For those who want more muscle, extrovert styling and a tauter suspension, the high-performance CLS55 AMG ($86,600) is definitely worth the extra money. Its 5.5-liter supercharged V8 boasts an output of 469 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox.

Options include the Lighting package with bi-xenon headlamps, active curve lighting and headlamp washers ($1,220); AMG Sport with steering wheel shift buttons, AMG body cladding, AMG-style 18-inch wheels with larger 255/40 radials up front and 285/35s in back ($4,950); and Premium, with active ventilated and multicontour seats with heating, DVD Nav system, 6-disc CD changer, harman/kardon audio, power rear-window sunshade ($3,650). Naturally, we prefer all of these options.

We've now reached, with destination charge ($720) and gas guzzler tax ($1,300), just over $76,000 and have started to wonder if that curvaceous bodywork and bespoke-level interior is worth the financial reach. We suggest that the decision not be made with a calculator but with your guts, not with rational gray matter but with red-blooded emotion. If the CLS doesn't cause the aesthetic bone in your body to quiver, then there are plenty of other Mercedes-Benzes to satisfy your more mundane expectations.

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