Brabus Tunes the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brakes—All of Them

Like the 20-year-old college student recently returned from his semester abroad, we, too, are pining for a gorgeous European we can't have: the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake—more specifically, the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake. Now imagine our hypothetical 20-year-old comes to find out that the jaw-dropping European he's longing for is a doctor or a lawyer or is the heiress to a strudel empire (or whatever deal-sweetener most appeals to you). That's the feeling we got after having a look at Brabus's lineup of CLS Shooting Brakes. Like the CLS Shooting Brake rolling off the production lines back in Stuttgart, Germany, Brabus's wagons aren't destined for these shores, either. But what Brabus makes up for in seemingly exclusivity is, well, inclusivity. You see, the famed tuner of all things Benz has grand plans for the entire range of CLS Shooting Brakes, ranging from the 250 CDI diesel model up to the 63 AMG. Spoiled for Choice Sitting atop the pyramid of Brabus-tuned swoopy Benz wagons is the B63-620. This monster starts with your run-of-the-mill CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake powered by a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8, producing 518 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Brabus then adds a new ECU, an additional intercooler, and an optional sport exhaust system with a butterfly valve (giving the driver the choice between "Coming Home" and "Sport" modes, depending on how much roar is desired). The result of these updates is a bump in output and torque to 610 hp and 738 lb-ft. Brabus claims its B63-620 will move from a standstill to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds before achieving a top speed of 200. There's also the Brabus B50-500. This takes the standard CLS500 (as the Euros call what is badged as a 550 here in the states)—which features a twin-turbo 4.7-liter V-8 making 402 hp and 443 lb-ft—and ups those numbers to 493 hp and 531 lb-ft. Brabus also has tuning kits for the V-6–powered CLS350 CDI and the inline-four CLS250 CDI oil-burning Shooting Brakes in the Brabus Eco PowerXtra D6S and Eco PowerXtra D4 tuning kits, respectively. The six-cylinder kit pushes output and torque from 262 hp and 457 lb-ft up to 308 and 509, while the four-cylinder kit improves upon the 250's 201 hp and 369 lb-ft with numbers of 232 and 446. All models get a limited-slip differential, a sport exhaust—although only the B63-600 offers the butterfly valve—and can be optioned with sport springs and a Brabus-sourced module that lowers ride height of cars equipped with air suspension by 1.4 inches. If Looks Could Kill They Probably Will For all models that don't have the optional AMG Sport package, Brabus adds a front spoiler, fascia attachments with integrated LED daytime runners, sport fenders, and side skirts with entrance lighting. For those with the AMG Sport package, a spoiler lip is added to the front fascia and the CLS63 receives a new front spoiler as well as fender attachments with a backlit Brabus logo can be opted for. The wagon then adds 17- or 20-inch aluminum wheels available in six different designs. First Drive: 2013 Audi S7 Instrumented Test: 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Short Take Road Test: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG A new speedometer—with your choice of a 211- or 250-mph peg—is the highlight of a revised interior that also features aluminum pedal pads, door-lock pins, and shift paddles; inlays made of custom-colored carbon-fiber or wood in whatever color and grain you'd like; and doorsills featuring another backlit Brabus logo. So it would seem that our hypothetical 20-year-old is in love with a doctor who moonlights as a lawyer in between sunning herself on the beaches of Portugal—until she inherits that strudel empire. And unless you or your special significant other (real or imaginary) have a similar source of income, the Brabus-tuned CLS Shooting Brakes likely will remain as unattainable as our protagonist's love interest. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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