Comments on: Mercedes CLS550 Review

By: westcott

westcott — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:53:28 +0000

I like the look too. It is not as practical as the E Class but at least you have the choice if style is more important and money is not a consideration. But, then why not buy a true coupe? Oh Yeah…………a CL will set you back an extra US$30K and so will an SL.

I guess it is a decent compromise after all and fills a niche for those who want something a little different.

Kamikaze

P.S. I would guess that the 0-60mph is around 4.8 seconds if you extrapolate from the E550 numbers at C&D. 1/4 mile in 13.4 seconds @ 106mph!!!

By: cRacK hEaD aLLeY

cRacK hEaD aLLeY — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:49:43 +0000

This is the perfect nouveau riche ride. Self-awareness-0-meter jumps to 10 on this one, unless of course, you look like Bernie Ecclestone

By: Jay Shoemaker

Jay Shoemaker — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 16:02:13 +0000

The factory quotes a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds.

By: DaveClark

DaveClark — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 03:35:15 +0000

What’s with the melting derriere? MB stylists have lost there way to these eyes. I swear, I could design a more attractive ride than what they’re serving up. Chris Bangle is starting to look good my comparison, and that ain’t no compliment.

By: Kamikaze

Kamikaze — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 23:36:25 +0000

I LOVE the looks of this car. What are the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times?

By: Steven T.

Steven T. — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 07:02:29 +0000

I really want to like how the CLS looks, because at least Mercedes was willing to take a different approach to sedan design. Alas, I think they tried too hard. The CLS could have been the contemporary heir to the original XJ if Mercedes had shown a bit more subtlety and — dare I say it? — sedan practicality. For example, what good is a four door if it has the constrained back seat of a two door?

I say all this with the caveat that perhaps I’ve fallen behind the times. Perhaps we have moved into an era where “loud” designs are necessary to stand out from the crowd. Then again, perhaps this too will pass: Perhaps in time the CLS will be viewed like the 1960 Cadillac — a case study in excess that aged rather quickly.

By: Lesley Wimbush

Lesley Wimbush — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:17:02 +0000

A manatee? Hmmm
You know those scraggy lookin’ Serengeti scavengers that hover and lope around a carcass with their arses tucked under them? That swoopy curved-under design reminds me of those, but well-fed.

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 02:53:04 +0000

Hutton writes: That thing is hideous. In profile, it looks vaguely like a manatee.

Darn you Hutton. Now you’ve ruined it for me.

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 02:48:58 +0000

This car is better looking than 96% of what’s out there. But then, the Trabant is better looking than at least 29% of what’s out there, so today’s aesthetic standards aren’t exactly up to MoMA. (google it if you’re unfamiliar with it.)

By: Jordan Tenenbaum

Jordan Tenenbaum — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 21:21:54 +0000

The CLS has grown on me. Will I ever own one? No, probably not. But it’s better to look at then anything Bangle bageled.

There, I said it:p

By: imageWIS

imageWIS — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 18:59:25 +0000

I live in south Florida, so you see a lot of CLSâ€™ down here (along with every other expensive car you can name), and the more I look at the car the more I see that it truly is the best looking â€˜largeâ€™ Mercedes sedan out there. Sure, the rear just doesnâ€™t seem to work right for some reason and the lights seem to evoke something, anything rather than â€˜Mercedesâ€™, but I think the rest of the car is perfectly designed and proportioned for what Mercedes was going for: a niche market of upper-end (for Mercedes, this is not the RR / Maybach / Bugatti crowd) buyers who want a â€˜largeâ€™, â€˜sportyâ€™ sedan that looks very slick, but donâ€™t want to buy the massive S-Class, and donâ€™t want to be seen in the oh-so-common E-Class.

