Video: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550
By Cars.com Editors
October 11, 2011
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Cars.com's Dave Thomas takes a look at the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550. It competes with the Audi A7 and BMW 5 Series.
Transcript
(rock music) <v Announcer>Cars.com Auto Review. Hi, I'm Dave Thomas with cars.com, and this is a 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS.
It's got an all-new exterior design and all-new interior design and two new engines, but it has just one goal make a Mercedes-Benz sedan sexy. The previous generation CLS pioneered the four-door coupe look, but that means well, just a lot more styling for a sedan. And the 2012 is no different. It's radical-looking when compared to Mercedes E-Class sedan. While the entire car has been redesigned, what's going to grab most people's attention. Is this massive grille up-front with a huge Mercedes-Benz emblem also really cool are these led headlights. It's actually got two stories of led lights in them. The profile is interesting too, but I think the back stands out a lot more with these giant taillights. However, I think the back end looks a little droopy overall. There are two different models of the CLS this year, the CLS 550, we have here. And a high-performance version called the CLS63 AMG, which I've also tested. Now, despite the 550 name, this CLS has a new 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8. It's good for just over 400 horsepower, around $71,000. The CLS63 AMG, it has absolutely no problems getting off the line has well over 500 horsepower. It's a blast to drive around town. It has a great exhaust note. However, it is $23,000 more than the 550. One problem with trying to make a sedan more like a sports car was that it had a cramped and confined interior, at least in the last generation, this generation improves on that a bit, especially with these A-pillars. They don't seem as big, and they don't seem to be in the way of other traffic. The interior is really nice too. There's leather lining everything, including the dashboard, the doors, and some nice contrast stitching in the seats, really well done. I also liked the interior color in the CLS63 a little better. It was actually light gray. So it was almost white like the exterior might seem a little strange, but it was much classier than this black. One of the strangest differences between this 550 and that CLS63 AMG was location of the shifter. Here in the 550, it's up here on the column where Mercedes puts a lot of them these days, but the 63 AMG, they actually moved it down to the center console to give a more supporting feel. To me, the most logical reason you can call this a coupe. Well, there's only two seats in the back. So instead of the middle seat, you have either an armrest or this built-in storage, which is fairly nice if you don't have a seat anyway. And believe it or not, there's some decent legroom. It's actually quite similar to the E-Class. What I like most about the CLS is that you don't give up a lot of practicality. Like I thought you'd have to, I guess, turn the back seat. It's similar to the E-Class sedan. And guess what? The trunk is also similarly sized to the E-Class; this is 15.3 cubic feet. That E-Class is 15.9. It should not make a difference if you're shopping these two next to each other. It might have some practicality, and it certainly has a fun engine, but there is one issue with the CLS that's holding me back. It's $14,000, more than a comparable equipped E-Class sedan from Mercedes. So you're paying a lot more for a lot of styling and a little more performance. So make sure you go drive it and put it to the test. <v Announcer>For more car-related news, go to cars.com or our blog kicking tires.net.