LOS ANGELES – Mercedes-Benz unveils its third-generation CLS at the Los Angeles auto show, announcing the new sedan – which it bills as a 4-door coupe – will go on sale in North America in 2018 featuring a new, inline 6-cyl. gasoline-electric mild-hybrid driveline shared with the recently facelifted S500.
The German automaker confirms three initial models will underpin the new ’18 CLS lineup in its home market, though just one, the initial all-wheel-drive range-topping CLS450 4Matic, is set to kick off sales of the new 4-door in the U.S.
Other new, yet-to-be-confirmed third-generation CLS models, including a rear-wheel-drive CLS350 and all-wheel-drive CLS53 4Matic performance flagship, tentatively are planned for North American introduction, though their sales dates are yet to be announced officially.
With more than 350,000 sales to date, the CLS has proven popular among buyers worldwide. But its popularity recently has waned, due in part to the increasing number of SUV models offered by Mercedes-Benz. As such, the new model, which goes under the internal codename C257, is only planned to be produced in sedan form only.
The CLS Shooting Brake, which has failed to live up to early sales expectations following its introduction to selected markets in 2012, will not be replaced.
As with its predecessors, the all-new CLS relies heavily on the E-Class, from which it borrows its platform, drivelines, chassis, electric architecture and more. Predictably, Mercedes-Benz promises improvements in performance, handling, comfort and safety. At the same time, it says the sedan ushers in a new exterior design lineage to be adopted by other new Mercedes-Benz models in the not-too-distant future.
The ’18-model-year CLS represents a big break from its predecessor in appearance, with the new sedan adopting a brand-new design lineage dominated by what Mercedes-Benz designers describe as the predator face. Also to be featured on other future models from the German automaker, it uses a wide new grille shaped along similar lines to those adopted by more recent AMG models. Canted forward to provide a shark-nose effect, it houses a horizontal blade housing the company’s three-pointed star emblem and a large black plastic insert.
Angular new headlamps taper well back around the front corners. As with the latest E- and S-Class models, they incorporate new LED daytime running light graphics together with multibeam LED projectors with a range of optional adaptive properties.
The flanks eschew the heavily structured treatment used by the second-generation model in favor of smoother forms with greater volume similar to that of the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. In a nod to the original CLS, the new model features a subtly bowed beltline, heavily curved roofline, frameless doors and shapely C-pillar design. The haunches over the rear wheel arches also appear more muscular.
The rear continues to be distinguished by a sloping trunk deck, with the organically shaped taillamps of the outgoing model replaced by angular units with lenses creating a crystal effect. They aim to emphasize the new car’s width by extending from the trailing section of the rear fender well into the trunklid.
The retention of the sloping trunk deck as a key design feature challenged Mercedes-Benz’s aerodynamicists, who have developed a new diffuser element rather than resort to an active rear spoiler like that used by Audi on the new A7 in a bid to provide it with the necessary downforce required for sustained high-speed cruising. As such, the overall drag coefficient of 0.26 fails to match the excellent 0.23 of the E-Class sedan.
Mercedes-Benz has yet to reveal the external dimensions of the new CLS, though WardsAuto has been told it has grown beyond the 194.5-in. (4,940-mm) length, 74-in. (1,880-mm) width and 55.9-in. (1,420 mm) height of the outgoing second-generation model, which has been on sale since 2010. The new sedan also is said to feature a 2.4-in. (61-mm) longer wheelbase at 117.6 ins. (2,987 mm) in a move toward larger rear-door openings for easier access to the second row of seats.
To save weight the outer body is made predominantly from aluminum, including the hood, fenders and trunklid. As with the E-Class, though, the frameless doors are fashioned from steel.
Conservative Interior
The interior of the new CLS no longer is as uniquely styled or is quite as eye-catching as those found in previous incarnations of the German sedan, which boasted their own uniquely styled fascia.
In a bid to provide the new model with additional economies of scale with other Mercedes-Benz models, it receives a lightly reworked version of the latest E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet’s dashboard, complete with a so-called Widescreen Cockpit with twin 12.3-in. (31.2-cm) displays for the instruments and infotainment system, as well as a new multifunction steering wheel from the facelifted S-Class.
The new turbine air vents from the recently introduced E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet are incorporated into the fascia of the new Mercedes-Benz model, but in a first for the CLS they glow either blue or red depending on the temperature at which the air conditioning is set. Although Mercedes-Benz is set to provide its new fourth-generation A-Class with touchscreen control for the Comand infotainment system, the CLS retains a rotary controller and center-mounted touchpad.
In a bid to extend its versatility, Mercedes-Benz provides the new CLS with a center rear seat as standard, giving it 5-seat capability for the first time. The rear-seat backrests fold in a 40/20/40 ratio to extend the length of the trunk, which boasts the same 18.4-cu.-ft. (521-L) volume as the second-generation model.
