CLS is the Helen Flanagan of motoring

Stunning looks and trimmings aside, where the CLS 400 really pleases is on the road.

Seldom in 20 years of motoring journalism and driving fast and stunningly beautiful cars have I seen so many admirers drooling over a car. Women generally admired the car's classic coupé lines, sleek bodywork and elegant creamy leather interior but it was the men who really went gaga. They stared, pointed, took pictures and wherever we parked they swarmed around the car, stroking its gleaming Designo Hyacinth Red finish, peering inside and firing off questions about performance, handling and price.

Bang in the middle

Rightfully so, because if ever doting admiration was deserved it is the CLS400 we had on test. It slots neatly into the middle of the five-model range which is priced between about R762,000 for the entry-level and the top of the range AMG S which weighs in at a tad over R1.6m.

The cabin is impressively well insulated, and complete with all the goodies you'd expect.

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Besides its awesome dynamic looks the latest four-door CLS coupé brims with fancy technology, including the latest high-tech automatically adjusting headlights, a superb sound system, seats that massage and grip during cornering, a sophisticated infotainment system that includes Comand Online which offers dozens of connectivity options via Apps such as Weather, Google, Local Search (with Streetview and Panoramio via a free-standing eight-inch screen-and then we haven't even mentioned Collision Prevention Assist... all too detailed to describe here in detail.

Easier to grasp are safety kit such as ElectronicStability Control (ESP), Emergency Brake Assist (BAS), Acceleration Skid Control (ASR), Anti-locking Braking System (ABS) plus a zillion airbags.

Just what you'd expect

Stunning looks and trimmings aside, where the CLS 400 really pleases is on the road. Behind its menacing, crouching front end with its gaping air vents and slit-eyed lights, huddles a new biturbo system that force-feeds a 3.5-litre V6 power factory, enabling it to thunder out a robust 245kW and 480Nm.

Go on, admit it - you want one, don't you.

Crack the whip and this beauty will fly out of the starting stalls from zero to 100km/h in 5.3 seconds, slipping through the cogs with Irish coffee smoothness.

Point it at the twisties and it sits rock-solid through the bends as though glued to the tar. Ease off the fun pedal and the CLS will tick over purring gently, its low rev range ready to come into power mode as soon as you tickle the fast pedal.

Thank goodness the clock is digital - or you'd probably hear it

The cabin is impressively well insulated, so hardly any noise penetrates the living quarters and the large clear windows add to the pleasure of scenic drives. The passenger space is pure handcrafted, luxurious comfort, enhanced by extensive air-conditioning settings, fully adjustable baby-soft leather seats, privacy blinds, and a sliding roof.

Such fun it is driving this car at full tilt that it may be advisable to set a budget for those pink tickets and dirty pictures which will in all probability arrive in the post when you venture out of the city limits, for the 4 CLS is made to enjoy on pose parade, but particularly at pace.

Seldom have I piloted a car that combines such classy ambience and scooting performance with so much panache.... It fully deserves all the attention it gets.

The CLS 400 wears a price tag of R894,053 which includes a 6-year/100,000km PremiumDrive maintenance plan.

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