SL was/is a great car. I am not sure if Im ready for a 9th AMG but the CLS could be that car.

JumpinJim

The real trump card the CLS has is the new transmission. The SL's transmission might as well be playing in the pee-wee league compared to the new one. Think of it in terms of if you took the DCT out of the M5/M6 and stuck it in the CLS. That's how it behaves now. Except for a few minor tweaks like the screen, trim, and center console controls it's pretty much identical to the pre facelift CLS inside. The SL is the more premium car. I would expect that though as the SL costs ~50% more. Handling wise the SL is still many hundreds of pounds lighter. They tightened up the CLS quite a bit though so it feels smaller than it is now. I like how it felt better than the M5. The traction from the AWD system is great, but I couldn't "feel" it was AWD if you know what I mean. Felt more like a RWD car.


It's worth a drive if you got one around you. I spent about an hour in it. Most of it spent just up and down shifting as I was having a hard time fathoming this was really the 7 MCT transmission. Park Place had 3 of the 2015 CLS63s there, all in white for some reason and there's plenty of other stock around here. That was a little odd. Not sure if they're not selling well or people just don't know about them yet. They did bump the price on them significantly. The sticker on one with only the basic "must have" options came out to $121k.

hyperion667

what difference would it make if you got one Vic? they don't stay long and you're made of money soooooooo.............

Mr. Happy

Jim, did you notice any change in throttle responsiveness? Even with a tune, the 2012 is still laid back.

JumpinJim

No, seemed about the same.

emericr

Thanks for the feedback. This seems in line with the journalist reviews of the AMG GT about the transmission.

hyperion667

my dealer should have one sometime in jan or Feb

blacklightus

Nice review. It only gets better. I love my 2012 CLS 63, but no doubt 2015+ sounds like a great car. I had my moments with the car, but got accustomed to its pros/cons, i.e. transmission. I'm going to ride it until the wheels fall off, which is likely never going to happen.

Vic55

Except the GT has a DCT and this is still a planetary automatic with better hard and software.