car, 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS
We’ve already seen a leaked brochure showing several pictures of the next-gen Mercedes-Benz CLS-class, due in 2011 as a 2012 model. Now you can save your eyes the trouble of straining to see a grainy German brochure, as Mercedes has released official pictures of a European-spec CLS.
The second-gen CLS—the four-door coupe that started a segment—has a more restrained, muscular design this time around. If the first CLS was meant to be mistaken for an Italian car (or so Mercedes’ PR folks said), this one is clearly Germanic, with flared rear wheel arches and squared-off corners. The headlights, which are now completely comprised of LEDs, morph from the previous generation’s amoeba-shaped units to a blocky design similar to the lights on the E-class.
The interior is significantly upgraded, notably ditching dash-mounted COMAND controls for the more intuitive console-mounted knob. The gearshift moves from the center console to the column, as on the S-class and other Mercedes, making the cockpit more spacious. An unusual and charming feature from the first CLS, the matte-finish wood on the dash, will no longer be available. It’s replaced by optional high-gloss wood, piano black lacquer, or carbon fiber (seen in the accompanying pics). Overall, the interior still appears stylish and avant-garde—especially compared with an E-class—but based on the pictures, the intimate, warm atmosphere of the previous generation does not carry through.
Powerrrrr!
Although Europeans will have optional V-6 gas and diesel engines, the North American CLS will be V-8 only. The base car will still be the CLS550, but the old car’s 382-hp, 5.5-liter engine is replaced with Mercedes’ new twin-turbo 4.6-liter V-8, which here makes 402 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. There will, of course, be an AMG version of this latest CLS. It, too, will retain the first generation’s nomenclature—CLS63—but it will have the new corporate AMG engine. Another twin-turbo V-8, the AMG mill displaces 5.5 liters and cranks out as much as 563 hp and 664 lb-ft in the S63 AMG.
Both CLSs will be sold with Mercedes’ seven-speed automatic, although enthusiasts should keep their fingers crossed that the company will decide to install the seven-speed dual-clutch unit like the one in the SLS AMG. For more sedate shoppers, the new CLS will offer 4MATIC all-wheel drive—the first generation was rear-wheel drive only—available slightly after launch.
Mercedes has said the price for the 2012 CLS will increase one-to-two percent over the cost of the current car. For 2010, the big-boy CLS63 ran $98,825, and the CLS550 rang in at $73,275. When it goes on sale in mid-2011 as a 2012 model, the 402-hp CLS550 might be the most expensive “bargain” on the market.
We’ve already seen a leaked brochure showing several pictures of the next-gen Mercedes-Benz CLS-class, due in 2011 as a 2012 model. Now you can save your eyes the trouble of straining to see a grainy German brochure, as Mercedes has released official pictures of a European-spec CLS.
The second-gen CLS—the four-door coupe that started a segment—has a more restrained, muscular design this time around. If the first CLS was meant to be mistaken for an Italian car (or so Mercedes’ PR folks said), this one is clearly Germanic, with flared rear wheel arches and squared-off corners. The headlights, which are now completely comprised of LEDs, morph from the previous generation’s amoeba-shaped units to a blocky design similar to the lights on the E-class.
The interior is significantly upgraded, notably ditching dash-mounted COMAND controls for the more intuitive console-mounted knob. The gearshift moves from the center console to the column, as on the S-class and other Mercedes, making the cockpit more spacious. An unusual and charming feature from the first CLS, the matte-finish wood on the dash, will no longer be available. It’s replaced by optional high-gloss wood, piano black lacquer, or carbon fiber (seen in the accompanying pics). Overall, the interior still appears stylish and avant-garde—especially compared with an E-class—but based on the pictures, the intimate, warm atmosphere of the previous generation does not carry through.
Powerrrrr!
Although Europeans will have optional V-6 gas and diesel engines, the North American CLS will be V-8 only. The base car will still be the CLS550, but the old car’s 382-hp, 5.5-liter engine is replaced with Mercedes’ new twin-turbo 4.6-liter V-8, which here makes 402 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. There will, of course, be an AMG version of this latest CLS. It, too, will retain the first generation’s nomenclature—CLS63—but it will have the new corporate AMG engine. Another twin-turbo V-8, the AMG mill displaces 5.5 liters and cranks out as much as 563 hp and 664 lb-ft in the S63 AMG.
Both CLSs will be sold with Mercedes’ seven-speed automatic, although enthusiasts should keep their fingers crossed that the company will decide to install the seven-speed dual-clutch unit like the one in the SLS AMG. For more sedate shoppers, the new CLS will offer 4MATIC all-wheel drive—the first generation was rear-wheel drive only—available slightly after launch.
Mercedes has said the price for the 2012 CLS will increase one-to-two percent over the cost of the current car. For 2010, the big-boy CLS63 ran $98,825, and the CLS550 rang in at $73,275. When it goes on sale in mid-2011 as a 2012 model, the 402-hp CLS550 might be the most expensive “bargain” on the market.
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