Pros:
- Awesome list of luxury amenities like the massaging driver seat
- Silky smooth and powerful twin-turbo V8
- Advanced safety features that are perfect for long trips
Cons:
- Unique, busy styling
- Restricted head room and trunk space
- 7-speed transmission
I took the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550 from the San Francisco Bay Area down to LA with the wife and toddler in tow a couple weekends ago and found it to be one of the best four-door coupes I’ve ever driven. The myriad safety features made the 6-hour trip (with an occasional screaming toddler) all that more reassuring, and the luxury features like the massaging driver’s seat made the trip almost enjoyable.
The underlying mechanics are from the E-class sedan and the CLS550 sports the new MB 4.7-liter, direct-injection twin-turbo V8. It’s fantastic…but more on that later. The higher-end CLS63 features a 5.5L biturbo V8 that produces 518 horsepower but will set you back almost 20 Gs more.
Driving Impressions
The new Blue Efficiency 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 402 horsepower @5,000-5,750 RPM and 443 lb.-ft. of torque @1,800-4,750 RPM and Mercedes-Benz claims 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. The CLS550 was quick off the line and had a smooth power delivery all the way up through 7 gears in freeway driving. Adaptive logic monitors adjust the shift points to match your driving style. Those who prefer a more direct approach can manually select higher shift points or use the paddle shifters for even more control.
For such a large and heavy car (4,200 pounds), it feels light on its feet in local driving and very confident at highway speeds. The ride is superb thanks to the air suspension and active damping, which adjusts each wheel’s suspension settings continuously in response to riding height and road conditions. The CLS550 was super comfortable on the 5 all the way down to LA and back up, with the wife and baby lulling to sleep in the backseat at the same time.
In addition to the comfortable ride, the combination of safety features and luxury appointments in the CLS550 seemed destined for long road trips. The tester featured the Driver Assistance package which includes a radar-equipped cruise control that automatically detects cars in front of you and slows down, active blind spot assist and lane departure warning. All of these came in handy on the monotonous freeway drive through the half-parched fields of California’s San Joaquin Valley. The tester also came equipped with a driver drowsiness warning system, which sounded an alarm a few times during the drive, but I was not dozing off. The technology must be more advanced than I can figure out.
Styling
The current four-door coupé trend began when Mercedes-Benz introduced the CLS-Class in 2004, which was a radical departure from the rest of the luxury sedan-line-up at the time. Its lines were concept car-like and seemed destined only for the auto show circuit, but you could actually take one home. Considering that this radical production four-door coupe came from one of the most conservative German car companies made it all that more special.
I found the styling on this second generation CLS-Class less appealing than that of the original. Though no beauty itself, the original CLS-Class at least had lines that made sense and start and finish in the right places. The 2012 CLS-Class, however, looks like the “after” photos of certain famous professional baseball players that had alleged run-ins with steroids, with bulkier muscles in all the weird places and an angrier looking face. The 2012 model is slightly larger than the previous generation all the way around including a slightly longer wheelbase, which grew by almost an inch. And there are more creases on the fenders and doors than you can shake a stick at.
The second hump over the rear wheels from the Shooting Brake concept does not work well on this sports coupé and the grille is too vertical and makes the nose stick out too much. The All-LED headlamps on the tester give the car a futuristic look. The CLS550 is best viewed at an angle, like the front quarter view or the rear quarter view. The side profile is its least flattering view.
I did find, however, that the CLS looked better in person than in photos. And at least it stands out from the now crowded space of look-alike four-door coupés like the Audi A7, Jaguar XF and the VW CC. By the way the A7 is the best looking of the bunch, but Audi suffers from the all-look-same problem that BMW faces, where all models in the range are hard to tell apart.
Interior Comfort and Ergonomics
I have three words for you: massaging driver seat. This is such an unbelievable luxury it’s hard to explain, you’d have to experience it firsthand in order to understand. It was indispensable on the six-hour trip to LA, I don’t know if I would ever be able to make that trip again in a car without such a feature.
The massage function is so cool that it even overshadows the other great feature on the CLS550, the dynamic side support system that automatically bolsters the side supports of the driver seat in response to cornering, thus preventing you from sliding in the seat, which is already very supportive and can be adjusted in the first place. Word of caution: the active side bolsters work even at low speeds and can catch you by surprise if you don’t remember it’s on. I was caught by surprise a few times and it’s not pleasant to have someone or something touch your love handles without asking. Or without you asking.
The rest of the interior is pure Mercedes Benz and we’re not talking C-Class quality here. Everything from the leather-trimmed dashboard, rich leather seats, wood-appointed dashboard to the machined metal buttons tell you that you’re not in Kansas anymore. The steering wheel-mounted controls are not too numerous and work well with the LCD display between the speedometer and the tachometer. The iDrive-like dial in the center console that controls all the car’s systems from navigation to Bluetooth works less well and the interface is not as intuitive or beautiful as that on an Audi.
The most intriguing interior feature on the CLS550 is the steering column-mounted gear shift on the right side. It reminds me of the old American sedans with bench seats and I must admit that I got used to it by the end of the weekend and even began to like it. This set-up does give you two more real cup holders, what else does an American driver need?
Value
The refreshed CLS faces a lot of tough competition nowadays in the segment it created. The Volkswagen CC is not really in the same league, so let’s leave that one out for this compare. The Jaguar XF Supercharged and XF R provide better performance numbers (at least on paper) and is a better looking car. The Audi A7 is also a better looking car, but only offers a 3.0L supercharged V6 at the moment, though the upcoming S7 will offer more power to place it in the same league as the CLS550. The CLS550 starts at $71,300, placing it in good company vis-à-vis the Jag and the Audi. The tester CLS550 with its long list of impressive comfort and safety options comes in at just over $82 Gs. You don’t get all the amenities and the prestige that comes with the three-pointed star for cheap.
Conclusion
There are certainly more stylish ways to spend $80k these days, but none of these options are as unapologetic looking as the Mercedes Benz CLS-Class. For those who crave the safety, the luxury, and more importantly the prestige bestowed by Mercedes Benz, there is no substitute.
| BUILD | INTERIOR | PERFORMANCE | HANDLING | STYLING | VALUE | OVERALL | |
| RATING | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.3/B+ |
