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There are other people who probably need the Mercedes-Benz CLS gone. Call security and ask them to escort you off the premises. This is probably because they don’t agree with your style. To them, this isn’t what a giant four-door Mercedes-Benz looks like, with its “rough” coupe roofline.
But for some of you, that look is precisely why you do it, and there are enough of you for Mercedes-Benz to tell us at the launch of the new generation CLS that style is here to stay.
“You don’t give up a segment. . . a vehicle has to make a hundred games to justify bringing it, that will make a hundred games without a problem, “were the precise words of the manager of communications of Benz, David McCarthy.
You can simply say that Benz created the four-door coupe segment when it introduced its first-generation CLS 14 years ago, prompting rivals to battle with their own four-door coupes: the Audi A7 and BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.
Far from giving up, the CLS evolves again with this 3rd generation that brings new engines and a new style. So what do you gain and what will you have to give up (for lack of a bigger word) if you pass the non-traditional CLS?route?
I discovered this when I first drove the new CLS 450 4Matic on Australian roads when it was recently launched.
It only competes for the name of luxury car in the world. There is no challenge here, then.
Like Rolex and Concorde, the S-Class is synonymous with the latest, and deserved or not, the Mercedes-Benz defines its segment despite the more productive efforts of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS and (sadly defunct) Jaguar. XJ, while marking the way forward with new technologies that end up overflowing into more proletarian models.
Replacing the half-million sales of W222s introduced in 2013, the W223 is the newest in a long line since the launch of the first W187 Ponton in 1951, and includes the celebrated “Finnies” and Stroke-8 models that followed without delay afterwards, it was still the 1972 W116 that explained the model.
Now, seven generations later, the 2021 S-Class is all-new again, with progressive protection and internals helping to make it Australia’s best-selling full-size premium luxury sedan.
The Mercedes-Benz CLS proved to be a niche hero, creating a segment and then evolving into something even more stylish while maintaining its exclusive appeal. A beautiful modern cabin and the new engine of the CLS 450 offer the speed to suit that aspect. .
Mercedes-Benz has set out to repair the S-Class’s position among the world’s largest sedans.
In the S450 priced at nearly $250,000 and up, as well as the extended S450L at $300,000 as tested (the diversity sweet spot for now), we Germans have succeeded, overcoming the barriers of safety, comfort and technology, in packaging the real to the series’ heritage.
Exorbitant tax-driven costs will maintain the S-Class niche in Australia, but the car is more than enough to dominate its little corner in the sphere of amazing luxury cars.
The world’s new car? We think it’s very likely. Mission accomplished, Mercedes.
The new-generation CLS arrived more slippery than a soapcake in the back of the tub. This style has had a slender style, but things were softened further with Benz’s head of design, Gorden Wagener, insisting that more lines be removed. when creating this new version.
So while there’s the familiar profile of that shrunk-shrinking roof on the trunk lid, the long rear overhang, and the window opening tape that arches and drops at the back, it’s a softer design now that there are fewer edges to break it all.
A new “shark nose” grille opening and a wide hood bring a touch of muscular car robustness to the CLS’s face. The taillights are also so contoured in relation to the surrounding frame that they appear painted.
As CarsGuide editor-in-chief Matt Campbell noted in his review of the CLS at launch, the car is much larger in steel than in any photo.
The CLS is in the E-Class, shares its platform and technology, but is about 20mm longer (at 4988mm) from end to end. This is also almost 50mm more than the previous generation of CLS. At just over 1. 4 m tall, the CLS is low but wide at 1. 9 m wide (almost 2. 1 m with mirrors).
The cabin of the CLS also mirrors that of the E-Class, with a panoramic dashboard extending through the doors, two giant landscaped screens for your tools and media, an excess of air vents and very sexy lighting. It is a luxurious, elegant, yet setting, surrounded by upholstered leather and polished surfaces.
The Australian CLS is supplied as standard with AMG interior and exterior packages.
You can choose from 11 colors, 8 of which are loose features and come with “Polar White”, “Obsidian Black”, “Iridium Silver”, “Citrine Brown”, “Graphite Grey” and “Cavansite Blue”. Optional colors come with “Hyacinth Red” and “Selenite Grey Magno”.
Most Mercedes models followed the theme of the taste of the Russian doll-flavored cookie cutter, and the large circle of familiar looks continues with the W223.
Still, flush door handles lend a touch of modernity to the Tesla, while the sleek silhouette and white lines are in line with luxury aspirations. Larger in all dimensions than the previous W222, the S450 has a wheelbase 71mm (3106mm) longer than before, while the LWB has been lengthened by 51mm (3216mm), benefiting both proportions and interior packaging.
The wheels with the AMG logo have a sporty look but, at least on the S450, are a little too mafia-like. In our opinion, a set of flush alloys would give it a more modern and technical appearance.
Overall, however, the S-Class ‘7’ has the required design richness. It’s as ambitious and revolutionary as models like the W116 were in its time, but the style is still a success.
By the way, the newest S-Class is the first Mercedes to use the MRA2 longitudinal platform, which is rich in lightweight steels (50% aluminum), is more powerful than before but also 60 kg lighter.
With a drag coefficient as low as 0. 22 Cd in some foreign qualities, the W223 is one of the highest aerodynamic production cars in history.
Remember I said you’d have to give up something if you were looking for a CLS?Well, yes, you have to give up your hard-earned money, but you also have to give up a little practicality.
This sunken roofline makes the front seats a bit precarious for other people my height (191cm) trying to swing in the cabin without resting their head on the A-pillar.
Impracticability worsens with access to the rear seats, and legroom for me is also restricted.
I can only sit in my cabin thanks to the contoured seat backs. The margin is also limited.
It should be noted that this time the CLS is a five-seater: the previous generation only had four.
Bad storage, going to a deep center console tray with split lid, there are two cup holders in the front and two more in the rear folding armrest with the occasional covered drawer, and all doors have small bottle holders.
The boot capacity of the CLS is 520 liters and the rear seats fold 40/20/40 to offer more space.
To start our day with the S-Class, we were taken from our home to a mansion in Kew, a prime suburb of Melbourne. Entertainment Package, and the party was, unsurprisingly, extraordinarily memorable.
Individual reclining rear seats with easy-to-attach shelves, armrests providing access to all media and air-conditioning, and massage cushions and backrests available. . . we are no longer in our general exercise, Toto.
However, all those trinkets and devices are mere additions, which can turn a stretched whim into a lightning hen’s night car if enough money and glitter are thrown at it.
No, the new S-Class will have to impress in a less tangible and philosophical way, engaging all the senses, not just what we see, hear and touch. It will have to please beyond the superficial. Otherwise, it’s not a giant Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan in the old-fashioned way.
This is a Herculean task for designers and engineers in Stuttgart. Overall, however, the three-pointed star controlled something special.
Believing in unheard-of quality and engineering, the W223 strives to move forward and return to the glory days of the seminal W126 (1980-1991). It is by combining classic virtues such as solidity and quality fabrics while dazzling your passengers with generation remains easy enough to wear to decorate your experience.
You can sink into the plush seating in the living room, watch the world go by in silence outside, and never be aware of the road below or the engine in front of you. Double glazing, exquisite and fragrant fabrics and materials, and lush tactile surfaces paint their magic. inside the car, while a tight, aerodynamic bodywork, forged platform, air suspension and quiet but muscular powertrain do their job below. The environment is special and rarefied. That’s what an S-Class should be, and that’s what happens in our $299,000 S450L (as tested).
The same applies more or less to the front, as the same trim, leather, wood and generation surround the driver and passenger. The specter of the car that is the car of the last decade, Tesla’s Model S, is dazzling in the portrait. Touch screen and sparse design, almost perfect and dashboard design. There are no great application architectures here.
However, while the American upstart takes things away, the S-Class fills the cabin with sophisticated features that, like when planes stopped flying last year and birdsong returned afterward, only shine when the simplicity of the cabin design eliminates all white noise so you can be in a better brain frame to enjoy it.
Take the haptic interface, for example, because it’s arguably the most productive we’ve found; the sense of well-being provided through the cumulative effects of the comfort of deep sitting (the massage service has never been turned off), the environment of the immersive microclimate, the orchestral degrees of audio entertainment and the soft and visual theater played through the two to have screens; It’s an automotive delight like no other. And navigation with 3D effect with eye tracking in electronic instrumentation. It is not necessary for cinema glasses to get the effect. By the way, the driving position itself is also first-class.
Space to stretch and safe, and in all directions. But room for improvement?your bet
His tester got a headache after a while searching through this crazy three-dimensional map. The central vents, 4 at the front, two at the rear, look and feel cheap, leaving us to mentally reconsider them; they are horribly moved here; The automatic transfer column lever was phased out in 2005. And, while virtual tools have a number of options, none are modern enough for the S-Class. It’s a subjective criticism, clearly, but one — in the context of old Mercedes luxury sedan contenders — it’s justified given how immortal the Bruno Sacco era of Daimler design was. Look for it, children.
However, after a few hours behind the wheel, with our senses calm, it is evident that the cabin of the S-Class is an exclusive and glorious position, as it deserves to be at a quarter of a million dollars.
Work accomplished.
PS At 550 litres (20L more than before), the boot is large and sumptuous enough to sleep in.
Benz has gotten rid of the Note 250d, which can no longer have its diesel-powered CLS. Also that the new paid access is superior with the CLS 350 launching the model at $136,900 (list price).
However, you will be rewarded with a decent amount of gadgets for the expense. Standard on the CLS 350 are two 12. 3-inch screens, a head-up display, a 13-speaker Burmester stereo, satellite navigation system, Apple CarPlay and Android. Automatic, virtual radio, panoramic view camera, leather upholstery, heated front seats, “brown ash” wood trim on the center console, shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel, AMG external and internal packages, automatic parking, 20-inch AMG wheels, air suspension windows, proximity key and privacy.
The CLS 450 4Matic costs $155,529 and adds cabin air filtration, power-locking doors, a proper exhaust formula and all-wheel drive.
The most sensible of the three-tier lineup is the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic for $179,529. The extra money gets you nappa leather upholstery, wireless charging, the “Night” frame kit, an AMG exhaust formula and, of course, many more grunts that you can read below.
Right now, only two S-Class models are available: the S450 starting at $240,700 plus highway rates and the 110mm extended wheelbase S450L (LWB) for an additional $24,900. Most buyers overwhelmingly opt for the latter.
Despite what the numbers possibly suggest, either is powered by a 3. 0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder petrol engine, delivering 270kW of power and 500Nm of torque to all 4-wheels, a nine-speed automatic torque converter. More possible options will come later, adding an all-electric edition known as EQS.
Almost any and all protective features are popular on the S-Class, adding the world’s first rear airbags located behind the front seats on the LWB model, bringing the number of wraparound airbags to 10.
You will also find route-based speed adaptation (respecting set speed limits), evasive guidance assist (a complicated form of collision mitigation), adaptive cruise with active stop/start, active lane replacement assist that automatically moves the car in the lane you indicate), Mercedes PreSafe collision preparedness generation that prepares all protection systems for The Impact, The electronic stability program that encapsulates all active driving force provides a generation of assistance, active emergency stop assist, autonomous front and rear emergency braking (including for cyclists and pedestrians), Road Sign Assist, Active Parking Package and 360-degree camera and tire tension monitors.
On the front of the device, the latest iteration of Mercedes’ MBUX multimedia formula with (another) world’s first 3D display, complementing an OLED central display, power-locking doors, leather upholstery, air suspension, leather upholstery, velvet floor mats, multibeam LED with adaptive top beams, heated and folding exterior mirrors, acoustic windows with thermal and acoustic insulation for the front side windows, dark tinted windows for the rear windows, sunroof, roller sunshades for the rear windows, metallic paint and 20-inch AMG alloy wheels on runflat tires.
Looking for multimedia? There’s the augmented truth of MBUX II for navigation and fingerprint reader, as well as a more herbal Mercedes-Me Connect voice activation with global search.
In addition, predictive navigation with real-time traffic, parked vehicle locator, vehicle tracking, emergency call, maintenance control and remote diagnostics, virtual radio, Burmester 3D surround sound formula with 15 speakers and 710W amplifier, remote door lock/unlock, geofencing, speed fence, valet, head-up display, smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charging, ambient lighting, weatherArray dual-zone poplar carpentry, electric front seat adjustment, guide column with memory function, weather front seats, keyless entry/exit with flush door handles for hands-free access (including for the trunk),
In addition to the “forward-facing” airbag for rear-seat occupants, the S450L also offers reminiscent power-adjustable rear seats and automatic climate in the rear.
Key features, and the list is huge, come with an $8700 rear entertainment package, which provides rear multimedia access, rear tablets with wireless headphones and wireless smartphone charging in the rear, an AMG Line package with a frame kit, other alloys and more front brakes ($6,500), business elegance package that adds airplane-style reclining rear seats and tray tables ($14,500), Nappa leather ($5,000), truly augmented HUD ($2,900), 21-inch wheels ($2,000) and four-wheel guide ($2,700) There’s also a $14,500 energy package with aerodynamic seats, heated seats, and massage seats.
Please note that our check cars had many of these extras. Check all the boxes and you can charge only about $100,000 to the value of your S-Class.
So is the S450’s price smart? Considering some of the revolutionary security and luxury features it offers, it is unique. Too bad the federal government’s luxury car tax makes them much more expensive than they are.
If you’ve gone straight to this point, you’ll have missed the news that there is no longer a diesel engine in the CLS range. Instead, you have 3 petrol engines to start, one for each grade and they are all new to the model. .
The CLS 350 is supplied with a 2. 0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 220 kW/400 Nm engine. This roar is transmitted to the rear wheels by a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The CLS 450 4Matic is supplied with a 270kW/500Nm 3. 0-litre inline six-cylinder engine with twin-entry turbo and, like the Mercedes-AMG 53 before it, has a built-in electric motor called EQ Boost. Although it is a type of hybrid system, the electric motor drives the wheels, but recovers kinetic energy and charges the battery.
The CLS 450 also uses the nine-speed transmission and has all-wheel drive.
The Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic has the same transmission and engine as the CLS450, but has gained a heavier twin-scroll turbocharging formula and has been tuned to produce even more power at 320kW/520Nm. The “EQ Boost” has the same service as the one in the CLS 450, but also powers an electric turbocharger. The Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic is also AWD and uses a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Where are the V8s?
Right now, the only W223 you can buy is forced through a new 2999cc and 3. 0cc direct-injection inline six-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine called the M256, complete with dual overhead camshafts, electrically compressord intercooler and for a 48-volt mild hybrid formula. and incorporated starter generator, adding 16 kW and 250 Nm to the 270 kW of force at 6100 rpm and 500 Nm of torque at 1600 to 4500 rpm.
The 9G-Tronic torque converter automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive formula is a first for the S-Class in Australia.
The most sensible speed is limited to 250 km/h, while the acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h is just 5. 1 seconds on both models. Impressive for a luxury limousine weighing more than two tons.
This is a smart position to remind you (again) that only one grade CLS had to be driven at the Australian launch – the CLS 450 – and we only earned the stated fuel economy figures for this model.
After 197 km traveled, in a direction he stopped to exit Melbourne CBD and headed down the long road to Woodend Airport. The on-board computer of our car indicated an average of 10. 0 L/100 km.
With the mild hybrid system, the S450 returned an impressive combined average of 8. 2 litres per hundred km, which translates to 187 grams of carbon dioxide emissions per kilometre. 95 premium lead-free RON (or higher) is recommended. In urban driving it consumes 11. 3 L/hundred km (11. 5 for the S450L) and only 6. 4 L/one hundred km (6. 5 for the S450L) in extra-urban output.
With 76 litres, the fuel tank will allow a combined average of about 927 km between refuelling.
A reminder once again, friends: Mercedes-Benz only had to drive the CLS 450. It is ok? Continuation of the review. . .
Nobody likes traffic jams, maybe taxi drivers. But sitting in a CLS deep in Melbourne’s central business district, stuck on infested roads, drowned by cars going nowhere, was as fun as the party can be.
Soft seats, excellent lighting, filtered and scented air, air suspension cushioning the asymmetrical asphalt as we glided north towards Mount Macedonia and country roads.
If you read any other reviews about a maximum degree of filtering of wind noise through the cabin, they are right and wrong. You see, the apocalyptic weather when we take the top. The trees doubled in the wind, and of course you can hear it. Going through the windows when we were going at 110 km / h, but you can also hear it obviously when we were going at 30 km / h.
I love the devices and it was around 15 seconds after the start of the road relay that I tried active cruising and automatic lane change, which works almost perfectly.
As the roads became more winding, I changed the driving modes to “Sport”, toning the suspension and steering, while asking the transmission to return to a lower gear.
It is a stable car, well balanced and easy to drive. Softness is a word for everything he does, adding that it temporarily covers the ground.
While this acceleration is fast, it’s not entirely exciting, and the engine’s score under load is a bit sharp for a bully like this.
The CLS of the afterlife was known to be a bit more competitive and energetic, but this one turned out to have softened in its third generation. I don’t see any challenge with that. There are other Benzes more if that’s your thing.
In the past, as the Germans say, a “450” in the trunk indicated the power of the V8. At the time of the W116 S-Class, it was one of the most suggestive badges in the world when “SEL” was also attached.
However, as discussed above, it is the 3. 0-liter turbo-petrol M256 with a 48-volt “mild hybrid” electric formula that makes the traction, on all 4 wheels. The genuine W223 V8 will likely appear later this year or early 2022 with the flagship S580L. Go ahead.
