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The CL coupe stands out as something unique in the automotive firmament. No other manufacturer builds a coupe off its top-line luxury sedan; BMW's 6-series comes closest, but it's not really close at all. The CL is more a kindred spirit to a Bentley Continental GT or even a Brooklands. A huge, luxurious, and expensive coupe makes quite an extravagant statement, and one that's AMG-fortified makes it even more emphatically. The awesome, 6.2-liter V-8, which we know from so many AMG models, provides jet-thrust acceleration accompanied by a stock-car sound track, an utterly charming combination - especially for those with their own oil well.

Many are the mid-size sedan offerings, and most are sold in large numbers. Naturally, whenever a product is produced in great quantities, its very popularity will cause a subset of its audience to seek an alternative. Something a bit sportier, or more luxurious, or more stylish. The Volkswagen CC, the Nissan Maxima, and the Mazda 6 all hail from mainstream automakers, yet all three address this desire for something more in a mid-size car.