2017 Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Reviews

Spotting the updated CLS is as simple as looking for the LED daytime running lights at the top of the headlamps. But there's more to this facelift than meets the eye. Customer desire for the latest technology has put paid to the days when revised front and rear styling would pass as a mid-life refresh. Accordingly,

The boss of Mercedes says the new S-Class is the best car in the world. That sounds like something that we should try out for ourselves. Doesn't it?

Muffled thunder distantly disturbs the serenity of the cabin as the right foot taps into what amounts to a force of nature. Indulge for more than a second and the posted speed limit is a distant figure on the central dial as the V8 Mercedes blitzkriegs its way up the bitumen.Welcome to the CLS, the heavyweight hitter that launched the executive four-door coupe market and is still a head-turning status symbol.VALUEIf you have to ask, you can't afford it, but for the record the CLS 500 starts at $210,800. The badge, bigger wheels — and that addictive V8 audio track — are the only things that differentiate it externally from the six-cylinder CLS 350. Oh, and a lazy $50K. That spends puts you behind the wheel of a seriously quick executive limo. If you really want to impress the golf club associates, ante up another $50,000 for the twin turbo C63 AMG model.TECHNOLOGYA twin-turbo 4.7-litre V8 powers the CLS 500 with 300kW and 600Nm of mumbo fed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic. Official fuel consumption is 9.9 litres/100km but around town that lube-smooth engine will use 14.7 litres to cover the same distance, even with the engine stop/start function.The suspension and performance can be adjusted by a pair of buttons on either side of the centre console, respectively offering Economy and Sport modes or Comfort and Sport. Behind the leather, brushed alloy and wood interior lies some smart electronics, from the adapative cruise control to blind spot warnings in the side mirrors and a lane-veering warning system. For those occasions when you don't want to listen to the engine, a Harman Kardon sound system is matched to a 10GB hard drive. Mercedes says it's also the first car to boast full "LED high performance" headlamps.STYLINGThis is an imposing bit of kit. Debate still ranges about whether this second generation diluted or distilled the lines of the original but there's no argument that it turns heads. The LED daytime running lights bejewel the front end that is otherwise dominated by the massive three-pointed star Mercedes applies to its coupe models. The profile is all curves, from the roof itself to the dropping line that tails down to the flared rear guards. There's only room for four inside — the pair of contoured rear seats are split by a storage bin and cupholder/12V socket tucked beneath sliding lacquered wooden panels — but the seats are supremely comfortable front or back.SAFETYSoftware engineers must be rivalling the traditional type at Mercedes-Benz judging by the number of systems packed into the CLS. Sensors sound an audible warning if you approach the car in front too quickly and the brakes will engage themselves to maintain a safe distance with the adapative cruise control on. It's a pain in Australia — the gap is seen by other motorists as an invitation to cut in and then the big Merc then slows down to regain the separation. Should it come to it, a staggering 11 airbags are hidden away ready to deploy. It goes without saying the CLS is a five-star ANCAP car.DRIVINGIt's hard not to get emotional with the CLS. The seatbelts give you a reassuring hug as they snug themselves to your body shape. And then you hit the big alloy button to engage the V8 ... and it's an affair just waiting for the right road to be consumated. She's dressed to impress so find a set of fast sweepers, get passionate and let the dance begin. For a big girl the CLS is surprisingly light on her low-profile rubber shoes. Lunges are decisively quick and she's comfortable side-stepping potholes.Push too hard too soon and she'll shake her shapely rear and flutter her traction light at you. Keep it steady and the four-door coupe will match your every input no matter the tempo and happily keep going as hard and for as long as you can. And when you've taken your pleasure, the exhaust will sigh as you exit the car. I sighed too when I had to give the keys back. But she's an expensive mistress ... and I struggle to mai ntain my wife.VERDICTImitation is the greatest form of flattery and Mercedes, having created the four-door coupe class, now has Audi's A7 and the Porsche Panamera looming large in the CLS' mirrors. The CLS500 represents the best balance in the range between price and performance ... buy a new B-Class with the money you'll save against the CLS 63 AMG.Mercedes CLS 500Price: $210,800Warranty: Three years/unlimited kmResale: 58 per centService intervals: 25,000km/12 monthsSafety: Five starsEngine: 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol, 300kW/600NmBody: Four-door coupeDimensions: 4996mm (L), 1881mm (W), 1421mm (H), 2874mm (WB)Weight: 1842kgTransmission: Seven-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveThirst: 9.9 litres/100km 95RON, 231g/km CO2

