In case you were wondering, the Mercedes CLS-Class kick-started the whole saloon-coupe thing. The original wowed us with its sleek lines that, at the time, were reserved for AED 500,000-plus supercars. And, underneath the skin, there was a sensible, four-door saloon good for transporting four adults (and their luggage) in supreme comfort.
The next CLS was even better. But, by the time that came out, other brands had responded with their own super-saloon-coupe things. We had the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, and the Audi A7 (both of which are great cars). Even the likes of Volkswagen have gotten in on the action – the super-sleek new Arteon is certainly going for the same kind of vibe.
Now, there’s a new Mercedes CLS. But with every other carmaker making a saloon-coupe, this one had better be pretty special.
We’ll start with the looks and, well, the Internet’s reaction has been mixed. The thing is, this is meant to show off Mercedes’ new exterior design language – it’s meant to be new and a little unfamiliar. We reckon that, after a couple of years, and with a few other new Mercs sporting similar lines, the new CLS will look pretty handsome.
Plus, look at that shark-like front end, the pointy nose and the aggressive stance. The new CLS may not be pretty per se, but it’s certainly striking. And that sense carries through to the low roofline and frameless windows.
Inside, it’s pure S-Class. That means funky nightclub lighting, a pair of massive screens, and much leather. No surprise, really, given the CLS-Class is based on the same chassis as the E-Class, and the new E-Class was sort of designed to be a baby S-Class.
The thing is, the CLS-Class has always been more of a driver’s car than the E-Class on which it’s based. At launch, the engine you can have is the one in the CLS 450, which comes with a 3.0-litre straight six. It generates 362 bhp and 368 lb ft of torque, which is plenty to be getting on with – you’ll be doing 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.
That’s all we’ll get in this region for the moment. But don’t worry, a CLS AMG is on the way.
What do you think, MotorGeeks? Is this a worthy successor?
