Mercedes-Benz refines the raffish
image of the CLS with new engines, a new gearbox and some high tech new
headlights - deliveries begin in September
While the AMG model adds to its bombastic
power delivery an exceptionally deft chassis and great steering feel, in the
rest of the CLS range it’s business as usual. That means very sharp, precise
steering and a sense that the car, in spite of its E-Class roots, really is set
up for cornering. That doesn’t come at the price of ride comfort though, and
the CLS remains cosseting unless you decide to go for larger, optional wheels,
which make sharp edged intrusions more known in the cabin.
While
the AMG model adds to its bombastic power delivery an exceptionally deft
chassis and great steering feel, in the rest of the CLS range it’s business as
usual.
Pick your wheel and tyre options carefully
though, and this is still a consummate long distance cruiser, its refinement
backed up by exceptionally comfortable seats. And you can always improve things
further by ticking the options box for Airmatic air suspension.
As ever with Mercedes, safety is high on
the agenda and there is an impressive list of standard and optional equipment
to prevent the worst from happening, or mitigate the effects if it does.
Collision Prevention Assistant Plus is standard, and includes a battery of
sensors (including a stereo camera system mounted in the windscreen) that
monitor the environment around the car and try to stop collisions and accidents
happening before they start. As you would expect, the brakes can take control
of themselves in an emergency, ensuring ultimate stopping power, and there is
also the option of Distronic Plus cruise control, which takes control of the
engine and brakes, and can even creep the car along in heavy traffic
situations.
Collision
Prevention Assistant Plus is standard, and includes a battery of sensors
(including a stereo camera system mounted in the windscreen) that monitor the
environment around the car and try to stop collisions and accidents happening
before they start.
But if the eyes are the window to the soul,
then it’s the CLS’s new Multibeam LED headlights (fitted as standard) that get
our full attention. While other car makers have touted their laser headlight
systems of late (too expensive, too limited and not offering enough benefit to
customers, Mercedes’ lighting expert Gunther Fischer told us), the CLS’s all
LED set up seems to be the pinnacle of car lighting, at least for now.
But
if the eyes are the window to the soul, then it’s the CLS’s new Multibeam LED
headlights (fitted as standard) that get our full attention.
Featuring 24 individual LEDs, the headlamps
can read the road ahead (through the stereo camera) and aim a beam of light
into corners before you even turn the wheel. They can shade out areas to avoid
dazzling other road users, while keeping full beam going in the rest of your
field of view, and can even talk to the sat nav to know when a roundabout is
coming up and adjust the beam width to give you maximum visibility where you
need it.
The new headlights are the icing on an
already tasty cake. No, Mercedes hasn’t changed the recipe all that much - it
has merely added some choice ingredients.
A classic case of not fixing what wasn’t
broken in the first place.
