france2112

Hi all, I am looking to buy a 2015 or 2016 CLS63 AMG S. I am an AMG enthusiast and have owned 7 AMG's...CL55, CL65, S65, E55, 2 ML63's and currently a 2013 SL63. So I test drove a 2015 CLS 63 S today and I must admit I was a bit disappointed. The launch with and without launch control was extremely weak? The car seems to hesitate a little off the line and then kicks in hard...WTF. I have owned a 2012 Porsche Turbo S in the past so I thought the CLS63 with AWD would have a similar feel during a launch but it is not even close. The Porsche would pin you to the seat, the Mercedes was not even close. Is this normal for the E and CLS? I guess my SL63 may be similar but since it is rear wheel drive I just assumed it was due to wheel spin? It was highly disappointing and I had high hopes of an amazing start with the AWD. Can a tune change this weak performance off the line? Also, I noticed if you paddle shift while in drive it will go to the gear you want but automatically go back into drive mode unless you actually choose manual mode. This is way different than my 2013 SL63 as if I put the car into say 3rd gear, it will shift normal to 3rd gear but only change to 4th when it red lines. I love this feature because if I select 3rd or even 4th gear the car will always be in the sweet RPM range and not need to downshift more than 1 or 2 gears if I get on it, plus it will go all the way to red line before it shifts. Is this something programing could fix by chance? Appreciate any information regarding these two issues for me. Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Larry

Jan AMG

Hi, normally, the CLS63S will pin you to the seat and also, if you have colder tires or are launching on a slippery surface, it will dance a bit. So the sensation of speed is there and it is comparably fast. Mine does 3.6s 0-62mph and outperform the new S63 from standing still and at dynamic acceleration tests. It kicks *** many other cars too.
You can launch it in S+ which is kinda similar to the RS. I think you might want to perform a transmission reset and adaptation. It might help. If you tune the CLS, it will go like a rocket, don't worry.
When you drive in S+, it will go back to its default gear after ten seconds or so, if you want the gears to hold, you have to drive in M. It is a feature. I'm not sure about changing this behavior by a tune.

france2112

Hi Jan, thx for your reply! Hmmm, I know the times for these cars 0 - 60 are fast and I believe the car I drove did a fairly good job but as I said the initial start felt weak with a slight hesitation. I was expecting instant torque but that kicked in about 0.5sec later after the pedal was pushed. It was extremely unsatisfying to me. Maybe it was just this car? This is why I wanted to ask others who are in the know with this car. With regards to the transmission, I had a 2014 ML63 and it acted the exact same as this one regarding holding gears. I hated it compared to my 2013 SL63. All my other AMG cars acted like my SL63 so they must have change the programing starting in 2014 and beyond. Ugh, the old way was much better. I hate that it goes back into drive after a few seconds if you paddle shift in not in M mode. I am going to call some tuners tomorrow and see if this could be reset back to the old way. My SL63 is so awesome when you drive it in 3rd gear. It will shift on its own at redline but won't shift until redline so you are always in a strong RPM range and I usually sift myself to 4th gear if it is wining too much around town. It's hard to explain....I am not sure I am wording this correctly to understand? Anyway, thanks again for your reply and reassurance.

Regards,

Larry

Snowbird1

Larry,
For what it's worth....I just bought a 2014 CLS S and I experienced the same thing you did as it relates to the take off or throttle responsiveness......I was so, so disappointed I almost gave up.....Then I drove one that was night and day different in responsiveness.....I can actually drive this car in S mode and all the others I drove, S+ was even poor in responsiveness....So, I am with Jan above, it must have something to do with the transmission settings, etc....

france2112

Ok, thx for chiming in. It was sooo uninspiring. I am working a deal on a 2016 white CLS63 AMG S now. Car is being inspected today! I am buying it sight unseen from another state. When I get it if it suck off the line I will definitely get an ECU/TCU tune. That should help solve most of the issues hopefully. I will let you know.

Regards,

Larry