Hi everyone, I got back from a business trip to Athens on Sunday to find a brand new shiny black CL63 in my driveway!!! Yup, it has arrived, and it is SMOKIN'......just absolutely amazing in every way, looks stunning, drives soo well, sounds amazing and is absolutely loaded with so much technology and gadgets that it took me a whole day to figure everything out,( but once I did it became instantly intuitive to use, especially the new COMAND knob..)

I will post lots of pics tmrw, as it is raining heavily in London today (nothing new there..)

But I am paricularly happy with the interior Marron Designo leather, which is basically dark brown. The quality of leather is superb, and just so you guys know, when you get designo leather on the 63 you get the vertically fluted and quilted door panel, like the 600, which the standard 63 does not have. I think it is a very nice touch.

anyway,....watch this space !!

Interesting news on the designo trim... it has been a point of contention with me for a long time, as I am a fan of the flutes. Please post pictures of your interior whenever you do find the time. I assume that by quilted door panel you mean what we call "ruffled" leather. Very very interesting indeed!

Your designo option also sounds a lot like our Desingo Mocha Black here in the states, although it is painfully misrepresented in the mbusa.com website.

Congrats on the car. I have to say that I was pretty dissapointed driving the CL63 on the oval @ the AMG challenge. At those speeds, you really feel the weight of the car. Im glad I got to drive it as I was also considering getting one. Now that i drove it, I know I have to go with the 65 for it to make any sense for me. Either way, its a nice car, just real heavy.

I don't know how you sleep at night knowing that you have the CL63 in your garage.

I'm curious, please post the option list.

Congrats on CL63

Am getting my CL63 hopefully later today/tomorrow. Was disappointed that in US MB opted to finish CL63 w/550-like, coarse-finish, plasticky leather, esp visible on dash/doors/console/steering wheel rim and hub, rather than the finer-grain leather of 600....

And on designo options on S63 (none yet avail for CL63) MB forces one to get a wood/leather steering wheel and lose the paddleshifters if one wants more elegant leather....

But, given CL65 in US will cost about as much (or less) than CL63 costs in UK/EU, and US mkt has rather cheap $0 down leases available, perhaps US mkt can't complain too much

by quilted im thinking he meant like bentleys.. and the lp640s have... like the cross hatch.. that would be sweet!!

congrats!

Thought you were in line for a July delivery??. Surprised you move up so quickly and are taking delivery with the "standard" equipment options missing from this early production group.

Congrats John! I can't wait to see pics. and more importantly, get your driving impressions. You and I seem to have similar tastes in cars and colors. I'm impatiently waiting for the designo option to surface here on the 63 prior to ordering. After my mocha black, there's no way I could like the standard interior as much. Enjoy and please post pics soon

I would 100% agree +1

that car felt like an absolute boat compared to my CLS63, very very very nice interior space but not much in the way of sportiness.

I just checked out the Deutche MB website for the CL designo options, and was glad to confirm that the seat and trim enhancements are as I had hoped, meaning that you get an AMG sports seat, but with the attractive vertical piping, and the doors are trimmed with ruffled leather.

I hope same seat options go for the S Class. Now I am seriously itching for an S65

Hi John its me "MeanMachine" from 6speed online, I remember you way back when you had the Cayenne Turbo with the Gemballa wheels and Aerokit.

Congradulations on your new CL63 AMG, as I also have a Designo AMG myself its a 06 SLK55 AMG with Designo options such as Designo Mocha Black ext paint and Designo Tamo anthratice wood, however my interior is the Black/Red Amg two tone.

Cant wait for pictures of your interior as I know someone who ordered a Designo Havanna CL63 AMG with Designo Mystic Red interior.

Hi Mo !!
How are things? I still have the Cayenne, but it is at Pfafenhausen at the moment (can you guess why!!)...This CL63 is amazing though, definitely my favourite car from my fleet....check out some pics.....

some more pics.....

and some more...

I hope you guys are not getting bored....

and finally......

How could we EVER get bored looking at a beauty like this ? It's absolutely gorgeous and almost making me have second thoughts about ordering my CL in Iridium Silver ! Use it in the best of health and enjoy !

Your cayenne is in Germany for performance or interior upgrades, ohh and your CL is beautiful however I thought you optioned for the two tone interior as the inserts will be marroon and the outer colour of the seat is black. Nothing the less its superb.

Am an impatient car nut

Got an early copy (dealer got a surprise extra car); will drive it until my silver/blk w/cf interior trim CL63 w/030 Package shows up in July (will have all the real-time traffic, etc features)....given how tight CL63 supply is in my area, doubt this "stopgap" CL63 will cost me much in depreciation.....the wonderful CA car mkt....

Quick drive impressions (20 mis in 80MPH-flow, dense, rush-hr fwy traffic)....absolutely brilliant car....vs my previous, much-enjoyed '07 CL600, notably less nose-heavy feel (lighter motor is very apparent); much sharper steering precision; better brake pedal feel; much appreciated thick-rimmed, all-leather steering wheel; paddleshifters seem very usable/fun; great exhaust note; and, in brief bursts on fwy, liked the mid-range accel (even vs 600 tq)....

Looking fwd to hitting twisties this wkend to learn more....

John, thx for great pics of your beautiful car.....enjoy

Thanks WSH, Mo and others....this car is truly spectacular and I dont think any of you that have one on order will be disappointed. The pics unfortunately do not do justice to the Designo Platinum Black exterior colour which is much better than Obsidian black, it is a lot more metallic and almost looks like a very,very,very dark Gun Metal colour.

options list (as requested)

Black Ash Wood (NCO)
designo Platinum black
designo Marron leather
dynamic Multicontour seats
Nightview Assist
Rear view camera
Ipod Integration kit
Mini Fridge
Rear roller blind
Pnematic rear headrests
20" AMG forged wheels
AMG perfomance pack (derestricted to 187mph)
Digital Satelitte TV tuner (40 channels!!)
HARMANN KARDON PRO LOGIC 7 sound system
Keyless Go
Distronic Plus w/ Brake Assist Plus
Ambient Lighting Package

- i think thats all folks!!

Weight is a complex issue for street perf cars.....trade-offs incl chassis damping vs real-world, bumpy, hilly roads (as opposed to a smooth, flat track lacking oncoming, inept drivers ) and passive safety...

599 weighs 4000lbs and CL63 about 4600lbs....

One may be surprised how nimble and well-damped 599 feels to drive in CA mtn twisties and vs bumpy stretches of high-speed fwys (esp vs much lighter, less well-damped cars like 997TT or GT3)...however, 599 is some ?3" wider than CL, making one to slow down in tight stretches of narrow mtn twisties (where one may have a mtnside on one side/deep valley alongside road and a suddenly approaching oncoming car, sometimes sloppily not within own lanes )....

And in those same tight mtn twisties, I'd feel much more confident driving a CL63 than a 599 in event oncoming car is partly in one's lane (happens too often)....and an unavoidable collision occurs....doubt many cars on planet (incl older/lesser MBs) have same latest/greatest safety technologies and likely real-world active/passive safety of '08 CL63....

These AMG CLs are really aggressive looking for a Mercedes, even brutal looking, but still gorgeous.

M

John, I know its hard to capture the sprakly metallic green in the platinum black its like porsche's dark teal metallic.

Ive seen the colour in person on a CLS63 and it looked good.

looks good, but wipe those runout dots off the wheels!

Thats all I got right now since I'm rolling my tongue off of the floor!