2010 Mercedes CLS Cars Gallery

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The 2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS ranks 7 out of 7 Super Luxury Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 54 published reviews and test drives of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS has sprouted imitators, but none of them have ever come close to catching it. It’s a beautiful car, with a sweeping roofline and sports-car-like profile, yet has seating for four. It’s as powerful and opulent as a super-luxury car should be. Its extraordinary shape forces compromises -- limited rear seat space and a small trunk -- but the automotive press doesn’t care. For those who can afford to sacrifice a little practicality on the altar of style, the CLS has no peers.

Most automakers build just one flagship sedan to show off the best their designers can do. BMW, for instance, has the 7-Series. Audi has the A8. Lexus has the LS. The automotive press considers each the culmination of a company's talent. There is no feature those cars lack, they are among the most luxurious cars ever built, and most perform like sports cars half their size.

Mercedes, however, builds two. The S-Class fits the same description as the 7-Series or the A8. It’s everything Mercedes engineers can do, in one car.

2010 MERCEDES CLS

Post Title → 2010 Mercedes CLS Cars Gallery

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2010 MERCEDES CLS Cars Review

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Five years ago, the term four-door coupe was an oxymoron. But in 2004, Mercedes-Benz used it to describe the new CLS, and logic was trampled by star-struck customers waving their checkbooks. Rival manufacturers were equally enthralled. Witness the Jaguar XF and the Volkswagen Passat CC. In 2010, BMW will launch a thematically similar four-door, and Audi will chime in with the A7. Mercedes, meanwhile, is readying the second-generation CLS. A careful evolution of the original design, the new low-roof four-seater was masterminded by Gorden Wagener, who was recently appointed head of the design department, replacing Peter Pfeiffer. Sales of the first CLS have run about 40 percent ahead of expectations, and that good news is tempered only slightly by the fact that many of those sales were stolen from the E-class, which looks rather bland in comparison.

Subjectively at least, the second-edition CLS is even prettier than the model it replaces. The banana-like side view is less radical, the curious L-shaped headlamps are gone, and the cluttered front end has given way to a much more elegant appearance. The flanks are more three-dimensional, with rear power bulges, prominent character lines, and flared wheel arches. The A- and C-pillars are better integrated into the arc-shaped roofline. The rear window is bigger, and up front, the grille assumes a more upright position. Like all future Benzes, the next CLS boasts horizontally staggered LED daytime running lights as well as LED brake lights.

Inside, the CLS again gets its own dashboard, seats, and door panels. Like the current car, the new model offers tasteful alternative choices in terms of wood, leather, and color scheme. To further enhance the appeal, Mercedes-Benz plans to introduce new driver-assistance systems, such as automatic lane guidance, a 360-degree-view camera with in-dash monitor, and a second-generation night vision with head-up display.

Post Title → 2010 MERCEDES CLS Cars Review

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