Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 2021 Review

The outgoing Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 is currently listed at $189,100 plus on-road costs, and there’s no real reason why that should be demonstrably increased here when this facelifted version arrives in showrooms in October.

Everything made of plastic ahead of the bonnet has been changed, with a new grille and a new bumper, both above and below the internal support beam. There are new headlights, too, with standard LED power and optional matrix technology.

The standard wheel and tyre size for the Avantgarde spec will be 19 inches, with either five spokes or a multi-spoke design. The AMG Line design boosts that to 20 inches, either in grey or high-gloss black, and the body design is full-stopped by a small boot lid spoiler.

There are three new exterior colours, too, with emerald green, cashmere white mango and Jupiter red all coming out of the traditionally more expensive Designo catalogue.

The interior is all about upgrades to the leather and trim combinations, but it has also been upgraded to accept the latest generation of steering wheel.

The centre console can now be trimmed in open-pore walnut and/or high-gloss grey wood, while the leather upholstery can be specified in either a neva grey/magma grey combination or a sienna brown/black combo, while five existing trim schemes remain in service.

As you’d expect, the new 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 is loaded with a bunch of everything.

The car is at the forefront of crash avoidance and safety technology, with Active Brake Assist (an autonomous braking aid) included in a package that is already chock full of stuff like lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition and active speed limit adjustments for the cruise control.

The interior benefits from two 10.25-inch screens slotted in side-by-side, though there’s a 12.3-inch upgrade available.

There is the latest MBUX user interface, which ranges from voice recognition to touch-screen preferences, for the navigation and multimedia systems.

Aside from the interior leather, the CLS also delivers what’s called an Energizing Coach, which chimes in after a long drive with feelgood music, lighting, heating and a massage.

Also, it has the option of Urban Guard Vehicle Protection, which combines an anti-theft alarm, tow-away protection, interior monitoring and parking collision detection.

You know what changes with the powertrain over the outgoing Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS 450 models? Nothing.

There are diesels, which don’t get sent to Australia so we won’t mention them any further, but the output of the 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 remains at 320kW of power and 520Nm of torque, augmented by 16kW/250Nm of mild-hybrid boosting.

The M556 version of the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine uses two turbochargers and its integrated starter generator (ISG, which replaces the starter motor with an electric motor that does the job for it, as well as generating electricity) helps it rip to 100km/h from standstill in 4.5 seconds.

It’s a strong, strong engine, with the 520Nm of torque arriving from the petrol engine at just 1800rpm and hanging on until 5800 revs, and the power peak thumping in at 5500rpm and tailing off only after 6100rpm.

And that’s before the ISG chimes in with 250Nm of torque at, well, zero revs.

The car consumes 9.2L/100km on the WLTP combined cycle and emits 209 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

With no word on the ‘little’ four-cylinder CLS 350, it’s likely the CLS 53 AMG will fly on with the CLS 450 as its wingman.

No slouch itself, the CLS 450 uses a different M256 version of the inline six, with 270kW of power from 5500-6100rpm, and 500Nm of torque (just 20 fewer than the 53 AMG) from 1600-4000rpm.

It’s also boosted by the same ISG technology, with the same output. It’s good for 4.8 seconds to 100km/h, 8.3L/100km of fuel usage and 189g/km of CO2.

There are few surprises with the 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53, the least of all being its strategy of being an E-Class for the more expressive.

It may be a shock, then, that the ride quality is so, well, firm.

It’s this, rather than its smooth engine or slick gearbox, that sets it immediately apart when you’re in the driver’s seat.

It is firm, running perilously close to ‘hard’, from the first metre to the last, so choosing the CLS over the E-Class comes with a price greater than mere money.

The new damping set-up means that firm springing is calmer than it was. It’s still unconvincingly firm over the merest bumps, but it does an impressive job of cancelling the worst road imperfections.

Of course, the engine dominates the aural show, and it’s a sweet, muscular-sounding six that’s as smooth as it is strong.

The delightful part of the powertrain is the way the nine-speed transmission snaps through the shifts, both up and down, and the engine responds with sharp cracks, like shift cuts, without all the artifice of burbling overruns.

The beauty of the ISG is that it’s simply impossible to pick when it’s working and when it’s not. It’s technology for the driver’s sake, rather than its own sake.

The steering is considerably sharper than an E-Class, too, and the front-end replies to any input with immediate bite, and that doesn’t overlap with Mercedes-Benz tradition.

All that firmness pays off in cornering ability or, rather, the confidence the chassis gives the driver in the car’s ability to nail any looming corner.

It’s very much a case of the car making the driver a believer, and the car rewarding that belief with mid-corner poise.

The thing is, the 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 might be quicker and it might sound nicer, but it doesn’t make many other arguments for being a better car than the CLS 450.

The CLS 450 is smoother, quieter, almost as quick and easier to live with, for less money, so there’s a way out of all that firmness that retains the CLS body shape.

Not that the heavier hitter is a poor option. Far from it.

It’s just a long, long way down the pipe past the E-Class it is based on, and the further it goes, the further behind it leaves all the E-Class customers.

Its handling is a pleasant surprise, and its powertrain is a jewel, and the interior is sumptuous.

That interior is a comfortable place to be, too, though it falls behind the upcoming C-Class range for its hardware and equipment lists.

There’s a place for it, for sure, as a junior GT four-door coupe, but not with this ride quality.

How much does the 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4MATIC+ cost?
Price: $191,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late 2021
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Output: 320kW/520Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.2L/100km (WLTP Combined)
CO2: 209g/km (WLTP Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2016)