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The new CLS is one of the sexiest and head-turning models in the Mercedes-Benz stable. The CLS looks the business. The German marque deserves applause for creating a car of this refinement and performance while making reasonable fuel consumption possible.
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The Mercedes CLS is a gussied-up E-class that manages to be much more than the sum of its parts. The CLS looks like a coupe, goes like a coupe, but retains four doors and nearly all of the practicality. Puts a little sex-appeal back into the Merc range without ending up at the door of the SLR. A touch firm if you're old, but for most rational humans the CLS feels pretty much spot-on. There's a decent chunk of cruising ability woven into the mix and apart from a bit of tyre roar if you have big wheels, little intrusion. Strangely the standard coil springs are more comfortable than the higher-spec and AMG models and their air-suspension. There are three petrol engines on offer for the CLS - a 3.5-litre with 292bhp, a five-litre with 388bhp and a 6.3-litre AMG with a heart-stopping 514bhp and a diesel. The V8s have enormous power and make the CLS into a pukka supercar, especially the 6.3-litre AMG. It's good for 514bhp, 464lb ft of torque and the sort of acceleration that instils in you an overwhelming paranoia. You drive the CLS 63 AMG like a caricature of criminality, shiftily searching this way and that for a safe moment to plant your right foot. The 100kph benchmark is dispatched in 4.5 seconds, the limiter set at 155mph. But it's what goes on in between that which really gets the guilt pulsing through your veins. There's so much seamless grunt through the seven-speed auto 'box that it's nigh on impossible to avoid some major law breaking in your own street. This car is very cool. Even when you know what it really is. Extremely well put together and containing some great materials and design. Proven and solid drivetrains and engines - this is a car that'll uphold Merc's reputation. The Mercedes CLS uses the same chassis as the E-Class, albeit a lowered and firmed-up version. So the car is sharper through the corners, is more competent with a flatter ride and has less body roll. The standard version's normal coil-springs have a much nicer ride than the AMG with its air suspension which feels more of the bumps. The coupe-like shape means that rear seat passengers inevitably have less space than in the equivalent E-class, but it's pretty big in there. Trouble is the doors are quite small and the sills high - so there are some access issues. The boot's big and useful at 505litres.» Read More
When Mercedes introduced the CLS - the first four door coupe a design concept unheard of at that time - they could
not have guessed it would become a cultural icon.
With the elegance of a coupe and the functionality of a sedan, the CLS leads the pack of its segment undermining the blueprints for other automakers like Audi with its A7, Porsche with its Panamera or BMW with its 6-Series.
The CLS is armed with a snout that shares strong design cues with the SLS AMG, thanks to the sharp chiselled lines and an upswept profile that is sure to attract the attention of pedestrians and other drivers. Mercedes has incorporated design cues from a sedan, hatchback and coupe for a design language that is both primal and timeless which is further highlighted through a quasi-coupe silhouette.
The tail lamps are more extended and give and emit a mysterious aura. Shaped like a teardrop when up close and more of a pair of squinted eyes when viewed from a distance, we can't help but wonder how long the design team took to create this illusion. Still, it's a car that is brimming with elegance and aggressiveness all at the same time.
The CLS accommodates four full-sized adults in upmost comfort and luxury. The centre console covered in high quality materials worthy of the three pointed star standards and elegant piano black finishing stretches all the way to the back row. The absence of the third seat is arguable but the practicality of providing passengers the necessary compartments to store their belongings seems justifiable.
The wave of design features from the outside is spilled to the interior. Bundle eccentric design with the electric memory seats and the car's interior offers a mixture of leather inserts, silver metallic and chrome, creating plenty of visual effects without the need of computers. It is really amazing how Mercedes managed to marry all the different materials without looking 'cheap'.
The coupe nature of the vehicle does not hinder roominess for taller passengers in the rear bench allowing ample head and legroom for occupants all-round while allowing them to seek comfort in the luxurious leather-swathed seats.
Mated to the creamy automatic transmission with one gear for each continent, the powerplant whichever configuration it may be beats with flexibility and refinement. Tap on the throttle and the 1.7 tonne 'yatch on wheels' car propels with a vigour that will keep the passengers clinging on to dear life.
One feature that caught our attention was the cruise control. On top of setting the cruising speed, you can also set the distance between the CLS and the car in. This enables the CLS to be 'autonomous' when cruising - allowing it to come to a complete stop without the need for a driver's intervention on the pedals. A novel feature provided you can find roads empty or long enough to enjoy the ride.
The CLS- without a doubt is one of the sexiest and head-turning models in the Mercedes-Benz stable and looks the business. Like Apple with its iPhone, the original trendsetter of four door coupes raises the bar with the current generation leaving us to ponder where it could go next.
With the elegance of a coupe and the functionality of a sedan, the CLS leads the pack of its segment undermining the blueprints for other automakers like Audi with its A7, Porsche with its Panamera or BMW with its 6-Series.
The CLS is armed with a snout that shares strong design cues with the SLS AMG, thanks to the sharp chiselled lines and an upswept profile that is sure to attract the attention of pedestrians and other drivers. Mercedes has incorporated design cues from a sedan, hatchback and coupe for a design language that is both primal and timeless which is further highlighted through a quasi-coupe silhouette.
The tail lamps are more extended and give and emit a mysterious aura. Shaped like a teardrop when up close and more of a pair of squinted eyes when viewed from a distance, we can't help but wonder how long the design team took to create this illusion. Still, it's a car that is brimming with elegance and aggressiveness all at the same time.
The CLS accommodates four full-sized adults in upmost comfort and luxury. The centre console covered in high quality materials worthy of the three pointed star standards and elegant piano black finishing stretches all the way to the back row. The absence of the third seat is arguable but the practicality of providing passengers the necessary compartments to store their belongings seems justifiable.
The wave of design features from the outside is spilled to the interior. Bundle eccentric design with the electric memory seats and the car's interior offers a mixture of leather inserts, silver metallic and chrome, creating plenty of visual effects without the need of computers. It is really amazing how Mercedes managed to marry all the different materials without looking 'cheap'.
The coupe nature of the vehicle does not hinder roominess for taller passengers in the rear bench allowing ample head and legroom for occupants all-round while allowing them to seek comfort in the luxurious leather-swathed seats.
Mated to the creamy automatic transmission with one gear for each continent, the powerplant whichever configuration it may be beats with flexibility and refinement. Tap on the throttle and the 1.7 tonne 'yatch on wheels' car propels with a vigour that will keep the passengers clinging on to dear life.
One feature that caught our attention was the cruise control. On top of setting the cruising speed, you can also set the distance between the CLS and the car in. This enables the CLS to be 'autonomous' when cruising - allowing it to come to a complete stop without the need for a driver's intervention on the pedals. A novel feature provided you can find roads empty or long enough to enjoy the ride.
The CLS- without a doubt is one of the sexiest and head-turning models in the Mercedes-Benz stable and looks the business. Like Apple with its iPhone, the original trendsetter of four door coupes raises the bar with the current generation leaving us to ponder where it could go next.