As with the E-Class, alongside which it will be produced at Mercedes-Benz’s main manufacturing plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, the new CLS features five driving assistant functions as standard. Among them is Lane Keeping Assist, Speed Limit Assist and the latest evolution of the automaker’s Pre-Safe, which is claimed to prepare occupants for the anticipated accident noise when there is a risk of collision.
Buyers also can choose a so-called Driving Assistance Package as optional equipment. It adds another eight driver-assistance systems, including Active Distance Control Distronic, Active Steering Assist and Active Lane Change Assist. Together, they provide semi-autonomous properties, with hands off the steering for up to 30 seconds, automatic adjustment of speed prior to curves or intersections and an automatic lane-change function.
Mercedes-Benz confirms two inline 6-cyl. engines for the new CLS. Both are turbocharged and are mated to the automaker’s in-house-produced 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox and 4Matic all-wheel-drive system as standard. Others are planned, including base 4-cyl. units.
Included is a 3.0L gasoline I-6 featuring a 48-volt electric system and so-called EQ Boost integrated starter motor providing mild hybrid properties in the CLS450 4Matic. Fitted with a particulate filter as standard, it delivers a nominal 362 hp and 369 lb.-ft. (500 Nm) of torque, with an additional 22 hp and 184 lb.-ft. (250 Nm) of electric boost available for short periods when the integrated starter motor is triggered to enhance performance.
Europe to See Fuel-Efficient Diesel Engines
The two diesel models expected to underpin initial European sales of the new CLS share Mercedes-Benz’s latest 2.9L engine, which features a stepped-bowl combustion process, two-stage turbocharging and variable-valve-lift system. It delivers 282 hp and 442 lb.-ft. (600 Nm) of torque in the CLS350d 4Matic and, in a higher state of tune, 335 hp and 516 lb.-ft. (700 Nm) in the CLS400d 4Matic.
The performance leader among the initial third-generation CLS models is the CLS450 4Matic, with a claimed 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 4.8 seconds and limited 155-mph (250-km/h) top speed. Despite their differing outputs, both the CLS350d 4Matic and CLS400d 4Matic are claimed to return the same combined fuel consumption of 42.0 mpg (5.6 L/100 km) on the European test cycle.
Shortly after its launch, Mercedes-Benz also plans to introduce the rear-wheel-drive CLS350. It runs a new turbocharged 2.0L gasoline engine also featuring electronic boosting qualities. But unlike the larger 6-cyl. engine in the CLS450 4Matic which uses a fully electric starter motor, the smaller 4-cyl. in the CLS350 employs a belt-driven starter motor, providing a nominal 295 hp together with an additional 14 hp from the starter motor under what Mercedes-Benz describes as the electric boost phase in combination with 295 lb.-ft. (400 Nm) of torque.
Also planned for sale in selected world markets is the rear-wheel-drive CLS300d. It features Mercedes-Benz’s widely used 2.0L 4-cyl. turbodiesel tuned to deliver 242 hp and 221 lb.-ft. (300 Nm) of torque.
Details surrounding the range-topping CLS53 4Matic remain scarce, though insiders suggest its turbocharged 3.0L gasoline I-6 and integrated starter motor will run a similar state of tune to the unit used by the recently facelifted S500, which provides a nominal 429 hp, with an additional 22 hp of electric boost for a total of 441 hp, along with 384 lb.-ft. (520 Nm) of torque in European specification.
The new CLS53 4Matic is to join the mechanically identical E53 sedan and E53 estate models in a three-strong lineup of new AMG models to be unveiled at next year’s Detroit auto show, giving AMG competition against the likes of upcoming second-generation Audi S7 and recently introduced BMW M550i.
With Mercedes-Benz set to replace the existing CLS63 with an upcoming production version of the 5-door GT Concept revealed at the Geneva auto show in March, the CLS53 will become the top model within the new CLS lineup, according to officials familiar with Mercedes-Benz’s future model plans.
The new CLS is underpinned by the latest evolution of Mercedes-Benz’s MRA (Modular Rear-Wheel-Drive Architecture). Improvements in structural rigidity are claimed to provide the third-generation model with improved levels of refinement for quieter cruising.
The suspension is similar in design to that employed by the E-Class, albeit with its own individual tuning and ride-height properties. The front suspension uses a four-link design while the rear employs a five-link arrangement. Buyers can choose between wheel sizes ranging from a standard 18-in. to optional 21-in. rims as part of an optional AMG design package.
Three different suspension setups will be available from the start of U.K. sales: a passive system with steel springs and single-rate dampers; a so-called Dynamic Body Control arrangement boasting steel spring and adjustable damping control with three driving modes – comfort, sport and sport plus; and Air Body Control boasting triple chamber plungers.
