If you are a fan of the charismatic Ari Gold (a popular character from the HBO series Entourage), then it was a momentous day for you. Mercedes India has launched Ari Gold’s car – 2012 Mercedes CLS in India at a price of 67.67 lakhs (ex showroom Mumbai).
Of course, the old CLS Clss was popular because it was the first 4 door sedan designed to look like a 2 door coupe. The idea was to blend practicality and space with sporty design and a powerful engine.
In 2005, when Mercedes launched the CLS, its disproportionate angles, drastically sloping roofline and unbelievable practicality sent the rivals back to their drawing boards.
Audi followed Mercedes' philosophy by bringing the A7 to the market while BMW is said to be working on a 4-door coupe model on the 6 Series platform. 5 years later Mercedes is trying to redefine that magic of CLS.
So have they succeeded?
Introduced in Paris Motor show 2010, the new 2012 CLS continues to be a 4 door sedan dressed in a 2 door coupe’s outfit. If you are successfully selling a concept for 5 years, you don’t change the recipe entirely. But the similarities stop right there.
The front fascia of new CLS is inspired by Mercedes F800 concept. The new CLS ditches the small angular headlamps in favor of large rectangular ones. If you thought that the Germans are too obsessed with LEDs, the new CLS packs 71 LED lights making up front headlamps, running lamps, turn signals, and side lamps.
Compared to the previous model, the new CLS gets a very aggressive and dominating stance. The bulbously sculpted wheel arches give it a very muscular presence. The preposterously long and wide bonnet is sure sign that the SLS AMG designer did his bit in the new design.
The side profile of the car is the most definitive aspect of the design and that has not been touched much. The roofline still continues its dramatic descent towards the rear. Two sharp lines on the side profile further enhance the muscular appearance
Things go a bit downhill when we see the rear of the new CLS. The old one had concave tail lamps which used to gell well with the overall design. The new tail lamps bulge out of the overall design like a baboon’s butt.
Just when you think things are going downhill, you step into the car and its sweeps you off your feet. The CLS greets you with a blend of high quality leather, premium wood finish and soft touch plastic all wrapped up as one package. The newly design steering wheel has an aluminum base and paddle shifters to add a bit of modernity. The gear stick is replaced with a small dial just like in the new Jags
The center console has a lot of buttons to comprehend and at the same time a small analog watch add a touch of old school luxury. An 7 inch screen displays the relevant driver information as well as caters to your media demands. Music buffs will be happy with surround sound Harman Kardon music system. Mercedes COMMAND APS gives you a full control of the car’s mechanics.
The back seats curve very deep to mitigate the sloping roofline so that you get adequate shoulder and legroom. Nonetheless, they haven’t managed to completely solve the problem.
For the tech savvy rich mortals, the CLS is loaded with features that will exceed your expectations. Some features that managed to capture our attention were the Airmatic suspension, COMMAND APS, THERMOTRONIC climate control, electromechanical direct steer, active parking assist with PARKTRONIC.
Don’t worry safety savvy guys, the CLS comes standard with attention assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, ADAPTIVE BRAKE to the PRE-SAFE Brake, Active Lane Keeping Assist and 9 airbags. It is like a balloon shop in there!
Now we come to the really juicy (and my favorite part) POWER! The CLS is only available in a V6 petrol that pokes 225 KW/306 horsepower @ 6500 and stirs 370 Nm of torque at 3500-5250 rpm. The engine is mated to a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Sorry dieselheads look somewhere else.
Mercedes has managed to keep the DNA of the old CLS alive in the new one. But at the same time brought the CLS up to speed with today’s technologies. The new looks (apart from the rear) suit the CLS very well and interiors are the icing on the cake.
Have you started working hard to treat yourself with the CLS yet?
Mercedes Benz CLS Class Image Gallery
