I am thinking of coming back to the mb fold. I have always loved the last gen cl and now I am seeing some in 'affordable' prices if you want 5-6 year old. my fear is that they will be ungodly expensive to repair WHEN things go wrong. I think I can live with it as long as I get some good life from the transmission and major electronics. the other things I would like to know are:

when did this model get the 7 speed transmission?

does the v8 version come with standard heated AND cooled seats or is it an options package thing? if so what should I look for that would make it easy to see if its included when shopping online?

having driven cars with the rear backup camera, is this an option on the cl and if not is it something thats relatively easy to add aftermarket? yes I know it has parktronic but if I am going top shelf I want the camera or the option to add it.

the 600 seems to come with everything or darn close to it. what is real life mpg and what does the regular service cost for the v12?

finally, is bluetooth an option on this car? I dont have a cell provider that uses sim cards so I really need to know this. of course sprint may go under and make this a moot point.


thanks in advance.

 

I'll help you with some of your questions.

7 speed transmission became standard on CL500 for the year 2003' onward. The AMG version CL55 and CL600 retained the 5 speed auto throughout their life span.

Throughout all years, I have seen some V8 CLs that were not equipped with the cooling fan function on the seat adjustments. So you'll have to look out for the ones that do. It's fairly easy to tell if such option exists or not. Simply look at the seat adjustment buttons on the door panel and an optional heated/cooling fan seat should have five lighting dots, versus only three for the standard version.

Also, some CLs are equipped with massage seats while others aren't. Simply look on your seat frame and look for a "Pulse" function. If it simply has numbers and no "Pulse" function, then it's the standard contour adjustment.

You can always install an aftermarket back up camera on your car if desired.

Good luck and have fun.

Jon

 

Jon, this is incorrect info, the 5 speed is every w215 model

 

Later model 500's have 7 speeds. I drive one.


edit: digital_b, if you would like to meet up and take a look at my CL I would be happy to do so. I live in Boston

 

I stand corrected, after doing my research they switched over to the 7g in the 500's start MY04 Thanks for the info Jon & Mike.