2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS
Based on analysis of 50 CLS reviews and test drives.
Exterior - What the Auto Press Says
Mercedes builds the E-Class sedan in order to provide a practical, enjoyable four-door luxury car. It builds the S-Class in order to provide an opulent one. The company builds the CLS-Class, with its price slotted between the two, for purely aesthetic reasons. Its sexy profile won over the automotive press immediately when it first hit the road in 2004, and is one of few designs in the automotive world that has aged without reviewers calling it dated. Its shape forces some concessions -- the rear doors are small enough to hamper entry-and-exit, and its roofline means little rear-seat headroom.
The CLS has been on the road, virtually unchanged, for six years. Mercedes is in the process of redesigning the car, and an all-new CLS is expected to appear in 2011.
Those in love with the four-door-coupe look, however, have alternatives today they didn’t have six years ago. BMW’s X6 follows a similar design theme. The Volkswagen CC now does that same, for tens of thousands of dollars less.
- "After defining a new segment with its low roof and coupe-like profile, other manufacturers are lining up to trace the CLS silhouette. Jaguar's new XF, the recently announced Volkswagen Passat CC, and even BMW's X6 all bank on the four-door coupe phenomenon. Up front, there's a new grille featuring two large horizontal bars - down from four previously. Bigger side-view mirrors now incorporate arrow-shaped turn indicators, a theme that carries over to the new LED taillights in back." -- Automobile Magazine
- "Hot, hot sheetmetal...arguably one of the sexiest cars ever made -- certainly one of the sexiest on sale today -- a car that can get even blind men panting." -- Car and Driver
- “A consequence of the sexy arched profile is reduced outward visibility and rear headroom, while the less-than-sedan-sized doors make the passenger/pedestrian transition slightly more difficult. Somehow we doubt that those smitten by the shape of the…Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class will be bothered by such details.” -- Edmunds