Mercedes-Benz CLS 2018 Review - International

What’s it all about?

The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class first appeared in 2004. It was based on E-Class sedan underpinnings but draped a swoopy body over the top, added some luxury to the equipment list and some premium to the pricing.

Fourteen years and 375,000 sales later nothing has changed in concept terms. The CLS is still based on the E-Class, still has a swoopy body, still tops up the equipment list and still charges extra for the privilege, like between $20,000 and $30,000 extra. There’s gold in them there niche models.

We’ve gone into the new 2018 CLS range details here, but the recap is this.

Out: V8 engines, V6 engines, diesel engines, shooting brake body.

In: Two brand-new inline turbo-petrol sixes, one brand-new turbo-petrol four-cylinder, nine-speed autos across the line-up, all-wheel drive.

The range entry point will be the $136,900 CLS 350 powered by a 220kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder. It is distinguished by being the only rear-wheel drive in the line-up and it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of this year. It is expected to be the biggest seller.

Above that will sit the $155,900 450 4MATIC, powered by a 270kW/500Nm 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder. It arrives in quarter three and will be followed before the end of the year by the range flagship, read the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic+ here.

The 350 and 450 both have 48-volt mild-hybrid capabilities, the former offering a 10kW/150Nm short-term boost via a belt-driven intergrated starter-generator (ISG) system, while the latter generates 16kW and 250Nm via its ISG mounted between the engine and the transmission.

This is all cool stuff and it’s going to be spread far and wide across the Benz line-up.

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And what else?

The rest of the technical set-up is familiar. Considering the CLS based on the current W213 E-Class and its modular MRA architecture, it should be.

The new CLS is slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor and the reasons for the latter are quite interesting. The I6 is 20kg heavier than the old V6, the new car uses 30kg heavier steel doors because the crease-free ‘Sensual Purity’ design actually weakens crash resistance and the ISG adds somewhere between 40-50kg.

And while wheelbase, overall length, width and height stretch out, the boot capacity of the new CLS is actually slightly smaller than the old car. That’s because the mild-hybrid system requires the 12-volt battery to be shifted to the rear from under the bonnet.

Equipment-wise, the confirmed local highlights include 20-inch alloy wheels, Air Body Control air springs, AMG exterior and interior packages, ambient lighting, the digital widescreen cockpit, a head-up display, multi-beam LED headlights and a package of drive assist systems from the recent S-Class facelift, although several features including active speed limit assist and autonomous cornering speed adjustment are disabled for now.

The CLS 450 adds power-closing doors, a single-mode sports exhaust and the Energizing comfort control system that gets all touchy-feely through fragrances emitted via the air-conditioning, massaging seats and specially selected music... we kid you not.

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Meanwhile back on planet earth

Outside and inside, the CLS is a really attractive piece of work. Its exterior is unadorned yet stylish, its interior  luxuriously trimmed and appointed.

The two 12.3-inch screens that make up the Widescreen Cockpit are a spectacular show, supported by the AC turbine vents that change colour as temperatures change.

Not everything works well; the severe rake of the A-pillars obscures the driver’s view in tight corners and the slope of the roof at the rear makes it harder for passengers to get in and out.

Once settled, anyone 180cm or taller will quickly run out of headroom. And while the CLS adds a middle-rear seatbelt for the first time, pity the person who has to sit there and straddle the transmission tunnel.

So, to the driving. For the all the new-age looks and drivetrains, the CLS is — as we’ve already suggested — a remarkably traditional Benz.

The 450 first. It’s smooth, refined, comfortable and just a bit blobby in its driving manners. It never shrink-wraps, never gets nasty and never gives you any incentive to push along hard and fast.

Kerb weight is 1865kg and that certainly plays its part in encouraging a relaxed pace. But so does the sheer size of the car. On tight and winding roads in the hills west of Barcelona or in a downtown underground carpark, the 450s sheer size was a constant niggling presence.

This is a car that encourages you to cruise, enjoy the serenity and relax in the luxury. The inherent balance of the I6 engine contributes to this, as does the supple tuning of the air springs, which never seem to truly harden up, even in Dynamic Select ‘sport mode’.

If not for the snappy suit this is a car you could imagine some wizened country doctor making his rounds in… in about 1997.

The 350, surprisingly, is a more compelling combination. Probably only 30-40kg lighter than the I6 (official numbers haven’t been issued yet) – especially as we sampled a 4MATIC rather than the rear-driver that will come to Australia – the engine in this car was more alluring in terms of noise and really felt like it wanted to get going.

That was complemented by the confidence-inspiring grip of the rear-biased all-wheel drive system and neatly accurate and well weighted electro-mechanical steering.

It didn’t feel lithe and nimble, especially not picking through the pelotons of bicyclists climbing the narrow Catalan hill roads early on a Sunday morning. But if you fancy a CLS, don’t dismiss the entry-level model because it’s, erm, the entry-level model. It’s better than that.

So where does all that leave us? The new CLS has impressive tech, great styling, real luxury and refinement, and a solid way of making progress that speaks to days of yore.

If you can cope with the pricing, there’s a lot to like here.