That’s not to say the S450 is rarely smart enough. With this electrified assist, in-line six-cylinder blowing is sleek and fast when the car smoothly passes through all nine gears. Because it’s so quiet and refined, it doesn’t seem fast from 5. 1 to 100 clicks, but hunting on the speedometer says in a different way: acceleration is assertive and strong beyond the legal speed limit.
All that’s missing is the humming of the soundtrack of an old Benz Bent-Eight. A great economy is a value we are literally willing to pay instead.
Even more impressive is the S450’s ability to navigate mountain roads like an overgrown sports sedan.
Now, for Australia, all S-Class aircraft come with an adaptive “Airmatic” air suspension setup, which adds air chambers and automatic leveling technology. up to 10mm below baseline up to 130mm in Sport at any speed, while in Sport it decreases an additional 17mm.
With that in mind, yes, the popular air suspension does a magnificent job of maximally cushioning surface imperfections in the city. However, its real trick is to tighten the chassis when corners become attractive and Sport mode is selected. and reassuring steering, the Mercedes leans into corners with precision and balance, zigzagging with virtually no perceptible pitch or understeer.
Now, we’re talking about a leisurely ride on country roads, however, Healesville’s famous Chum Creek Road, where even a Porsche Cayman would feel like it had an intense dynamic workout. The S-Class can be driven with confidence and delicacy, showing exceptional handling. and maneuverability for a 5. 2-meter-long limousine. And the fact that gait quality suffers only marginally when the red horns are off is even more remarkable.
Back in city centre rush-hour traffic, the Benz in Comfort Mode continued to reveal its dual driver- and passenger-centric personality, zigzagging through gaps while remaining silent inside.
Only when parking in tight spaces does he know that the W223 is longer than a Mazda CX-9. The optional four-wheel guidance formula is designed to reduce the turning radius in the A-Class hatchback. 10. 9 meters is the claim.
The 2021 S-Class never ceases to amaze and delight.
The second-generation CLS has never crashed and this new one hasn’t yet. So while it hasn’t earned ANCAP stars, since it’s stored so much with the five-star E-Class, we expect it to get a score. Nothing less than that too.
In addition to nine airbags, ABS and traction and stability control, the complex point of protection on board the new CLS is truly impressive. There is the “Driving Assistance Package Plus” that brings AEB with cross traffic serves as, evasive steering, blind spot warning with active service and lane keeping assist.
For child seats, it will have two ISOFIX brackets and 3 ether upper anchor points.
The S-Class W223 has not yet been tested through ANCAP or European partner EuroNCAP, so it has a star rating. However, Mercedes-Benz claims to have strived to create one of the world’s protective vehicles. Who are we going to discuss?
Almost any and all protective features are popular on the S-Class, adding the world’s first rear airbags located behind the front seats on the LWB model, bringing the number of wraparound airbags to 10.
You will also find route-based speed adaptation (respecting set speed limits), evasive guidance assist (a complicated form of collision mitigation), adaptive cruise with active prevention/start, active lane change assist that automatically moves the car in the lane you indicate), Mercedes PreSafe collision preparedness generation that prepares all protection systems for The Impact, the electronic stability program that encapsulates all active driving force, assistance generation, active emergency prevention, front and rear autonomous emergency braking ( even for cyclists and pedestrians, at speeds ranging from 7 km / h to more than 200 km / h), the traffic signal gives you a hand, The Active Parking Package gives you a hand and 360-degree camera and tire tension monitors.
Active Lane Keeping Assist operates at a variety of speeds from 60 km/h to 250 km/h, while Active Steering Assist helps the driving force stay in lane at speeds of up to 210 km/h.
The CLS is covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty of three years/unlimited kilometres. Maintenance is recommended every 12 months/25,000 km for the CLS 350 and CLS 450, while the CLS 53, like all AMGs, should be visited each and every 12 months/20,000 km.
Mercedes-Benz says a limited maintenance plan will be available, but has yet to release pricing. We will update this as soon as pricing is announced.
Unlike many luxury brands that persist with a lower-than-normal three-year warranty, Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty.
The periods are 25,000 km, with a service plan capped starting at $800 the first year, $1,200 the current year and $1,400 the 3rd year, for a total of $3,400. Alternatively, there is a service plan starting at $2700 the first 3 years (savings of $700 over the general limited service plan), $3600 for 4 years, and $5400 for five years.
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