ROADTEST MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 350 CDI BLUEEFFICIENCY:Forget the economy for a while - the new Mercedes CLS is so gorgeous that it can cheer up even the most downbeat of drivers
IN IRELAND in 2011, there is a very fine line between admiration and jealousy. Yes, we know things are still bad, but post-election and after a few days of sunshine there have been nascent signs that our mood was lifting somewhat. That could perhaps be down to blissful naivety, yet we’re fed up with being miserable.
Morning motorists start to dread the news bulletins, sometimes taking refuge in non-stop music. It might be pure escapasim, an inexcusable ostrich strategy that does the nation no good, but sometimes your mind needs a break.
The signs are that some of those who haven’t been wiped out by the recession, who may have invested more wisely, are letting the first thin rays of light into their purses again as well.
That’s evidenced in the sales of some of the higher-end cars, which have started to pick up a little too. Jaguar has sold 46 new XFs in the first three months of the year, up 18 per cent on last year, while BMW has sold 45 X5s, a rise of 104 per cent, and even Audi’s flagship A8 has recorded sales of 18 new deliveries in Ireland so far this year.
Over at BMW, they could change the name of their dealerships to “520 Diesels ’R Us” and they would exist happily. Sales of it are up 136 per cent and it is dominating the executive market. A whopping 65 per cent of BMWs sales are from its 5-Series range. They can’t keep them in the showrooms.
And guess what? Their owners aren’t being pelted with eggs everywhere they go either.
Granted, driving around the streets of Ireland in a white Bentley Convertible will result in a generous collection of sputum on your head, because an overt display of wealth these days is about as well received as a Fianna Fáil election candidate.
Yet there are exceptions to every supposed norm. During a week in the new CLS, which in the trim we were driving costs just shy of €90,000, I was fully expecting to be on the receiving end of anger, hatred and the odd petrol bomb. But not so. People pointed, smiled and nodded in appreciation. Some even stopped in the street to give a thumbs up.
You can hardly blame them really. The new CLS is simply stunning. Replacing, as it does, the first generation of the CLS, which puzzled many with its four-door coupé bodyshape but helped bring a completely new genre to the car market, followed up by both premium and mainstream brands.
It bridged a refreshingly sporty gap between, at the time, the very jaded E-Class and the chairman of the board’s S-Class. It was radical, smart and brave. But more recently it started to look a bit weird. Radical designs often don’t age particularly well and the CLS was an example of that. And then when Volkswagen did a Passat – the CC – that looked suspiciously like it, taking some more of the gloss off.
Now things are very different. There has been a total overhaul to the CLS, not just a facelift, and as is the case with many of Mercedes-Benz’s higher-end models, there have been design influences from the top down and the SLS supercar can be seen to some degree in the car’s front end. The car looks more aggressive than before, more purposeful and better proportioned. The previous generation CLS was criticised for its rather cramped rear.
The sloping roof affected headroom and legroom was in pretty short supply too. The new car is longer, taller and wider than the previous car, and there is 21mm more elbow room and an additional 13mm in shoulder room. With all these dimension changes rounded off by a 20mm lengthening of the wheelbase, then this is a palpably bigger car.
The cabin is better too. There is still the rather clumsy column shift gearstick and there are perhaps too many buttons on the centre console, but for the most part it feels like a big advance over the previous car.
The engine line-up for Ireland is relatively simple. There is a choice of two diesel engines, one a four-cylinder in the 204bhp CLS 250 CDi, and the second is a six-cylinder, which we were driving in the 265bhp CLS 350 CDI. The four-cylinder engine will no doubt be the volume seller in Ireland because it drags the price of the car downwards, thanks to low emissions of 134g/km, placing it in motor tax band B.
The entry-price is 23 per cent lower than before at €65,750, but our engine was the more powerful unit, which despite its extra grunt and impressive 620Nm of torque, still had emissions of just 159g/km, and that is with a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
The CLS has much better steering feedback than we expected, something the E-Class with which it shares a platform could do with. The steering is responsive and our car felt very agile for what is a big car. The ride on our test car, with AMG finery, was a little on the hard side for a luxury four-door but worth it given how impressive the 19” AMG wheels looked.
The price tag for our 350CDI starts at €71,700 but with some additions it came to €89,000 – an amazing €17,300 worth of extras and the price you will pay for a 2005 350 petrol CLS. Given the price of this car, the number of units sold are likely to be small. Audi are reporting very strong sales of their A7, perhaps the CLS’s main rival, and that is a grand total of 36 units. At the car’s peak in 2007, Mercedes-Benz sold 263 CLS units.
Audi’s six-cylinder diesel A7 is cheaper, coming in at €61,860 for a 204bhp 3.0 TDi, and that comes with quattro all-wheel drive. The Audi is an undoubtedly pretty car and great value so it will be a tough fight for a small group of customers between these two cars.
All CLS models get three-spoke multifunction steering wheel, Audio 20 CD, automatic climate control, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, bi-xenon headlamps, LED tail lights and all cars get Active Parking Assist, which is a very clever, if spooky, system that parks the car for you using ultrasonic sensors. Find a spot, engage reverse and the car takes over, steering gently into the spot. It works well, even if it is a leap of faith in a €90,000 car to take your hands off the wheel while going backwards.
The new CLS is streets ahead of where it was and is without doubt one of the most desirable new cars of 2011. The fact that it draws admiring glances and not stones or bottles means that for the lucky few who will have this sort of money to spend on a car this year, they don’t need to hide away either.
Is it the best car in this new class? It just might be. It’s certainly the best looking.
FACTFILE
Engine2,987cc six-cylinder turbo diesel putting out 261bhp @ 3,800rpm, with 620Nm of torque @ 1,600rpm with a seven-speed automatic transmission
0-100km/h6.2 secs
L/100km(mpg) Urban - 7.0 (40.3); Extra-urban - 5.0 (56.4); Combined - 6.0 (47)
Emissions(tax) 159 g/km (€447)
SpecificationSafety features include ABS brakes, electronic brake force distribution,
brake assist, traction control, stability control and front, side and curtain airbags;
cruise control, leather-covered multi-function steering wheel, automatic air conditioning, front and rear centre armrest, 7-speed automatic transmissions,
TFT screen on the dashboard, electrically adjustable driver's seat with adjustable height, lumbar support and tilt angle, passenger seat.
Self-parking system
Options fitted to test car
LED Intelligent Light System, ambient lighting, full leather, 19 Multi-spoke light alloy wheels, cupholders, electric heated front seats, media interface, metallic paint, Harman Kardon sound system.
Price€71,700