2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS-class
When it bowed for the 2005 model year, Mercedes-Benz’s CLS-class launched a segment the world didn’t know it wanted: the four-door coupe. Quad-portal traditionalists worked themselves into a tizzy, pointing out that the CLS was merely a sedan with a fastback roofline; that a coupe had only two doors. But if a company could offer a two-door sedan (something Ford was doing as far back as the 1920s), why couldn’t we have a four-door coupe? Regardless, the style and nomenclature caught on with the European crowd, spawning machines such as the Volkswagen CC and the Audi A7. The original now is about to enter its third generation. And it’s doing so by edging ever closer to the sedan that spawned it, the E-class.
The first two generations of CLS seemed more taut and lithe than their E-class brethren, but this new model comes off as a serious slice of machinery, looming just as large as its more staid sibling. The latest E-class has grown considerably, and if the E grows, so must the CLS. Although the cars we rode in were still lightly camouflaged, there was no hiding the slab-sided nature of the latest version. A pronounced, smooth rear fender line gently arcs up from the outermost corner of the taillight into the driver’s door, while the rear of the greenhouse sweeps inward, perhaps as a bit of a subtle take on the outrageous boattails of the 1971–73 Buick Riviera and the second-generation Chevrolet Corvette. If you prefer to get all Euro and fancy about it, a comparison to the Rolls-Royce Wraith could be made. While the nose of the E-class slopes slightly rearward, the CLS reverses that cue with a mild forward cant. In camo at least, the treatment gives the new nose a mildly Mustang mien. We’ll go out on a limb and posit that the inevitable AMG’s Panamericana grille will look right at home on the new schnoz. Out behind the lengthy backlight, the CLS offers a more rounded take on the design language Mercedes has been applying to its two-doors and coupey crossovers.
Inside, the new CLS feels significantly roomier, especially up front where the dash pulls plenty of cues from the E-class. However, its illuminated, turbine-look HVAC vents are specific to the model, replacing the slatted units in the E. The back seat is where things differ from both the E and the previous CLS. Once past the rear door openings, which are still somewhat tight, the back seats feel plenty roomy and airy, even if the fast roofline’s C-pillars darken the atmosphere somewhat. Think of it as a spacious, leather-lined tent instead of a cocoon; a nest sized for adult humans, rather than children and/or caterpillars.
On the road, at least from the right seat, the new CLS clearly reveals its roots in the modern E-class. The ride is a supple glide with well-controlled body movements. In CLS450 guise—with the new inline-six good for 367 horsepower and 369 lb-ft—acceleration is brisk, and the noise of the new mill is aces, if a bit more muted than we’d like. We imagine the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLS53—using a high-powered version of the new six—will rectify our lack-of-noise complaint. (There will be no V-8–powered CLS63 this time around, as the four-door AMG GT will take its place in the market.) We’ve been excited about the return of the straight-six to the Mercedes-Benz lineup since the company announced its V-6 would be replaced by an all-new unit with its cylinders arranged in a row, and from a passenger’s perspective, at least, it doesn’t disappoint. Paired with Benz’s new EQ-Power 48-volt hybrid system (as all inline-six-equipped Mercedes models will be), stop/start becomes utterly painless and transparent in operation; the car glides away from a stop and continues gliding under the influence of internal combustion. It’s seamless, and we’d be surprised if the technology’s detractors find anything to complain about here.
Set to bow at the Los Angeles auto show next month, the new CLS-class will come to the States initially in six-cylinder CLS450 and CLS450 4Matic trims, while four-cylinder and diesel engines will be available in other markets. We expect the AMG version to follow shortly thereafter. Despite all the change, fear not, as it is still possible to bonk your head getting into the back seat.
