2007 Mercedes-Benz CL550 Review

Review of my C216 chassis CL550, including startup and revs, acceleration, city, highway, and back road driving impressions, comparison to my previous CL63, and common issues.
0:00 Intro
1:42 Initial Commentary
3:24 CL550 vs. CL63
8:56 Sport vs. Comfort Mode
11:00 Suspension
12:55 Quirks
15:10 Engine and Transmission Response
17:40 Highway Driving
20:29 ABC and 4Matic
22:22 More CL550 vs. CL63
24:09 Fuel Economy
25:55 Reliability and Common Issues
33:39 Back Roads Driving
42:19 Conclusion

[@henrychinaski39]

As a CL 550 4Matic owner I just can say that it's the most comprehensive and accurate review I've ever seen ;)

[@jimdutton8007]

The most comprehensive and accurate review of the CL class. Well done.

[@moakesr]

This is one of the calmest and most rational reviews of any car I have ever watched on KZbin, nicely done Sir!

[@sultanqasim]

Thanks. I plan to review my W140 S500 next.

[@The_Jas_Singh]

Thanks for such a detailed and informative review of this amazing car!

[@SaadNabil]

New 100th subscriber.

[@earltpt]

Agree with everything in your review, on my 3rd cl500 and absolutely love it👍

[@phillyguy178]

Luv the Mercedes review videos 👍🏽

[@pchor125]

Really nice video and great car!👍

[@danielcohen6018]

Taking Hurontario from Sauga to Btown...nice! Was looking forward to seeing Gage Park, but the video cut right before you pull up to it lol I drive a 2012 Cl550 btw. Welcome to the club!

[@sultanqasim]

Thanks 😊 I later took the 410 North and kept going till it turns into Dufferin Road 19 passing through Boyne Valley provincial park. Could be nice to have a gathering and cruise of local CL class owners in the spring, hopefully after the Covid situation improves.

[@jahan451]

I have got CL500 AMG 2007 and I love every bit of it. What is so great about it? The look, the sound, the comfort, you name it! It is little bit expensive to maintain it though, but I don't care cause I'll do all the normal maintenance myself. But, if you go to any Mercedes shop, you'd better have a big bank account full of cash 😀I should also mention, this is not a everyday car like all that crap cars like Dodge, Toyota, Ford, etc ;-) So, think about it before buy one!

[@6fthondaboi]

This is one of the absolute best reviews of one of my favorite cars. I'm in the market right now for a CL, I was stuck between 09-10 63 Amg or 11+ 550.

[@sultanqasim]

Is ABC available on the 2011+ CL550s in your market? As you could hear in my video, I’m fond of the handling that ABC brings. The M278 engine in the later CL550s is more reliable than the M156 in the pre-facelift CL63, but the sound and responsiveness of the M156 is great. Thanks to the torque from turbocharging, the performance of the M156 and M278 cars are pretty similar.

[@6fthondaboi]

@@sultanqasim I'm in North America as well, as far as I know, we couldn't get the ABC because of the 4matic being standard

[@sultanqasim]

@@6fthondaboi In that case, between those two, my choice would be the 09-10 CL63. If the head bolts haven’t been changed, I’d keep an eye out for signs of coolant loss or oil/coolant intermixing, and consider changing the head bolts preemptively, though it is a rather labour intensive task. Also consider replacing idler pulleys and the belt tensioner preemptively if they haven’t been changed since the car was new. For the rest of the M156 issues, you can deal with them as they appear if they appear, but they’re not too bad usually. The sound and responsiveness of the M156 is awesome, and the taut handling of ABC makes the car more fun to drive through winding roads.

[@Braglemaster123]

@@sultanqasim Are you from Israel 🇮🇱 ??

[@sultanqasim]

@@Braglemaster123 Canada

[@Mellow.Sol999]

Can you do a POV? With no talking and showing the features of the car like the sound system etc.

[@joelrodriguez2385]

You do cool Vids, but it's cars I can't afford. Lol. Either way, I'm glad you and Donut linked up and we found out about your work. Cool Channel man.

[@sultanqasim]

I like expensive German machines 😂 My next video will probably be of my W140 S class, and I plan to make some more interesting videos with my 718 Spyder. I will also be getting a 2023 Subaru BRZ later this year as a daily driver, do I’ll probably do some videos with it, and maybe a comparison with my 718 Spyder ($30k vs $130k sports car).

[@nickyalousakis3851]

Mr. Khan it looks like you are famous now. happy to hear you're a fellow canadian. which university did you go to?

[@pauljordan7465]

Beautiful

[@banginitout]

Yo bro I saw your collaboration with donut, you should release a break down video on how you did it. I honestly think that would break the internet.

