Back in 2004, Mercedes-Benz took covers off the CLS calling it a four-door coupe. As Mercedes’ abbreviation goes the CL in the name stands for the German Coupé Leicht (Coupé-Light) or Coupé Luxusklasse (Coupé-Luxury). And since it is the biggest four-door coupe in the lineup, it gets S in the name, similar to the GLS and S-Class. Based on the E-Class, the CLS is less practical but more stylish in every possible way. Its third-gen was revealed in March last year and Mercedes India has launched it in the country for the price of Rs 84.70 lakhs. Here is everything we think you should know before you buy it.
What’s good about it?
For starters, the CLS looks gorgeous. It is almost five meters long and has retained its authentic ‘four-door coupe’ lines while being more modern than before. It sports the new Mercedes’ evolutionary styling. Mercedes has succeeded in retaining the smooth flowing roofline that accentuates the four-door coupe body style which was initiated by the first gen CLS back in 2003. The frameless doors – in typical coupe fashion – massive wheels and the characteristic C-Pillar make the new one unmistakably a CLS.
The cabin is opulent and feature-rich as onewould expectt from an expensive Three-Pointed Star. The dash gets the widescreen layout, with 64-colour ambient lighting, leather upholstery, three-zone climate control, and Burmester 13-speaker music system.
What’s not so good?
Compared to the standard E-Class, the CLS is a lot more expensive even though it shares the same underpinning. Moreover, it is slightly less practical given the reduced headroom due to the “coupe” body lines. The backseat isn’t very spacious either as the long wheelbase E-Class.
To accommodate the rear seats, they are sunken lower which might make spending longer journeys in those seats slightly uncomfortable. Even the window line is very high for the rear passengers. And it’s a strict two-seater at the back even though the new CLS is claimed to be a proper five-seater.
Only one trim available for now, with no option of a petrol engine. The other powertrain should be introduced later.
Best variant to buy?
It is currently only available in a single 300d trim. But Mercedes India will surely bring more variants of the CLS to India sometime next year. This would include a hybrid and the high-performance AMG guise.
Specification:
1950cc, four-cylinder diesel
241bhp at 4200rpm and 500Nm at 1600rpm
Nine-speed automatic transmission.
Did you know?
The CLS was the first car to coin the term “four-door coupe”. The same body style can now be seen in other cars like Audi A7, Volkswagen Arteon, BMW 4 Gran Coupe and even the Tesla Model S.
