Judging a book by its sexy cover.
Design is everything. Let us not fool ourselves. Many of us are superficial and we do judge things based on their appearance. Sometimes, the impression that is given is right and sometimes, it is not. Mercedes-Benz has bet the farm on the portion of people that immediately make up their mind when an item catches their eye. In the case of the CLS, Mercedes-Benz scored really big. The Three-pointed-star gang makes no apologies for having created one of the sleekest looking cars on the road today. Thanks to Mercedes-Benz's superior arsenal of platforms and drivetrains, it was easy then for them to concentrate solely on drawing a body and combining it with elements that they already held.
The originator of a new Class
The CLS-Class is constructed around a mildly stretched
E-Class chassis and borrows nearly all of its engines. Knowing that the E-Class was all substance and no filler, playing around with the concept of a 4-door coupe presented little or no risk to the manufacturer. What in reality happened once the car hit the European market late in 2004 is that this car proved to be so popular that Audi, Volkswagen and BMW, amongst others, are planning on marketing their own 4-door coupe in the near future.
Show and Go
The CLS is gorgeous, period. The standard 18" wheels demonstrate the car's basic AMG-like handling and driving potential. The 5.0L V8 is plenty powerful. Although the numbers suggest modest performance when
compared to other primed V8s, its 302 hp and 339 lbs of torque impress. The secret is in the ultra-smooth, lightning quick 7-speed Touch-shift automatic transmission. Barely perceivable when driving casually, it will promptly kick down three gears if needed, land the engine revs in the sweet spot and, sayonara. The 0 to 100 km/h is covered in a mere 6 seconds; keep in mind that this car weighs over 1,800 kg (4,000 lbs).
So Hot and so Cold
Cruising on the highway is amply relaxing. The Airmatic dual control air suspension features three settings: comfort, sport 1 and 2. In the city, the comfort mode soaks up nasty dips and bumps with ease. At high speeds, sport 2 is the way to go. The heavy car feels closer to the ground, riveted to the road and ready to break the sound barrier. Up to now, the CLS is incredible. From this point on, I can best describe the car as being cold and too insulated. The variable assist steering carves with great precision although the driver never gets the sense that he or she is
actually doing the work. The same goes for the brakes. The huge ventilated discs scrub off speed with ridiculous effortlessness however, the pedal is so firm and isolated that the driver gets the impression that the car has taken over. This is exactly what the Sensotronic Brake Control system is doing. It is calculating the optimal brake pressure for each corner, minimizing braking distances in the process. It also assists the driver in stop and go traffic by automatically applying the brakes once the throttle pedal is released. So much for driving being left up to the driver...
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The originator of a new Class
The CLS-Class is constructed around a mildly stretched
E-Class chassis and borrows nearly all of its engines. Knowing that the E-Class was all substance and no filler, playing around with the concept of a 4-door coupe presented little or no risk to the manufacturer. What in reality happened once the car hit the European market late in 2004 is that this car proved to be so popular that Audi, Volkswagen and BMW, amongst others, are planning on marketing their own 4-door coupe in the near future. Show and Go
The CLS is gorgeous, period. The standard 18" wheels demonstrate the car's basic AMG-like handling and driving potential. The 5.0L V8 is plenty powerful. Although the numbers suggest modest performance when
 |
So Hot and so Cold
Cruising on the highway is amply relaxing. The Airmatic dual control air suspension features three settings: comfort, sport 1 and 2. In the city, the comfort mode soaks up nasty dips and bumps with ease. At high speeds, sport 2 is the way to go. The heavy car feels closer to the ground, riveted to the road and ready to break the sound barrier. Up to now, the CLS is incredible. From this point on, I can best describe the car as being cold and too insulated. The variable assist steering carves with great precision although the driver never gets the sense that he or she is
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