FIRSTDRIVE MERCEDES CLS:Mercedes has a hit on its hands with the new CLS. Its steering system is pinpoint accurate and its low emissions mean less tax to pay, writes MICHAEL McALEER
ON JANUARY 29th, 2011, it will be 125 years since Carl Benz registered the patent for his motor car and the three-pointed star was introduced to the world.
In the years since, it has flickered brightly and dwindled in varied measure, but the sparkle is back as it approaches the landmark day. While the company is blowing up the party balloons, it has set the tone of celebration with a car that rekindles our fondness for the brand.
Mercedes-Benz has a hit on its hands with the new CLS. We have always been a fan of this car, a model that showed there is still room for innovation in car design. The outgoing model remains one of our favourites.
This new model builds on that fine foundation but, in terms of driving character, radically overhauls the offering.
Since the CLS introduced the format of a workable four-door coupé, several rivals have emerged. When the Audi A7 arrived, we really thought this particular Mercedes star might start to wane. Its engineers, however, had other ideas.
The interior reflects all the luxury touches you get in the S-Class, such as leather seats so soft they would make a newborn baby jealous, and side bolsters that automatically snuggle into you when you turn a corner.
There is also a wealth of safety features, including nine air bags and a lane departure system that gently applies the brakes if you stray over the white line without indicating. But that’s what we have come to expect from a car of this size with the star logo.
What will surprise potential buyers of this practical coupé is its low emissions. You can now drive a luxury Mercedes – albeit the four-cylinder 250 CDI – that equates to the flagship S-Class in stature yet has classier coupé styling. Better yet, the price you will pay in motor tax every year is a meagre €156. There are owners of Ford Fiestas on the road paying more tax than that. Even the larger 350 CDI comes in at only €447. These figures will appeal to the head, but the CLS offers just as much succour to the heart.
Mercedes has never quite matched its Bavarian rivals at BMW when it comes to driving pleasure, but the work it has done on the car’s new steering system has made it pinpoint accurate and belies the actual size of the car.
This is perhaps the greatest masterstroke of the CLS and, if Mercedes can carry this sort of steering feel onto the rest of the range, then it is going to really put it up to its rivals. Eager to prove the point, the folks at Mercedes set us a challenging mountain route to conquer, including parts that feature in the legendary Mille Miglia run in Italy.
Such twists and turns are not the natural home of a car that measures in at 4.9 metres, which is only slightly less than the flagship S-Class. The ascent, which would have some people reaching for an oxygen mask, is a good test of an engine’s pulling power and its transmission’s wherewithal.
Of course, as with any challenge set by the ever-logical Germans, they knew the end result before we even turned the key. Several years of development work have given them the confidence to send us off up the hill with a smile. The CLS was designed to impress and it did just that to us.
The engine in the CLS 350 CDI diesel squares the circle: matching rich seams of torque with the frugality of a family hatchback. The automatic transmission flits between its seven gears without the slightest twitch or lag.
The one thing it lacks in its diesel offerings is the deep-throated growl that is synonymous with petrol coupés. For that, you need to turn to the CLS 350 petrol or the CLS 500.
Kick down on the throttle in either of these and the air fills with the familiar snarl. It is the sort of sound that reminds us why we miss petrol engines so much in these days of diesel.
Alas Ireland is all about emissions these days and chances are this petrol version will barely register a baker’s dozen with Irish plates.
Not that those who buy diesel versions will be disappointed: the CLS is one of the best cars we have driven this year. That’s cause for celebration.
Factfile
Engine versions:
250 CDI: 2,143cc; 204bhp; 500Nm; 0-100km/h in 7.5 secs; 5.1 l/100km (55.4mpg); 134g/km (€156)
350 CDI: 2987cc; 265bhp; 620Nm; 0-100km/h in 6.2 secs; 6.0 l/100km (47mpg); 159g/km (€447)
Arriving: 350 CDI in Feb/March; 250 CDI in April
Prices: Yet to be confirmed but the C250 CDI is expected to start at about €70,000