German Car Forum

Lithe looker

Old enough to have had a mild makeover, the Mercedes CLS still turns heads like no other 'Benz.


The CLS has been around for a while now, but it's still one of those cars that always has us stop and look. It's not like it's a rare car either, the CLS seemingly as prevalent around the Car Enthusiast office as the E-Class it's based on. Whatever Mercedes says, the CLS isn't a coupé; it's a lithe saloon. Even so it has the Mercedes-Benz coupé hallmarks - in particular the big three pointed star being positioned on the front grille rather than prominently above the bonnet.

Mild revisions to the CLS's styling last year saw the designers show remarkable restraint and leave all but a few minor details alone. Really, the changes are so slight you'd be pushed to spot the differences - though we've no complaints here. It's a great looking car on the outside, and Mercedes thankfully has not just thrown in the fascia from the E-Class and instead has given the CLS its own dashboard. The sculpted piece of wood that makes up the upper portion of the dash isn't to everyone's tastes, but in the optional matte finishes it's quite classy. It's a shame then that some of the plastics look and feel a little cheap. On the up side, space is good in the rear despite the steeply sloping roofline and the boot is massive.


Full Story: The Car Enthusiast - Reviews: Mercedes-Benz CLS 320 CDI



M

First time to know the CLS can be had with a diesel

You didn't know?! This is one of the best CLS you can get!! Powerful engine, fuel economic etc…a stunning car for travelling on long distances!!

Nearly four years on the road and I still love the looks of this car.

Don't be put off by the fact it has the option of a diesel engine. It's one of the very best diesel engines available and it has a cheaper road tax than the 350 and 500 models. Not to mention the 63 AMG.

^True guys,it's just first time to know u can get a diesel and honestly it makes lots of sense in EU

Definitely!! At some days, here in germany, diesel cost less then 1 € again!! There was also a "prototype" CLS 420 CDI!! Sadly, it never come to a production. But that would have been the ultimate CLS…

A CLS420 CDI is just too brutal to be true,the acceleration is just gonna be AMG like

Thanks ree! I had no idea such prototype existed, or perhaps I've just forgot... I wish MB would have made this and the SL400 CDI because now it's too late as they're dropping the V8 diesels...

You have very high fuel prices there Ihno! Checked today, and i found gasoline for 0.766€/L and diesel costs always less than gasoline!

Damn…happy Greeks… – when diesel was expensive it cost 1,50 € and same for petrol! Petrol costs around 1,06 to 1,12 € at the moment!

Cheap fuel is the best fun you can have! I can empty a full tank of the Clio in only a week, if i drive like hell every morning, and still last time i filled it up, it only needed 23€ for >30l

Nice!

It would be an absolutely dream to fill up the 80 litre tank of the CLS 320 CDI and pay nothing more then around 50 to 60 €!

^Man i hate fuel prices,eating up our pockets

The "CLS CDI" as I like to call it (since there is only one), is in my opinion the best CLS available. It would be interesting to see a 420CDI though.

It already exists. Very few were made though. It was more like a concept sedan that was used to test the market.

Source: Fahrberichte - Mercedes CLS 420 CDI: Glücks-Moment

I hope that there won't be another 420 CDI engine in the near MB future because that was a kick in the dark.

To all the owners and services I have ever talked none had much good to say about this V8. Everyone liked the V6 better and really I don't know why.

The all said that despite the power it was producing there was too much stress on the engine thus resulting on too early servicing on an engine of this caliber.

It sounds just as amazing as I would expect, but that article is from 2005, and I have yet to see a CLS420 CDI available for purchase.

I must respectfully disagree, the 420CDI engine is amazing, and is perfectly suited for the S. No engine gives the same combination of power, refinement, and fuel economy.

Already give some informations about the CLS 420 CDI on page 1! Sadly, it was only a prototype and never come to production. There will be also no W212 E 420 CDI…overall the V8 diesel was just to heavy for the car…and adds a lot of weight to the front! Probably a Biturbo 6-cylinder diesel with around 300 hp (like the 35d engine by BMW or the 3.0d Jaguar engine) would be perfect!!

The market for the W211 E400 CDI was also very small. I remember seeing an Auto Motor und Sport E-Class Market Share chart which was dominated by the E220 CDI with over 50%. The E55 AMG and E400 CDI made up together only 2% of the total E-Class sales in Europe. That's incredibly small.

Overall the E400 CDI was a decent car but it wasn't that economical and virtually a car that was bought by "prestige-freaks", who wanted the badge and exclusivity of an E400 CDI. There is a guy in Mühldorf I know that has a white W211 E400 CDI Avantgarde. He's in his early 70s and I often see him and his wife taking trips with the car (that town is a small place, you see people you know often). When I had a summer job at Mercedes I would see him at least once a week when he'd bring his car in for a carwash. He would be in the showroom checking out the E-Class and S-Class models mainly and talking to some of the salesmen. One of them then told me that this dude is mainly interested in V8 diesels, which means the E400 CDI, S400 CDI (S420 CDI), G400 CDI and ML400 CDI.

I would have to say it is all a matter of perspective. Considering the CLS is itself a relatively limited production model, and the chassis has already been developed for this engine, it seems only logical to offer it.

Keep in mind that the 420CDI may not seem efficient compared to the smaller diesel engines, but it is still more efficient than any of the gasoline engines in the CLS worldwide, and more efficient than any MB engine sold in the US with the exception of the E320 Bluetec.

I think if marketed properly (which should be easy since this engine has more torque than the AMG 6.2 and uses less fuel than any gasoline engine offered), it would be a huge success in the US, and should still be a preferable offering to the other high performance engines offered elsewhere.

^^ Emission rules are slowly killing those kind of motors. The V6 cdi will certainly get a two-stage turbo to reach the 300hp mark in the future. Lighter, cleaner, more efficient, as powerful, and often more refined.

Downsizing is the key now, a 4.2l V8 diesel is out of sync those days.

V8 diesels are dead for BMW and Mercedes, only Audi still sticks to giant diesels.
I remember reading somewhere that the 400 and 420cdi were/are slower sellers than the AMGs...

The V6 will most probably be updated to produce more power especially since BMW has the 35d engine, but I still would opt for the 420 engine myself were it available in the US. The S320CDI BlueEfficiency and the S420CDI both have the same EU4 rating for emissions, so I do not see how the latter is more affected by emissions restrictions. It would seem that it should be able to meet higher emissions restrictions with some modification.

Comparing the 420CDI to a 250CDI is not very useful when considering fuel economy, in order to see why the 420CDI is great, it should be compared to the gasoline engines, which it clearly outshines while delivering outstanding performance.

I don't doubt it's technically possible for them to make a V8 diesel that meets the future emission standards but the question is, is it financially reasonable to direct a lot of resources to the development of an engine that will not be very popular choice among the customers? The answer: probably not. Especially as similar performance can be achieved with V6 engines and advanced turbo-technology. This also cuts a lot of development costs as they can use a single V6-diesel engine as a base for many power-versions (similarly as e.g. 2,1-liter I4 diesel engine --> 200 CDI, 220 CDI & 250 CDI versions or 1,8-liter I4 petrol engine --> 200 CGI & 250 CGI versions)

Keep in mind that the US is by far the largest consumer of the higher powered models, 80% of AMGs being sold in the US. The 420CDI engine was never offered in the US, which has a taste for both large engines, and diesel engines.