The interior is very English (Jaguar was a good comparison) in its inspiration and looks better than any other of Mercedes’ interiors (certainly better than the far more expensive S-Class). The interior feels sturdier than what you usually find in modern-day Mercedes (please note I am comparing this to my friends 05â€™ CL500 and his 06â€™ SL600), and seems to be designed in a more driver-oriented manner, its more pre-Bangle BMW in some ways than it is a Mercedes. The fact that other car companies are now jumping on this bandwagon (Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi, and BMW) is a testament to just how well placed the CLS in it’s niche.

Jon.

By: ktm

ktm — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:51:25 +0000

lizthevw, a bit pretentious are we? It only serves to make you look the fool when you know nothing about the individual you think you are putting down. I am 35 and well-educated. Pimp is an expression much like ’sick’, ‘bad’, ‘cool’, etc. The connotations with such expressions help to convey more than such adjectives as ‘beautiful’, ‘gorgeous’, etc.

By: Jonny Lieberman

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:18:33 +0000

Jon.

Yah.

-Jonny-

By: imageWIS

imageWIS — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:41:37 +0000

Just FYI, coupe means â€˜cutâ€™ in French, thus the rear roofline is â€˜cutâ€™. Mercedes merely used the literal meaning of the word.

Jon.

By: imageWIS

imageWIS — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:39:43 +0000

Jonny:

The 1937 540K Spezial-Roadster?

Jon.

By: Hutton

Hutton — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:21:23 +0000

That thing is hideous. In profile, it looks vaguely like a manatee. And for some reason, designers think that sharp edge running the length of the body belongs on every car now. And I don’t understand this 4-door coupe trend at all… Shouldn’t 4 doors = sedan? (except possible in some cases like the RX-8). I haven’t driven it, so I can’t make judgements on that, but major thumbs down for style, and for pretending to be a coupe for no logical reason.

By: TomWyld

TomWyld — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:22:11 +0000

I love(d) Jennifer Grey. Most of the girls in my high school had that awesome look — and wanted nothing to do with me.

When I first saw the CLS from a distance, I thought it was a new Lincoln Mark. It had that awesome look. Guess Lincoln wanted nothing to do with it.

Even its big, sweeping dashboard reminds me of the Mk VIII’s dash.

So it’s the CLS instead of the MKS. With a vanity plate that reads JGREY.

By: Steve_S

Steve_S — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:45:39 +0000

Not a bad looking car but not great either. The 4-door coupe is the new trend with luxury brands. I believe both BMW and Audi are looking to produce the same. Doesnâ€™t Maserati and Porsche have them in development as well?

The only real 4-door coupe that comes to mind in production is the RX-8.

By: ghillie

ghillie — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 07:35:21 +0000

It doesn’t do it for me – looks like a badass Hyundai or a Lexus that’s lost its way.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:15:21 +0000

The whole look of the car (or just about any new Mercedes Benz, for that matter) just doesn’t sit right with me. The CLS, in particular, looks droopy, the lines and wheels don’y work with the rest of the car, and from a side view, the rear end reminds me of a ’70’s Camaro.

I think the problem is that the design staff just took the outgoing models, left it in a microwave for a few minutes, and decided they had the new car.

By: tom

tom — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 05:12:31 +0000

I’m not so sure about the head lights. But still it is one of the most gorgeous vehicles I’ve ever seen.

I love the styling, but of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For those people who don’t lioke it there is still the more conventional E 550.

In this case, diversification really makes sense.

By: adehus

adehus — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 04:18:23 +0000

Awww, c’mon guys, this thing is beautiful. I like everything except for the steering wheel barnacles.

By: lizthevw

lizthevw — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 03:33:08 +0000

…and pimp is a good thing? Well, I am glad you like the A8, even if you aren’t old enough to drive.

By: Lesley Wimbush

Lesley Wimbush — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 01:05:20 +0000

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)))

By: ktm

ktm — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:16:41 +0000

For the same price, I would much rather have an Audi A8L 4.2. Mercedes is not even close to Audi in interior quality, and the A8 is just pimp (unless the new S8 rolls up).