This Mercedes CLS comes with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a mild hybrid electric motor to assist the car with low-speed starts and bursts of acceleration.
The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is a four-door coupe that looks more rakish and modern than the more conservative C-Class and E-Class sedans.
PMG photo: Jeff Zurschmeide
This Mercedes CLS comes with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a mild hybrid electric motor to assist the car with low-speed starts and bursts of acceleration.
PMG photo: Jeff Zurschmeide
The Mercedes-Benz CLS comes with the MBUX, or Mercedes-Benz User eXperience, which is one of the most advanced voice control systems available.
PMG photo: Jeff Zurschmeide
Mercedes-Benz has always offered some of the comfortable and supportive seats fund in any vehicle.
PMG photo: Jeff Zurschmeide
The only drawback of four-door coupe designs are slightly less headroom in the rear seats.
PMG photo: Jeff Zurschmeide
The trunk in the Mercedes-Benz CLS is big enough for long trips.
Automobile designers around the world are in love with four-door fastback coupes. The European automakers especially love the styling, and we can’t deny that it’s attractive. The idea is to take the short rear trunk and sloping roofline of a coupe and put that on a vehicle with four doors. It actually works really well, as long as you don’t need to carry tall people in the back seat.
The Mercedes-Benz realization of this idea is called the CLS-Class. One look will tell you that the CLS is a personal luxury sport coupe. Unlike the more conservative C-Class and E-Class sedans, or the two-door coupe versions of those models, the CLS looks more rakish and modern.
With Mercedes model names, the letters tell you what kind of car it is, and then the numbers give you an idea of the engine it carries. Lower numbers generally indicate a less powerful engine, so a 250 would be less powerful than a 300 or 450. Those numbers used to indicate the engine size, but they don’t any more.
The only model of the CLS being sold in America right now is the CLS 450 4Matic. This car comes with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a mild hybrid electric motor to assist the car with low-speed starts and bursts of acceleration. The engine itself delivers a healthy 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, which will propel the CLS to 60 MPH in just 4.8 seconds. A nine-speed automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels using Mercedes’ refined 4Matic all-wheel drive system. If you want an all-wheel drive car for confidence in winter weather, the 4Matic system is among the best.
Inside, the CLS-Class is very much a sporty personal luxury car. Comfort is paramount, and the Mercedes is easy to drive. The one exception is the touchpad used to control the infotainment system. No matter how many times I use it, I can’t ever get comfortable or smooth with the interface.
Luckily, Mercedes-Benz also supplies the MBUX, or Mercedes-Benz User eXperience. This is one of the most advanced voice control systems available. Like so many automated services these days, you just say “Hey Mercedes” and the car will do whatever you ask. So instead of using the touchpad to change the radio station, you can just say, “Hey Mercedes, change the radio station to KOPB,” or “Play Radio Margaritaville” if you have enabled the satellite radio.
You can also ask the CLS for news and information, because it’s already connected to the Internet, assuming you bought the subscription. So you can ask about sports scores, headline news, or have the system read you the Wikipedia entry for the history of major league baseball. Anything you want, really. The MBUX system will also turn on your seat heaters and set the temperature for you. Oh, it covers navigation, too. All that is displayed on a huge panoramic glass screen that stretches more than halfway across the dashboard.
On the road, the CLS 450 is a smooth rocket ship, with precise steering and instant responsiveness. One drive and you’ll see why so many people are fanatical about Mercedes-Benz cars. It’s quiet, comfortable, and well-connected to the road. The 4Matic system will laugh off winter weather, but you’ll still want a good set of winter tires if you plan to spend time on snow and ice.
The starting price of the CLS 450 is $72,950, so it’s on par with other premium vehicles of this type. The 2022 model was updated with a mid-cycle refresh, but the previous versions were almost as nice. If budget is a factor, you can get many of the same features in the less expensive C-Class, or choose a well-kept Certified Pre-Owned example.
But if you drive the 2023 CLS 450, just know that you’re not going to want anything else.