[@justinhamill954]

Great video. I always wondered why my clock stopped keeping correct time where do I download this firmware for my GPS?

[@paulburns6110]

I really enjoyed the video and appreciate your composed & rational way of clearly explaining all the finer pros and cons - that an enthusiast needs to know. As I enjoyed my time with the previous shape CL500, I've decided to buy a low mileage, pristine 2009 CL550 (with AMG body kit) - later M273 - with the upgraded timing chain components. I've driven a Maserati GT coupe, Jaguar XJS and XK , 2012 BMW 650i and Bentley Coupe. The '09 CL550 virtually matches the Bentley in terms of bank vault solidity and all round GT versatility. About 3 years ago I so much wanted to fall in love with a well priced and nice condition CL63 that I tested. However (despite fiddling around with every single permutation and combination of the plethora of seating, transmission and suspension settings) I just found it too harsh for my liking. BTW I gotta chuckle from your clever number plate 🤣🤣😉😉 I look forward to more of your reviews. Many thanks and hope your CL gives you plenty of miles with smiles.

[@sultanqasim]

Nice, best wishes with your new car 😊. Is it 4matic or RWD? This CL550 does feel a bit more plush riding than my last CL63 in comfort mode, without any noticeable impact on handling. A 4matic (Airmatic equipped) one I drove felt even softer, though as I mentioned in the video I chose the RWD model for the sharper handling of ABC on twisty roads.

[@paulburns6110]

@@sultanqasim it’s the ABC RWD. As I’m a kiwi 🥝 here in NZ, I think we only got 4matic from the 2011. Cheers

[@sultanqasim]

@@paulburns6110 Nice 😁

[@alexvlad2770]

Lovely car, I’m in the market for one, currently tested a ‘13 model with the 4.7 bi turbo and it was lovely but slightly overpriced, im considering a n/a 5.5 also but most of them are like 2-300 miles away and that puts me off a bit.

[@SMILEYGANGST3R]

hey sultan i had just seen ur video with donut media recently and was wondering how did you ever get into the security hacking field?

[@mrkongsimr]

Hi what a nice car. Does it have the ABC suspension ? I have the SL r230 so I know how it is to live with ! Thank you !

[@sultanqasim]

Yes, it’s ABC equipped, though it’s the second generation ABC (also used in the 2007-2011 R230 SLs) that seems pretty reliable overall in my experience.

[@mrkongsimr]

@@sultanqasim Thanks !

[@dragankovacevic5066]

Excellent review, I have the model 2006, in Europe, we can drive a little bit faster and I have an average consumption of 15l /100km . Can You help me about spare parts for the front seats I have the same problem with plastic air pipes. best regards

[@sultanqasim]

Issues with the pneumatic seat air bladders seem really common on these. I had a local parts supplier source the air bladder + valve/sensor + internal hoses assembly for around 2/3 of the dealer cost (I paid around $1300 CAD for the part in 2019 for my CL63). Not sure who the best suppliers in your part of Europe are. It is a rather costly fix, and not mechanically critical, so I’ve just let it be on my CL550 for now, though maybe I’ll fix it some day.

[@dragankovacevic5066]

@@sultanqasim Thank You very much best regards dr dragan kovacevic

[@earltpt]

Do you have more info on the upgrade for the Clock?

[@sultanqasim]

I had to burn a firmware update I found on an Eastern European forum to a CD, and then followed a somewhat convoluted process to get the COMMAND system to install that update.

[@sultanqasim]

There’s some info in this thread, though the download was taken down which is why I had to look for the file in mercedesclub.cz (and make an account to download). www.benzworld.org/threads/known-comands-affected-by-week-1024-date-time-problem-problem-solved-iso-will-be-removed-on-02-15-2020.3011318/#post-17903584

[@sinemnaztelatar5712]

Hi im trying to reach you for a project ..

[@-it5073]

hello brother im a cybersecurity researcher from south Korea. I saw a article about you hacking into tesla. I was wondering if you could tell me the bluetooth module that you used and how its done

[@sultanqasim]

See my hardwear.io talk on “Bluetooth LE Link Layer Relay Attacks”

[@jayv2020]

Is the license plate like tht on purpose

[@sultanqasim]

Of course 😅

[@leonchen89]

Great car if can be for $15k CAD or less. Current market is overpriced. Let’s see what happens to used car value in 2023.

[@rockflock4698]

Air suspension is better and cheaper to maintain

[@sultanqasim]

ABC gives better handling while remaining supple, and the only ABC repair this 15 year old car has needed in its lifetime is a $200 pulsation damper. This generation of ABC is pretty reliable as long as you’re proactive with maintenance.

[@okavipra]

Mo vlogs got old