The 2014 Mercedes CL550 was the final year for the model before it was retooled as the S-Coupe, and only 410 were sold in the USA – some as AMG models, of course. Qualifies easily as a unicorn. It’s a Grand Tourer, but far more luxurious than performance-oriented, like the Jaguar XKR covered earlier this week. It’s also quite understated. On the rare occasion I see one on the road, I have to do a double-take to make sure it’s not an E-class, or even a C!
While that low profile makes it a bit of a sleeper, this was once maybe a $130,000 car, and folks who spend that much tend to want to be seen, I suppose? Inside, it’s all luxury. From the B-pillar, if it had one, forward, the cabin is identical to my beloved and former S600. The car is loaded – 10 out of 10 per CarMax. Heated and cooling and massaging seats. Heated steering wheel. Distronic adaptive cruise control. Sunrood. Power rear sunshade. It’s a fantastic ride.
What’s not wonderful is the back seat below. I suspect it’s not uncomfortable once back there, but not since I owned a 1986 Merkur XR4ti have I had to open a two-door, flip the seat back forward, and watch grown adults do the limbo into a coupe back seat. It ain’t natural. Or healthy. And as I’m learning with my two-door M3, as I get older, even tossing a gym bag or twelve-pack into the back seat of a two-door is getting harder and harder. Everything goes in the passenger seat or trunk. But if that’s not a problem for you, this is a wonderful two-seater. Or a four-seater if you’re cruel to passengers.
The trunk in the coupe looks the same as that in a four-door S-class, but it’s almost two cubic feet smaller. Still room for a couple of suitcases, though. For two.
Yes! Night vision assist! If you’re new to the blog…I had this in my S600 and thought it was cool as hell, but pretty much useless. I loved showing it off to friends, and I once tried to see how far down the interstate I could drive looking only at the NVG display in the dash, but it’s kind of a novelty. And I kind of want it again.
Below we have the 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 powerplant, the same as in the 2014 S550 sedan, and the S550 coupe that succeeded the CL550 in 2015. It makes 429 horsepower and 516 ft-lbs of torque at only 1800rpm. That, along with AWD and a seven-speed transmission, will move this 4,700-pound coupe to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Impressive.
The 2014 Mercedes CL550 is a bargain at $31,000 and only has 31,000 miles on it. It’s got a lot of life left, especially with MaxCare. The car was right up the road from me in Laurel, Maryland. But since I bookmarked it, someone arranged to have it shipped to Irvine, California. That’s a hefty $2,000 shipping fee! You can track it here, should they oddly choose not to buy it.
StockNo: 27666951 VIN: WDDEJ9EBXEA032088
