2014 Mercedes CLS-Class | new car sales price

The CLS-Class has been around for 10 years -- spearheading a decade ago the trend for 'four-door coupe' styling. And to mark its first double-digit birthday (and while we're waiting for the new one to arrive, likely next year) Mercedes is making some big changes to the line-up.

The German prestige brand is adding in a package of new features, dropping the prices $5000 on the lower level models and more than $50,000 on the top sepc, but axing the CLS350 petrol and diesel models from the line-up.

Named the Avantgarde 10, the new spec level builds on the existing Avantgarde features, but drops the price by $5000 on both the four-door Coupe and wagon Shooting Brake bodies, now available for $114,900 and $124,000 respectively -- plus on-road costs.

The extra features include AMG body kit and five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels, active-cornering adaptive LED headlights, electronically controlled Airmatic damping system, heated front seats, and a Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system.

The Avantgarde 10 treatment has also been given to the CLS500 four-door Coupe, with the price slashed $50,400 to make it now available for $159,900 plus on-roads. It also gets the Avantgarde 10 package with the additions of a digital radio tuner and the Easy-Pack quick-fold rear seat system.

The price change on the CLS500 drops it to roughly the price of the axed models, with the petrol CLS350 having started at $158,700 and the CLS350 CDI at $159,200.

Mercedes-Benz spokesman David McCarthy says the realignment adds considerable value to the anniversary models. "Customer value if the options are added on is $20,000 extra for the CLS250 and CLS250 CDI and about $45,000 for the CLS500," he says.

The changes are a resounding shot fired at key German rivals. However McCarthy says the realignment is not prompted by any perceived threat to sales.

"It was an opportunity to give the the E-Class and CLS-Class a greater focus. We did really well with E-Class and CLS last year so the buyers are there, but we wanted to sharpen it," he says. "We think with this realignment you get the choice of luxury and the luxury of choice.

"One of the reasons we're taking the 350 out of the catalogue at this point is that E-Class and CLS buyers -- while they're not the same -- are in the same segment. So excluding the AMGs, you've now got an E-Class E200 that starts around $80,000, and then the range is now topped off by the CLS500 anniversary edition at $160,000."

He points out a similar strategy was undertaken when rationalising the E-Class line-up. "When we dropped E500 from the E-Class range we replaced it with E400 -- same equipment, different engine, but again it was about a $50,000 drop.

"There are still a lot of customers out there that want a V8 other than an AMG, so we decided with the anniversary edition to make that vehicle much more affordable. We think there could be some E500 owners that really wanted a V8... well they've always had the choice of a CLS and we've now made it more accessible."

However he emphasises that sales figures have not been a problem with either the E-Class or CLS-Class, which sold 1451 and 456 last year respectively, with the E-Class leading the segment against the BMW 5 Series on 1108.

"Obviously you always want to sell more. But this is not that we're seeing a problem in that segment -- we won that segment -- it's in response to what customers have been telling us and at the end of the day our job is to meet those expectations and give them what they want," McCarthy says.

The new price of the CLS500 now makes it a much more attractive proposition than it's former $210,300 ask, with the Merc now about $70,000 less than the closest BMW rival, the 550i starting at $231,445

"Our competitors could be a bit put-out by where we've priced the CLS500," McCarthy says. "But our role is to meet the customers' expectations and provide them with the best product and the best value. I'm not interested in giving our opposition a free kick or any sympathy. Now if that upsets another marque, well ... bah.

"The reality is we wanted to sharpen the range. And I think it really does -- to the extent that we feel pretty confident about how it's going to sell."

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class prices

Mercedes-Benz CLS250 CDI Avantgarde 10 $114,900 (-$5000)
Mercedes-Benz CLS 250 CDI Shooting Brake Avantgarde 10 $124,000 (-$5000)
Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Avantgarde 10 $159,900 (-$50,400)