It's always hard in the car business to do a sequel off the back of a success story, and the latest Mercedes-Benz CLS proves it. The original four-door coupe is a sales winner and a category pioneer, converting people to the idea of a four-seat sedan with a curvy coupe roofline, so CLS II is more of the same.But...Benz has done a good job to improve the package and value, with a number of important new safety systems, but there are questions about the styling of the car that lands in Australia in the first half of next year. If the original CLS was as smooth and unruffled as Pierce Brosnan playing James Bond, then the new car is more like Daniel Craig.It's still 007, but harder edged, more brutal and threatening. Benz knows it is pushing the limit with CLS II and that it could polarize buyers, but there is a strategy. "I think the world is becoming a bit more obvious. There is a higher demand for showing your label, your brand," says Benz's chief designer, Gordon Wagener.He has definitely driven the CLS forward and there is lots of stuff inside his body to like, from a slightly roomier cabin to a driving   experience that's more planted and more refined.Mercedes-Benz Australia is also promising pricing for the new team - with V8, V6 petrol and turbodiesel engines - that will be almost line-  ball with the current stickers, which points to a starting price around $155,000."Mercedes-Benz would not be Mercedes if the second generation did not have more of everthing. We are convinced it will succeed on both the rational and emotional levels," says SLS program chief, Dr Michael Kramer.VALUEA lot of money has gone into the new CLS but it is not going to cost a lot more to buy. That's definitely a win.The engines are upgraded, and the V6 petrol is an impressive newcomer, while the CLS gets Benz's classy seven-speed automatic.  It's too early for Benz to confirm prices or equipment for Australia, but CLS II should come loaded and the company always boosts safety when it can. In this case that means nine airbags - there is now even protection for the front passengers' pelvis area - although the active lane and blind-spot assistance will likely be optional.TECHNOLOGYThere are four new engines, aluminium doors, more safety, active parking assistance, a full-LED light package, and all-new electronic   power assistance for the steering. It's a lot of stuff and shows how much Benz has in the melting pot for everything new it designs and builds.The most impressive things are the engines - more power, less fuel, lower emissions - the chassis work and the lamps. Switching to LEDs also cuts power drain, important with the extra needed for the electric steering.The active lane-change and blind-spot systems are claimed as big breakthroughs, braking the car - ESP style - to bring it back into line.DESIGNThe original CLS was elegant and impressive, despite comparisons with Ford's unloved AU Falcon. This time around, Wagener has gone tough. The front is blunt and sends   an 'outa my way' message, and there are chunky wheelarches and some edgy finishing to the body.It's not my favourite, but it's always important to let a car have some time to settle into the landscape. A former Benz design chief, Bruno Scacco, once told me any car you like straight away would date very fast and he is usually right. The cabin is more refined and user-friendly in the new CLS, although - despite the company's claims of more width and headroom in the back - you still have to be careful not to bang your head while getting into   the rear seats and headroom is not good.SAFETYBenz is the world leader in safety - despite Volvo's track record - and the CLS has those nine airbags, plenty of active safety systems to   get you out of trouble, and even the LED lamps for better night-time visibility. It's a certain five-star NCAP car and will get bonus points for its new technology.DRIVINGThe new CLS is a significantly better drive and it comes down to two things - chassis work and the new power steering. The car feels more relaxed in all conditions, even pushing hard with the V8 engine, and the steering is wonderfully tactic and rewarding.  It makes the car a dream drive, even on narrow, pockmarked Italian backroads. CLS II sits firmly on the road, has great brakes, and the latest engines - the V6 petrol is a real treat, although it needs some revving for its best - are up to the class of the whole package.I like the cabin layout, it's comfortable and quiet, and there is plenty of standard equipment and a mind-boggling array of extra stuff. But you still have to be careful sliding into the back seat, and I'm not a fan of the latest 'active' safety systems that take control away from the driver.No engineer can possibly predict every potential emergency or the driver's reaction, and that worries me. But there is no worry about the second-generation CLS, which will be a winner. It's not the best looking car on the road, but it easily beats the Porsche Panamera and definitely stands out in a crowd.VERDICTNot the prettiest new car, but a great drive

This is clearly a fake — some young designer's handiwork — and the heartless soul hasimplanted a three-pointed star emblem atop the grille.William Shatner, who owns a Mercedes, turns to me and says: "It's a Mercedes, Jim, but not as we know it." Which is pretty unusual, given my name's not Jim. Nothing, in fact, seems real.The Mercedes-Benz CLS is very much a car out of left field, perhaps only the second time that Mercedes-Benz has publicly aired its quirky laundry. The other washday resulted in the A-Class.But there's no denying that the lines of the CLS are pretty, assertive, distinctive and impressive — tempered only by borrowing some unfortunate styling cues from the ill-fated Ford Taurus.Mercedes calls it a sedan coupe — suggesting it has the profile of a coupe with the extra benefit of four doors — but I'm putting more weight on Shatner's comments.Perhaps this is a view of the Mercedes of the future — long, low and lean.Look closer at the CLS and you see distinct overtones of the $1 million Maybach limousine, the flagship of the DaimlerChrysler range.Go underneath and the CLS is all E-Class, borrowing all the running gear and some cabin treatments from the popular upper-mid-range Merc.Mercedes-Benz has aimed the car at the more affluent buyer who demands a car that is an expression of individuality.Perhaps that buyer is a long-time Mercedes owner, a touch jaded by the familiarity of the sedan and seeking a standout addition to the driveway.The car is already proving popular. Mercedes Australia gets 400 cars this year, 450 in 2006. It recently boosted the CLS range to three models, with the introduction of the smaller-engined CLS350 to add to the CLS500 and the $347,900 CLS55 AMG.For me, the pick is the CLS500, which picks up the Merc 5-litre V8, bolts it to a seven-speed auto gearbox and sends the power to the rear wheels.Space efficient it may not be, but for spirited driving it's got the right formula that BMW — which makes no front-wheel-drive cars — knows too well.That said, few CLS500 buyers have spent nearly $180,000 for a quick fang around the block.This is a limousine of sorts, with seating for four — the rear seats are buckets — and a high level of interior trim, restrained to suit the car's target market.The interior appears to be made to a higher level of quality than some other Mercs, with excellent attention to detail combined with attractive use of leather and faux woodgrain.The foot-operated park brake is a pain, but if you're a Mercedes owner it will be quite familiar.The chop-top roofline lowers the car's height, which makes it a bit harder to enter than the CLS's E-Class donor.Getting into the car is made a bit easier by the frameless side windows — presupposing the glass is down when you enter the cabin — with the exception of the rear doors' fixed quarter panels, which can get in the way.To suit its market, the CLS is supremely quiet, though for the driver, not especially engaging.The seven-speed auto mayappear an overkill, but it's sweeter than honey and just as smooth — and it's perfectly mated to the fat torque of the V8.On the freeway, or toddling around the suburbs, this is one silky carriage.Get it on to winding roads, however, and it is a reluctant handler that shows its weight as it progresses through the bends.It's not a bad feel, just that winding country roads aren't this car's bag. Here, it reveals a suspension design made with the US in mind.The suspension is adjustable, but though that helps, it still doesn't involve the driver.That's magnified by disinterested steering, though I'll give top marks to the brakes.But I'm being too pedantic. This is a superb car with looks that turns heads.Is it better than the E-Class on which it's based? I'm not sure. William Shatner, however, assures me it is.

The decision was as smooth as the slick auto shift through five smart ratios. And as adamant as that 700Nm of torque twisting through that back axle.For, allowing for a Lotto win, the Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG would be part of the fantasy garage.Previously the dream was simple: a diesel LandCruiser ute with a few mods and sods, a Porsche 356 cabriolet and a Mercedes-Benz E500.The Toyota ute would be ready to go anywhere, anytime. The Porsche would be the Porsche, the classic and the convertible rolled into one for Sunday drives. And the E500 would be a sensible sedan with style, an E55 would have been too much of a good thing for the licence.And that's been the line-up for some time, a goal of some simple magnitude.It has been changed by the outrageous charms of this new Benz, this four-door coupe with a back end a little like that much-derided AU Falcon, a four-door coupe with Batmobile profile and a nose style that looks a little heavyhanded in some colours.But the sum of the parts is a gorgeous machine with a great deal of punch. Oh, and a $247,900 price tag.Now a CLS 500 would surely do the job at $173,900. And there's a CLS 350, mit V6, on its way. You could always remove the boot badge.But let's get serious at this end of fantasy land. Go straight to the top of a new class of car.Sure, spend $250,000 and there could be cars with more cabin room. Spend $250,000 and a Porsche GT3 will toy with the Benz around a race track. And that much money will deliver a V10-engined BMW M5 sedan, with some change for a tip.But this CLS-Class from Benz has a little bit of all that, plus a distinct cachet. Add the firepower of the supercharged 5.5-litre V8, with 350kW at 6000rpm and this is a very special (albeit very expensive) family all-rounder, as easy to run hard down a back country road as it is to pick up Saturday night pizzas.There are stares all round, grubby noses pressed up against window glass and cameras appear.For there is muscle tone to this style. There is that sweeping roof profile, the big hips, the pillarless doors and that shallow glass. It could have been chopped and lowered in a Californian hotrod shop.Jaguar should be taking notes.There is the trade-off with rear seat headroom in the CLS. Talk to someone who cares.For the glory is up front, seated snug in leather, surrounded by the trappings of luxury and modern electronics.As with most modern Mercedes, it is an inviting cabin with logic to the ergonomics, nice bits of timber and a DVD/satellite navigation/television screen.Differences here include the AMG tachometer and speedometer and paddle shifts on the back of the steering wheel for the five-speed auto. So here there's the choice of using the gearshift — and change by flicking from right to left and back — or letting the fingers play the tunes.And the CLS 55 has a glorious, seemingly never ending catalogue of tunes. These range from the metallic whirr of the belt-driven supercharger at low speed to the full blast of the exhaust trumpets; all mixed with a little tyre noise just before the traction control says the fun's over for now, behave and brings the Benz back to the straight ahead.This thing flies as it looks. It accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and hits 200km/h in 16.1 seconds, says the factory.Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h, the speedometer reads to 320km/h. Go figure.The other stats show that 700Nm of torque arrives at 2650rpm and stays around until 4500rpm. By then the CLS 55 is long, long gone.The CLS 55 sits a bit lower than other CLS machines. And here there's the AMG sports suspension, built around the Airmatic DC air suspension.There is automatic levelling, stiffer spring and damper combinations with adaptive damping plus three settings from all-out comfort to all-out sport. There are bigger stabiliser bars.And there is the Benz electronic stability program, able to brake inside wheels on turns to correct a wayward chassis.So this is a grand tourer with some urge, a big sedan with decent road manners. It needs, of course, a little speed to be appreciated and now the turn in is smooth as the Mercedes squats and powers out.The power steering adjusts to road speed, giving more assistance below 100km/h.It is a fair-sized package, nowhere as nimble as a Porsche 911 yet with more seats and just as much straightline punch. So the CLS 55 appreciates best a flowing country road, rather than a tight, hairpinned mountain run.Once rolling, the Mercedes settles into a comfortable, long-legged gait with assurance. There can be a little violence from a downshifting gearbox when the machine is under brakes, most of the experience is the iron-in-a-velvet glove cliche.For this is one quick, practical and pretty touring car. It has the considerable go to match the considerable show.That big brake package has been taken from the SL 55 AMG. Quite adequate, thank you.And there is big 18-inch rubber (8.5-inch up front, 9.5-inch at the rear) with a tyre pressure loss warning system.All of this is wrapped in a five-metre body stacked with the latest and greatest in airbags and crash safety protection.But for all the safety and all the luxury this CLS 55 AMG is all about style and performance. It is a feel-good machine that does not need to be pushed within an inch of its rubber to be appreciated. But it also will blow any stable of performance machines to the weeds.

But they flow without contradiction to describe the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz class structure which has finally arrived in Australia.Welcome to the CLS Class.The sleek coupe styling of the four-door sedan prompted its engineers to dub it the "Jag fighter" for its similarities to the swooping lines of the S Type. Here lies the emotion.Its high hips and low brow line create an almost "chopped" 1950s hot-rod style roof that sits slit-eyed on arcs that bend all the way from front to back and leave a rear impression somewhere between an AU Falcon and an S Type.DaimlerChrysler Australia general manager Horst von Sanden said the CLS continued a trend towards "emotional design"."About 10 years ago, since we launched our new product range, emotion has become more important to us," he said."CLS is the most emotional car we have launched. It's an interpretation of Mercedes-Benz that we have not experienced before."Its design is recognition of other cars like Italian vehicles. But we wanted practicality and emotion."The practical side is the four doors and generous dimensions; at least generous in coupe circles. The CLS concept was unveiled in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show."Some people criticised us saying it is impossible to mix coupe lines with a four-door sedan, but it only matters what our customers think. The huge number of forward orders shows that people are getting excited about the combination of sedan and coupe," von Sanden said.Mercedes expects to sell about 400 cars this year and boasts that they have already received 190 orders, with some paying a deposit, and 70 already delivered last week.After the launch in Cairns in the wet tropics last week, a CLS was left at the Ireland Mercedes-Benz dealership and two orders were written on the Saturday.The CLS arrives as the V8 CLS 500 and the supercharged V8, the CLS55 AMG. A V6 CLS 350 will follow in a few months due to limited production volumes in Germany.Mercedes expects to sell 65 per cent CLS 500 and 15 per cent CLS 350 this year, with the V6 doubling next year to 30 per cent while the AMG model will remain at 20 per cent."We have ordered all we can get," von Sanden said. "If customer expectation exceeds