In the popular television series Ray Donovan, actor Liev Schrieber plays the role of a no-nonsense “problem solver” working for the rich and famous in Los Angeles. Always dressed well and sporting one of his many collectable watches, Schrieber’s character is afforded an edgy demeanour by the fact that he is never clean shaven, hardly ever smiles and has an assortment of weapons – including a favourite baseball bat – lying in the boot of his car. And his vehicle of choice, now almost as recognisable as Ray himself in the show, is a Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Introduced in 2004 and based on the W211 E-Class, the CLS represented something a little different from the norm. Clean cut and elegant like a Mercedes-Benz should be, yet handed a bit of an edge thanks to its unconventional swept profile and coupe-like stance. For many, it represented an ideal blend of old-school Mercedes-Benz charm with a then much-needed appeal towards a younger, more trend-conscious audience.
A facelifted version of the second-generation CLS (introduced in 2010) has been launched in South Africa and with it comes a choice of two new engines, one new transmission and very sophisticated new headlight technology.
While exterior changes have been reserved (and kept to a minimum) for the bumper and grille design, interior modifications include the fitment of the eight-inch satellite multifunction display featured in the new C-Class.
A new multi-beam LED headlamp system makes use of a camera and a total of four control units to adjust up to 100 times per second for both predicting the curvature of the road ahead (including traffic circles) and anticipating the potential strained eyesight of oncoming drivers.
While a new 9G-Tronic transmission has been added to the 350 BlueTEC and 500 models, the freshly introduced CLS400 makes do with a slick seven-speed unit. In turn, this highly refined bi-turbocharged V6 engine delivers 245 kW with 480 N.m of torque.
Having spent much time behind the wheel of the CLS-rivalling Audi A7, it’s immediately obvious that the Mercedes-Benz, with its tighter (yet no less comfortable) cabin, more dramatically sloped roofline and generally firmer ride is the sportier of the two when not in AMG or RS guises. Where the A7 is more than capable of pushing on when required, the Benz feels that much racier more of the time.
Sadly (from an enthusiast’s point of view) Mercedes-Benz South Africa has seen little reason to continue offering the sleek CLS Shooting Brake wagon in our market, though performance-oriented buyers will enjoy the fact that the CLS63 AMG is only available in uprated (430 kW/800 N.m) S trim.
