LA MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes reinvents CLS

Mercedes-Benz will launch its third-generation CLS-Class ‘coupe’ with three new inline six-cylinder engines as part of its move away from shorter V6 engines and back to its traditional – and inherently smoother – engine configuration.

The swoopier new E-Class based CLS will arrive with two turbo-diesel inline sixes and a flagship (for now) 270kW turbo-petrol straight six, all of which displace three litres of swept volume.

The high-tech petrol engine uses 48-volt electric motor technology to deliver a system total of up to 750Nm of torque in brief bursts, which is well into what was once only diesel territory.

The CLS 450 4MATIC’s 2999cc motor typically generates 500Nm of torque by itself, but gets a helping hand from an integrated starter-generator that can add 16kW of power and 250Nm of torque, and an extra lithium-ion battery.

The base CLS 350d 4MATIC’s version of the six-cylinder diesel will deliver 600Nm of torque from its 2925cc of capacity, plus 210kW of power. The strongest diesel, the CLS 400d will have 250kW and 700Nm of torque.

As we’ve reported, the new CLS won’t come with an AMG V8 engine, in part to make room for AMG’s all-new E63-based GT sedan, but will introduce a new AMG ‘53’ nameplate, powered by a 370kW 3.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain to replace AMG’s existing 3.0-litre ‘43’ V6.

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All CLS models are largely based on the E-Class’s architecture, sharing the more conservative stalwart’s nine-speed automatic transmission, its five-link rear suspension, its four-link front-end and its entire electrical and plumbing systems.

The most unashamedly design-driven of all Mercedes-Benz models, it retains what Benz thinks are the model’s core signatures, including the frameless-window glasshouse, truncated windows, a wide, low headlight layout, and a swooping, low-tailed silhouette.

Just as critical as all of that, though, is that the CLS has become a five-seater for the first time, though it retains a 40:20:40-split folding rear seat to give better access and versatility to the 520-litre luggage compartment.

Due on sale in the middle of next year, the four-door CLS combines design flair with sleek aerodynamics, with a 0.26 coefficient of drag helping both its high-speed prowess and its fuel economy.

Even the six-cylinder CLS 450’s CO2 emissions are down to 178g/km, while both diesel sixes emit the same 148g/km figure.

A controversial nameplate when it debuted in 2003, the CLS has matured into a must-have in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, allowing the marque to keep the E-Class on its inoffensively conservative track with, Mercedes insists, surprisingly little cannibalisation between the two similarly-sized cars.

"The new CLS is a design icon as the archetype of the four-door coupé,” Daimler’s Chief Design Officer, Gorden Wagener, modestly claimed.

“In line with our hot and cool design philosophy, we have reduced its DNA to an extremely puristic level while emotionally charging it with an almost erotic beauty.”

The base cars will ride on fixed-rate steel springs, though active dampers are an option, while top-spec versions can be fitted with Body Control air suspension.

LED headlights are standard equipment even on the base 350d, but Benz claims the top level Ultra Range version reaches the “maximum light intensity permitted by law”, with more than 1 Lux at more than 650 metres.

Benz is working hard to position itself as a cutting-edge in-car connectivity operator, delivering both the In-Car-Office and Mercedes-Benz Link to back it up.

Along with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, the base CLS package also includes 18-inch alloy wheels, 64 colour choices for the ambience lighting, illuminated air vents, lane-keeping systems, a speed-limit assistant and a communications module with LTE.

Where the E-Class and S-Class interiors are all about sumptuousness, the high-tech new CLS cabin trends more towards sportiness, complete with a flowing dash design.

It retains the high-resolution twin-screen pioneered by the S-Class, though it integrates it better, with its two 12.3-inch high-resolution screens nestled beneath a shared glass cover.

It will also come with three interior design styles ranging from Progressive and Comfort to Sport, while its driving software includes all of the S-Class’s semi-autonomous technologies.

Besides active cruise control, navigation-supported Level 2 autonomy and the usual array of lane-keeping and self-parking systems, there is an unusual new feature on the CLS.

Dubbed Pre-Safe Sound by Mercedes, it utilises the noise-cancelling abilities of the sound system to “prepare human hearing for the anticipated accident noise when there is a risk of collision”.