Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Richards
Great car, Paul. And a cross country road trip to boot. Nice work.  |
The most interesting thing about the car is that, compared to the CL320, it is on the cusp of the analog to digital age whereas the 320 is fully enveloped...I got to look at 25 years of human factors car design from the same manufacturer.
I did a lot of operational flight testing in the '80s and '90s and I spent the rest of yesterday cataloging the differences between the two cars. Listen, I had a log way to go and well into day three od the drive I needed the mental exercise.
The 560 is, as most would guess, a bit clumsy in the cockpit...the gauge clusters are good but the rest of the, "what to do" switches are scattered about and/or displayed without much thought. The turn signal indicator, for instance, can't be seen even though there are two of them, one for left, one for right. A/C or vents? Nevermind.
The one thing I love from the analog age is the drivers side mirror: It is controlled by a lever just inside the door. It is igneous and requires not electricity to move. I love it.
There is more but the most important aspect of the car is that it loves the pavement. It is more boatish in handling than a 911, but once you set an edge, it tracks. Mike did a great job with the rubber all around, including tires so, it drove quiet and professionally. In a bit of irony, I passed a 2002 that was struggling a bit outside of Charlotte. I was at 80 mph and the tach read 2700 or so. I'm not going back, so the Frankin 2002 is the only option.
CL 320, meanwhile, averaged near 30MPG and I drove aggressively. The steering is too twitchy but the car plants like a rice patty, predictable and cultivated.. It also had some of the best, most intuitive human interfaces I have dealt with.
There is a wheel right under the end of the arm rest that I had a Vulcan mind meld with: It works.
So. Enjoy your 320's, I get it. Pardon me while I figure out the 560
Up at the barn:
