THIS is something special. A Mercedes-Benz with presence like no other. Not even the SLR McLaren. (Sportscars are supposed to be noticeable.) No, if you REALLY want a Mercedes that makes a statement, the CLS is IT. A fourdoor, four-seat saloon (more on this later) that simply knocks your socks – or stockings – off… Far from being another Stuttgart luxo-barge, the CLS represents such a break with tradition that you have to look twice to confirm that it is a Mercedes-Benz, but not one that will be found dominating taxi ranks of the more affluent European countries. Far from it. Driving enthusiasts and poseurs alike are lining up for what surely is destined to be a landmark model in the company’s long and illustrious history.
Mercedes’ evolutionary design strategy has taken a sideways step, and, yes, while there are some obvious M-B styling cues on the CLS, it is still quite a departure from the E- and S-Class models, between which it slots in the corporate pecking order. The marketers suggest that the CLS is a ground breaking four-door coupé – which it is in M-B world – but there are plenty of other such configurations around, so let us not get too carried away with the hype and be taken in by the three-pointed star mounted inside the grille, not on top, which is the defining position on all the company’s coupés and roadsters.
Every one of the CLS’s body panels is unique, and they are put together in dramatic fashion. The car is low (1 390 mm), wide (1 873 mm) but not excessively long (4 913 mm), and the wheelbase is the same as the E’s (2 854 mm). Coefficient of drag is a respectable 0,31.
The front-end styling is handsome yet relatively tame compared with what is behind, but with wheelarches that flare out to become the starting point for a bold arced crease-line that stretches along the sides and into the tail-lights, creating a “shoulder” for the deep and flat doors. By contrast, the crescentshaped and frameless side glass is exceptionally narrow: a tad over 300 mm at the widest point. Substantial A- and C-pillars flank steeply raked, but effectively shallow, front and rear screens. The tapering tail does have, ahem, Ford Falcon overtones, but manages to look slightly less “droopy drawers”. A pair of big-bore oval tailpipes suggest a heavy exhaust beat. Overall, then, heavy metal without tattoos…
If the exterior is radical, at least the cabin is more recognisably Mercedes, with the usual fourspoke wheel/column stalk set-up, a plethora of buttons, three-dial instrument binnacle, firm leathercovered seats, and a dull-finish plank of burr walnut stretching across the facia separating the two-tone environment colour. (Beware optional all-black interiors, which can create a “sunk in a hole” feeling given such a small glasshouse, although a sunroof provides some relief.) There is allelectric adjustment with memory for both front seats, but most people will find themselves pressing the ‘down’ button in order to get some reasonable head clearance to the low roof. Once settled, you can be forgiven for feeling like a “road warrior”…
Hit the start button atop the transmission shifter (CLS has keyless-go) and a creamy V8 fires up under the wide expanse of bonnet. There is nothing wild about the motor: it is the cooking 5,0-litre with a single overhead cam per bank operating three valves per cylinder. It pumps out a reasonable 225 kW at 5 600 r/min, and, of more relevance, a healthy 460 N.m from 2 700 to 4 250, and is coupled with M-B’s 7G-Tronic seven-speed autobox, which is good and not-so-good. The transmission offers comfort and sport modes – as well as manual override (tap the shifter sideways) – and manages to keep the motor in its optimum rev range, resulting in relentless, seamless acceleration. Zero to 100 km/h in 6,15 seconds, a standing kilometre in 25,74 seconds at 209,3 km/h, and 60 to 120 km/h in less than six seconds is rapid for a 1 860 kg (test weight) car, especially when achieved so effortlessly. Top speed is limited to around 250 km/h.
However, the 7G-Tronic is less smooth on downshifting: the transmission is capable of “skipping” up to four ratios to facilitate rapid engagement of the appropriate gear, but such action can create quite a jolt, especially when accelerating from a slow cruise/ coast situation. Oh, sadly for enthusiasts, in manual mode, the ECU will override and execute an up-shift when maximum revs are reached.
That does not spoil the fun, though. Though the CLS is based on the E-Class platform, both front and rear tracks have not only been widened, but the back wheels are spaced further apart than the fronts. Wheelarches are filled with 18-inch alloys carrying 245/40 rubber, and the whole suspension system is sprung by air. What you get is even-keel handling and a firm yet comfortably ride in all conditions, including maintaining full spring travel irrespective of load. The Airmatic DC system automatically lowers the ride height by 15 mm from 130 km/h, and offers three distinct suspension settings, progressively stiffening the springs and dampers from comfort to sport, the latter being almost race car-like in response. ESP stability control can be switched out for anyone wanting to challenge the laws of physics.
The speed-sensitive power assisted steering provides that characteristic M-B slightly numb but accurate feedback, contributing towards a driving experience that is, overall, both exhilarating and composed. Suddenly, the four-door coupé concept has credence…
And for those in the back, the shallow glasshouse may be a mite claustrophobic, but the rear seat is tailored strictly for two, and offers more space and comfort than any two-door coupé can. Thermotronic air-conditioning provides individual temperature controls for all four occupants.
For hauling-in the CLS, Sensotronic electro-hydraulic brake control is standard, which features inner-ventilated discs on all wheels, ABS with brake assist, and a system of “drying out” the discs and pads in wet weather (cleverly using the amount of sceenwiper operation as the activating factor). The system also incorporates a start-off assist to prevent rolling backwards on hills. In traffic, pedal modulation takes a little getting used to, but there is no questioning their effectiveness in any situation.
TEST SUMMARY
Accepting that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, some people may find the CLS decidedly ugly. But its looks are like no other Mercedes, and the whole test team was won over by its ohso- different persona. A head-turner wherever it went, it is far more than an objet d’art, though. Dynamically, it is superb, tarnished only by the 7G-Tronic’s occasional jerk, and it is brim-full of technology, albeit not all as standard. The CLS is kind of a mix of E, CLK, S, and CL but with conservatism thrown to the wind, and the total is greater than the sum of the parts. There is now no excuse (other than your bank balance), for shying away from a Mercedes- Benz because of perceived stodginess. Welcome, the Stuttgart stunner…