Orlando Sentinel's view

With a base price of over $65,000, it’s tough to add “bargain” to the long list of compliments bestowed on the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS, but, because so many people think the car costs considerably more, it’s probably appropriate.

Seldom do typically conservative Mercedes designers step out and take such chances with styling. Judging from the near traffic-stopping reaction to this new model, they might consider it more often.

The nose is distinctively Mercedes, but the swoopy rear is unique. The theme, says Ray Addison, product manager for the CLS, is to create essentially a four-door coupe with a profile typically associated with a two-door, but with the practicality of a sedan.

This required some compromises, most of them inflicted upon the two rear-seat passengers, who sacrifice headroom and have some pretty narrow side windows to look out of. There’s 36 inches of rear headroom in the CLS, and 37.7 inches in the mechanically comparable Mercedes E-Class. If you regularly carry adults in the rear, they’d be happier in the E-Class, and you’d be happier with the monthly payments, as the E500 is about $8,000 cheaper than the CLS500.

Under the hood, the CLS500 and the E500 are the same, powered by a potent 5.0-liter, 302-horsepower V-8 engine bolted to a remarkable seven-speed automatic transmission. Dividing up that 300-plus horsepower seven ways guarantees plenty of punch in every gear, and it bumps fuel mileage up to 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Optional on the CLS are steering wheel-mounted shift buttons to change gears manually if you want, but the transmission does that quite well on its own.

If you want more performance — and are willing to pay more for it — there’s the CLS55, which has a 5.5-liter V-8 with a supercharger, essentially a pump that crams air and gasoline into the engine under pressure. This increases horsepower to 469, and torque (the measure of pulling power) goes from 339 pound-feet to a tractorlike 516 pound-feet. All this extra torque would be too much for the seven-speed automatic transmission, so the CLS55 has the more conventional five-speed automatic.

The CLS55, tweaked by the Mercedes in-house hot rod shop, AMG, also has a more sophisticated, three-way-adjustable suspension, plus bigger brakes, different body trim and upgraded tires and wheels. You pay for it, of course: The CLS500 starts at $65,620, including destination, while the CLS55 goes for $87,320.

Even without the AMG package, though, the CLS500 is considerably sportier than most standard Mercedes models. Standard tires are 18-inchers, with five-spoke alloy wheels. Standard equipment includes most every sort of luxury and safety feature you’d want, including leather-and-wood interior trim, a center console that extends to the rear seats, plus side airbags and electronic stability control.

On the road, both the CLS500 and CLS55 have plenty of power, delivered smoothly. Whether the AMG’s extra horsepower is worth the money is between you and your loan officer, but the regular CLS500 is certainly no slouch. The CLS55’s advantage on winding roads is certainly evident, making the car feel lighter and smaller than it is. With an overall length of 193 inches, the CLS is a few inches longer than a BMW 5-Series, about an inch shorter than a Jaguar S-Type. Those are a couple of competitors for the CLS; others include the Lexus GS430 and the Audi A6.

Even with no optional equipment, the CLS500 is more expensive than most of its direct competition. But it appears to compete with a pricier class of luxury car than it really does, such as the BMW 6-Series, which starts at about $5,000 more than the CLS500.

Is it cheap? Hardly. But expect your country club valet to give your CLS respect that’s out of proportion with the price you paid.

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smithcan be reached at scsmith@ orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5699.