CLS is ready for the road

10th May 2010

Here are the pictures which prove Mercedes’ all-new CLS is really beginning to shape up.

The original version kick-started the four-door coupé trend in 2004, and was a big hit for the company. Now this new variant will be out to prove that, in the face of rivals from BMW and Audi, Mercedes is still king of the class when the car makes its debut later this year.

The minimal disguise reveals the CLS’s rakish roofline and tail, which complement an elegantly sculpted front bumper and striking creases that run down each flank. As with the CLS Shooting Break concept it gets a stylish ‘soft nose’ which conforms to the latest pedestrian impact crash test regulations, and also debuts a prominent central badge on a two-bar grille, alongside intricate LED lights.

Set to take on Audi’s upcoming A7, Porsche’s Panamera and the BMW Gran Coupé Concept, the CLS sits on the latest E-Class’s rear-wheel-drive platform and shares its engines, too. It will offer four-cylinder and V6 petrol and diesel motors, all with BlueEFFICIENCY fuel-saving tweaks. At the top of the line-up will be a CLS500 with a 5.5-litre V8, and a hot AMG-badged variant with power coming from a 525bhp 6.2 V8.

There will also be a CLS400 BlueHybrid, which borrows the S-Class limousine’s 3.5 V6 and electric motor combo.

Expect a wide range of luxuries including the PRE-SAFE collision mitigation set-up, automatic braking plus a system which even detects drowsiness. The CLS is set to be revealed at September’s Paris Motor Show.