Merc CLS ups the stakes again

The CLS 63 AMG S... Unleash your inner cheetah.

One of the most innovative, trend-setting features of the revamped five-model range is a Multibeam lighting system that conjures up some potentially life-saving functions such as automatically adjusting headlights according to oncoming traffic. It also highlights or masks out certain parts of the road and even swivels before and during cornering and then returns to normal as the car exits the corner.

A very light touch

The only driver input required is turning on the headlights - the rest happens automatically. (This system is similar to the lighting you will find on the Audi A8).

At the Media launch I had the opportunity of seeing this latest high-tech feature in action during a night drive along the unlit, undulating and twisting road that runs through the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus and all I can say is you can bet your bottom dollar that it won't take long for the rest of the upper-crust carmakers to come up with something similar.

The CLS 63 AMG S on the road, and doing what it does best... 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds

The upgraded and beautified CLS range is made up of a 2.1-litre 250 CDI (150kW/500Nm turbo-diesel), a 2.9-litre V6 350 BlueTEC (190kW/620Nm turbo-diesel), a CLS 400 (V6 245kW/480Nm turbo) which is a quicker and more frugal than 350, a CLS 500 armed with a thundering bi-turbo 4.6-litre V8 that kicks out 300kW and 600Nm and propels the car from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds, and the real scorcher, the CLS 63 AMG S with a 5.4-litre V8 under the hood which has 430kW and 800Nm which is enough for a smoking 0-100km/h dash in just 3.6 seconds.

With a range as big as this it is impossible to describe each vehicle's specifications in details but to give you an indication of the sort of furnishing you can expect, the least expensive 250 CDI has a standard specification lit that includes active park assist, automatic transmission, collision prevention assist, direct control comfort suspension, leather upholstery, rear seat safety package and poplar wood trim.

Class, as far as the pedal will go... the CLS 63 AMG S.

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Like all Mercs the optional list for this model is extensive and expensive and it's quite easy to add R252,800 to the car's recommended retail price of R761,847 by ticking just 13 optional extra boxes.

A little bit here, a little bit there

The higher you go in the pecking order the more punishment you bank account will take with optional extras. If for example, you would want to give your already highly-specced 63 AMG S some extra fancies you could end up with a total price tag of R1,875,489 (the standard retail price is R1,600,000).

Expensive, yes, but in the CLS you are getting one of the smartest, most attractive, safest, fastest and most comfortable range of four-door coupés money can buy.

The CLS 500 in profile.

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The living quarters of the entire CLS range are cocooned luxury. The ride is superb and the cabins are so well insulated that you can hardly hear road, engine and wind noises, particularly if you have turned up the volume on its standard Herman/Kardon sound system (Bang&Olufsen Beosound is an option).

All the cars come standard with sophisticated infotainment systems that include Command online, Facebook and a wide range of apps.

Like a cheetah

When it comes to performance, the CLS totes up Brownie points even faster, particularly the CLS 500 in which I spent most of the launch drive. Piloting this big, luxurious car is like gently swishing along on a rocket propelled magic carpet.

The CLS 500 engine... A thundering bi-turbo 4.6-litre V8 that kicks out 300kW and 600Nm and propels the car from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds.

With so much power on tap it is extremely difficult to remain a clean-living, law-abiding citizen for too long at the wheel of this Benz which seems to beg to be hustled along at a much more rapid pace. It was a temptation I could not resist, particularly on the spectacular coastal run stretching from Gordon's Bay to Hermanus.

The CLS living quarters.

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Stomping down on the 500's pleasure pedal turns this gently gliding, luxuriously quiet and elegant car into a growling cheetah on the attack that scoots through the cogs of its new nine-speed transmission so quickly and so smoothly you hardly notice it happening. Squirt out of the stalls and it takes a blink of the eye before the speedo dials up 'straight to jail' numbers.

Equally impressive is the dignified manner in which the CLS deals with corners. Body lean is miniscule and the steering responds quickly as though its large footprint low profiles are glued to the road.

As the song goes, 'If I were a rich man...', the CLS 500 would be my first choice model of the range.

Specifications

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