Sports surprise from Mercedes
Posted Thu, 26 Oct 2006
From a limited edition AMG supercar — billed as the fastest open-top four-seater ever — to the new GL-Class SUV, Mercedes-Benz brought out some big guns at Auto Africa.
Originally unveiled at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet has more than a name that's a mouthful.
With only 100 being produced, this CLK features a 428kW AMG 5.5-litre supercharged V8 engine, a newly developed AMG sports suspension, and optional sports tyres allowing the AMG sports car to accelerate to 100km/h in a claimed four seconds on to a maximum speed of 300km/h (electronically limited). Maximum torque? 800Nm…
Unsurprisingly it's modelled on the racing version of the Mercedes-Benz CLK which won the German Touring Car Masters championship in 2003. Hence the exterior: a deep-drawn front apron with large air inlets, prominently flared wheel arches, 19 and 20-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, and the diffuser-look rear end.
The motorsport look continues inside: bucket seats with leather/Alcantara upholstery, buckskin-covered, oval AMG racing steering wheel, and the AMG instrument cluster with its 360km/h speedometer scale.
A bit more staid is the new GL-Class luxury SUV, which will be released locally in the 320 CDI and 500 guises.
Unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2006, the seven-seater off-roader goes for cross-over performance — as well as the spacious accommodation and comfort of a luxury saloon.
Exterior design emphasises this; the body (length 5088mm, width 1920mm, height 1840mm) a blend of calm surfaces, wedge-shaped features and striking details.
The interior, meanwhile, is typically Mercedes despite offering space for up to seven passengers. The distance to the middle row of seats is 815mm, with 979mm headroom for passengers.
The rear individual seats can be stowed electrically at the push of a button, either individually or in tandem to provide a completely flat load surface. In
the five-seater version, luggage compartment capacity is 1240 litres. The GL-Class can provide up to 2300 litres of load capacity, with the load compartment measuring 2128mm in length.
