The Grand Tourer With Ferrari Performance And Lexus Comfort

German automakers were going pretty wild during the 2000s — a great time to be alive as a performance-loving car nut. Brands were going toe to toe trying to put the craziest engines into seemingly unassuming wagons and sedans, thus spawning some of the coolest sleepers you can get your hands on. For instance, Audi had the S6 and RS6 equipped with V10 engines, BMW was offering the M5 sedan and M6 coupe with similar configurations, and Mercedes used V12s in its S-Class luxury sedans. We’re only scratching the surface here but you get the point; the 2000s were German automotive goodness at its peak.

upercar Capabilities Packaged In A Grand Tourer Disguise

Read Also

3 week ago

Three Hyundai Models Rank Tops in Segment in JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study

23 autotech

Understandably, supercar performance paired with the comfort and practicality of a luxurious grand tourer is a combo many gearheads would love to experience. That’s precisely the sort of balance German brands were trying to achieve all these years ago, and there is no shortage of options to choose from. So, if the question has to do with Ferrari capabilities hidden inside a comfortable sleeper, then some Teutonic beast from the millennium’s early days is most likely the answer. That being said, let us now dig a little deeper in search of the model which strikes this fine balance better than most, all while being somewhat accessible to the average buyer on the second-hand market today.

Narrowing A Multitude Of Options Down To One

Mecum

Mind you, it’s not easy for us to pick just one fitting model from that era, yet the one we ended up going with should quench your thirst for sleeper performance pretty nicely. Not only does it pack a nice bit of turbocharged V12 muscle under the hood, but it also offers a level of comfort perfect for driving enjoyment over longer distances. And although maintenance costs can stack up fairly quickly, the car in question does make up for them with tons of competence and that sweet German refinement we all love. It looks restrained and composed on the outside while being ready to reveal what it’s truly made of at a moment’s notice, which was pretty much the embodiment of German engineering excess.

The Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG Was A Technological Marvel

Mecum

The C216-gen CL 65 AMG debuted as a 2007 model, replacing the C215 generation that’s been in production since 2003. In the engine bay, this lavish Mercedes coupe hid a monstrous six-liter V12 with twin turbochargers, whose power made its way to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission. The M275 mill was capable of unleashing 612 hp and an outrageous 738 lb-ft of asphalt-crushing torque—figures that were well within supercar territory. With this sort of power at its disposal, the CL 65 AMG could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds; a little slower than contemporary Ferraris but highly commendable, nonetheless.

Technical Specifications

For comparison’s sake, an F430 would need between 3.5 and 3.9 ticks to hit 60 mph, while the 599 GTB Fiorano could do it in about 3.7 seconds. The CL 65 AMG’s top speed was electronically limited at 155 mph, but it could reach as far as 186 mph with the optional AMG Driver’s Package installed. Moreover, it needed something in the low 12-second range to finish the quarter-mile sprint, all while keeping the opulence factor dialed up to eleven. There was, of course, more to the CL 65 than a powerful twin-turbo engine with 12 cylinders, most notably the Active Body Control (ABC) technology gracing its chassis. It used hydraulic actuators to actively counteract things like body roll, squat, and dive, which made the German coupe feel extremely planted and well-behaved.

Luxury To Match That Glorious V12 Performance

Mecum

Just as you would expect from a flagship Mercedes coupe, the C216 came with a myriad of fancy interior features for occupants to enjoy. The use of premium leather upholstery in the cabin was abundant, while the car’s heated and ventilated front seats had massage functions for bonus points in terms of comfort. A high-grade Harman Kardon audio system brought about a great listening experience, and the dashboard housed a COMAND infotainment display. The refined, executive feel of the interior stood in stark contrast to the car’s ferocious power, and it was further enhanced elsewhere with soft-close doors, a power trunk lid, and adaptive bi-xenon headlights. As good as the CL 65 AMG was, though, it didn’t come without its issues.

Owning A C216 Has A Little Caveat

Mecum

We’ve already alluded to high maintenance costs a bit earlier on, and those are primarily related to the car’s intricate ABC system. Its complexity means a lot can go wrong and any repair jobs will come with a pretty hefty price tag, so that’s certainly something to keep in mind if you’re thinking about buying a C216. Upkeep on that V12 engine won’t be cheap, either, and you’d be surprised how quickly these costs can add up beyond what many would consider reasonable. But quite frankly, you’re not getting a CL 65 AMG with affordability in mind; you’re getting it to drive fast in comfort and feel like a boss while you’re at it. If you’re that kind of buyer, then maintenance costs are likely more of an afterthought than something to be too worried about.

Availability And Current Market Values

Mecum

Prices on the CL 65 AMG have depreciated quite a bit over the years, so you will nowadays be paying only about a fifth of its original MSRP. It would have set you back north of $200,000 when new, but today you can expect to score one for something in the region of $40,000. We’re talking about driver-quality examples in decent shape here, as mint-condition specimens with low mileage will likely cost a lot more. The most recent sale took place on Bring a Trailer last month, when a 2010 model with about 51,000 miles on the clock was auctioned off for $39,250. On the other hand, a 40th Anniversary Edition with a mere 135 miles went under the hammer via Mecum in July of last year, fetching $82,500 in the process.

To be fair, though, your options are quite broad once you’ve got that sort of cash to burn, but snatching a well-kept C216 at about $40,000 isn’t a bad deal at all. Having to keep up with those pesky maintenance costs is pretty much the only downside, and it would definitely be a smart idea to take a good look at service records before making a purchase. But at the end of the day, supercar-worthy performance does come with some trade-offs more often than not, which is just something you’ll have to live with when you’re chasing this much power at a fairly accessible price. So, all things considered, the CL 65 AMG is surely worth taking into account.

Sources: Mercedes-Benz, Mecum, Bring a Trailer, Repair Pal