If you have more money to spend than the average Mercedes E-Class buyer and you’d like to be seen driving something a little bit more unconventional (in a good way), the all-new 2018 CLS is definitely worth a look.
On paper, looking at the third-gen CLS as a good old fashioned family car might actually make sense – for example, it’s boot is reasonably large. However, getting your luggage into it might take some work due to the awkward opening and big load lip.
Sitting in the back reveals as much legroom as you get in the E-Class. Headroom, however, is a whole different story as the low and stylish roofline isn’t all too friendly to people of average and above height.
Move over to the front seats and you’ll find a high quality and stylish dashboard design with plenty of convenience, connectivity and active safety features blended into the overall recipe. You might even be surprised by all the storage spaces on-board.
As for what it’s like to drive, according to Carbuyer, the CLS 400d version offers plenty of muscle courtesy of a 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine rated at 340 PS (335 HP) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. Still, despite it being very involving to drive, don’t expect it to perform like a sports car while going around corners; it’s still a large, comfortable motorway cruiser at heart.
In the end though, this reviewer actually found the CLS more sporty to drive than the all-new Audi A7 Sportback, one of its (few) obvious rivals.