Rating
Quick Summary
Recommended. A large coupe that provides driver enjoyment and the ability to carry four. The looks may not please everyone, but it is striking beast nonetheless.
Road Test
The original CLS was a significant success for Mercedes. The curvaceous saloon sold around 170,000 examples on the strength of its elegant appearance, and the manufacturer claims to have invented the lucrative four-door coupe market with its launch in 2003.
Needless to say other manufacturers have rushed to fill the resulting niche by slipping svelte bodies over their own mid-sized saloons, but Mercedes is determined to stay ahead of the crowd with a new version of its CLS that's due to arrive in the UK next year.
The model has been treated to plethora of improvements, including lighter aluminium bodywork, better aerodynamics, more economical engines (including a four-cylinder diesel), electromechanical steering and even directional LED headlights, but the real step change is the CLS's new looks.
Mercedes is the first to admit that the car's success hinges on its appearance, so it was bold of the design team to reinterpret the original CLS's much-admired lines quite as thoroughly as they have. It may not be to everyone's taste, but the new CLS remains a step above the E Class it shares a platform with.
That's mostly thanks the low swept roofline that tapers into the rear quarter. As before this means tall rear passengers have to sacrifice a little headroom, but this is compensated by a generous amount of leg space.
The cabin is an attractive place, too. Mercedes is offering a decent amount of customisation inside the CLS, and so long as you avoid the woeful wood finishes, the result is a quality interior which, although staid, never fails to exude a premium feel.
As comfortable as the car is for its passengers, the best seat in the house is reserved for its driver - the dynamic enhancements are a triumph. Mercedes has gifted the new CLS with a precise, refined and bewitching sense of progress that rewards considerate input with supremely capable cruising output.
At the core of this experience is a powerhouse collection of engines mated to an automatic gearbox that shifts cogs with sleight of hand subterfuge. The updated 3.0-litre turbodiesel in the 350 CDI is practically faultless, offering effortless advancement with an mpg figure in the high 40s. The oil burner is so good the six-cylinder petrol lump cannot compete, meaning diesel-dodgers must dig deep for the brilliant sounding twin-turbo V8 in the prohibitively expensive CLS 500.
Inevitably the bulk of sales are likely to fall to the new entry level four-cylinder diesel engine. Combined fuel consumption of 55mpg and sub 140g/km CO2 emissions should seal the CLS 250 CDI's popularity with the fleet market; especially given the car's accomplished on-road temperament.
There are minor niggles of course; the instrumentation panel is cluttered with too many warning signals, the electronic seat controls are stranded untidily on the doors and Mercedes' infotainment system is still not as intuitive as BMW's i-Drive, but if you're in the market for a high-end four-door coupe - and the CLS's raw-boned new look doesn't put you off - this new model is well worth considering.
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