demand, we can get more next year. There are not many early orders for the 350."Von Sanden said he expected 40 per cent of CLS buyers — mostly male, aged 45-55 — to be new to Mercedes, with customers coming from BMW, Audi and other European brands."Audi A6 has taken some sales from us, but the CLS will take them back," said von Sanden who sees competitors as the BMW 645i and 545i, Audi A6 and Jaguar S Type.The new CLS is based on the E Class. It has the same wheelbase, but is lighter, longer, with a wider track and bigger wheels and tyres.Inside, there is real burr walnut finishing and a now-familiar Benz chronometer-look instrumentation.In standard trim, it is a technologically packed vehicle, but it can also be optioned up with features from the S Class.For all its technological advances, there is nothing new about the CLS except for its stylish packaging.It features air suspension (optional on the V6), seven-speed auto (in the 350 and 500), optional dynamic contour seating that modifies for G forces as well as massaging the back, plus many other devices already featured throughout the Benz range.The AMG model has a five-speed transmission. The seven-speed is not needed because of its 700Nm of torque.It is distinguished in the front by a wider grille to accommodate the extra air flow needed for a separate radiator underneath the main radiator which cools the supercharger hidden in the V of the block.In the rear, it is easily identified by dual chrome tailpipes.On the road, there is little noise or body roll and a general feeling of safety. Computerised intervention in drive and braking holds the car safely away from the dangerous cliffs in the hill climb behind Cairns.An enthusiastic descent from those hills brought on the "Brakes overheated. Drive carefully" warning light on the instrument panel, yet there was no hint of brake fade. And as soon as we hit the sugarcane fields of the plains below, the brakes cooled and the warning disappeared.The CLS 500 sports the lusty V8 from the S Class and SL Roadster. Power delivery is so linear, it dissipates the feeling of acceleration.And compared with the supercharged AMG version, it almost feels as if it's standing still, especially when a CLS 55 roars past with those quad tailpipes crackling their fearsome roar.On song, that roar is designed to echo throughout the cabin with a joyous chorus, but at cruising speed, it becomes subdued and unintrusive, while the air suspension drops 15mm to hug the road tight.The taut chassis and body is constructed with lightweight, high-strength steel and aluminium, with front and rear sections bolted on, rather than welded, for ease of replacement in a crash.Aluminium "crash boxes" front and rear absorb impact and are simply thrown away and replaced, reducing costs of repair.

The CLS is the niche model for the enthusiast reluctantly forced to quit two-door motoring to meet the demands of the family.It meets head-on the 6-Series coupe of arch rival BMW and drives yet another stake into the ailing body of Jaguar, inviting S-Type buyers to look to Germany."This four-door coupe is a vehicle with tremendous emotional appeal," DaimlerChrysler design senior vice-president Peter Pfeiffer says."Never before have we heard people react so emotionally to an automobile. The best way to prepare for the future is to actively help to shape it," he says.In blurring the edges between sedan and coupe, Mercedes hopes to attract newcomers to buy something not available from other brands.It is looking to sell a modest 5000 examples of the CLS in its first year, growing to 30,000 a year.The CLS-Class sits on a variation of the E-Class structure and floorpan and shares its engines and gearboxes. It will come to Australia next year with three engine options, all mated to Merc's seven-speed adaptive sequential automatic.The CLS 350 has a newly developed 200kW 24-valve, 3.5-litre V6 and cost about $130,000.The CLS 500 will be powered by a three-valve-a-cylinder 5.0-litre V8 that puts out 225kW and will cost about $168,000.The CLS 55 AMG will get awesome power from a 5.4-litre supercharged V8 that generated 350kW of power at $240,000.The four-door Coupe will come with varying degrees of equipment that steps up along with the engine size. And it has all the latest stability-control equipment.In its best-dressed guise, the CLS rides on air suspension that can be set for comfort or sports handling.ON THE ROAD EVERYTHING about the CLS impresses. But nothing more so than the styling on the outside and the upper-class ambience within.Passengers in the rear get individual seats and a centre console.Yet, even though the roof line sweeps down towards the rear and the back window is heavily raked, headroom is astonishingly good.But good looks alone will never sell a car of this quality unless dynamics match the promise of the shape.Be assured, the CLS rides, handles and steers, accelerates and stops right on the button.It is nimble for a large car and always gives the impression it is operating well within its limits even when pressed along winding roads.It is swift, smooth and highly sophisticated. Mercedes-Benz Australia need have no fear about selling the 350 examples of the car it will be allocated next year and the 400 to 450 in years to follow.In a stable of remarkable cars, this one is ultra special.Everyone expects a Merc to motor along with powerful panache.The big difference is this one looks simply stunning as well.