Facelifted Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe priced in Singapore from S$490k with COE with CLS 450 and AMG 53 models on sale

SINGAPORE

Big, sleek and powerful, the Mercedes-Benz CLS is very often hyped as the car of choice for drivers that want a luxury coupe but still want the practicality of four doors. The mid-life update of the present-gen car was announced internationally last year, and it has just landed in Singapore. 

The new car will be available in two variants, the CLS 450 4Matic selling at S$488,888 with COE, and the AMG CLS 53 4Matic+ selling for S$541,888 with COE. Both cars are powered by the same 3.0-litre, turbo inline six-cylinder petrol engine block, but in different states of tune. As you can guess from the big numbers attached to the model name, they are essentially fast, and faster. The CLS 450 has 367 horsepower at its disposal while the CLS 53 puts out 435 horsepower.

The 0 to 100km/h sprint is dashed through in 4.8 seconds in the CLS 450 and 4.5 seconds in the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53. Both cars are mild hybrids, with the integrated starter motor offering a temporary power boost of 16kW during hard acceleration and for short bouts of engine-off coasting on the highway.

The mechanicals are really largely ported over unchanged from the original 2019 launch edition of the car, but what Mercedes-Benz is really playing up is the new car’s tech prowess. 

As part of the update, the CLS is getting a redesigned multifunction steering wheel wrapped in nappa leather. The optional Driving Assistance Package includes Active Distance Assist and Active Steering Assist. The steering wheel now uses the capacitive principle to detect the driver’s hands, rather that actually requiring some steering input from the driver at the steering wheel to detect if the driver is still in control of the car. Mercede-Benz claims that this enhances user-friendliness when driving in semi-automated mode.

For real peace of mind you’ll want to add the Driving Assistance Package, though it’s a S$10,200 option on top of the car’s basic price. It adds a pile of very effective active safety functions including evasive steering assist, active lane keeping assist, and active emergency stop assist. 

The cabin still doesn’t get the gigantic, dashboard-dominating centre screen as seen in the S-Class and C-Class, but retains the same super wide, twin-screen setup similar to that seen in the Mercedes-EQ EQC. Each of the two screens is 12.3-inches diagonally across. Mercedes-Benx claims that the MBUX will learn your habits with artificial intelligence, and with its predictive functions, MBUX anticipates what the user would like next, with suggestions and reminders through the user interface. 

The smallest engined C-Class isn’t want we expected

Visual updates are more subtle, and largely depend on the trim option that you choose. It’s important to note here that the trim options are really just about visual bits and bobs bolted on to make the car look sportier or more elegant, depending on your individual taste, and does nothing for the actual driving performance. It’s the actual model variant determines the driving experience.

Mercedes-Benz has split the cosmetic trims into a new AMG Exterior Carbon Package, and AMG Night Package. In a case of joining the prevailing trends, the Night Package is all about adding shiny black accents to the body work, to which the auto industry continues to refer to as high-gloss black and piano black.

Individualisation is also a really big deal with luxury carmakers these days, and Mercedes-Benz has Manufaktur, a department with 250 design specialists that the brand claims can transform the CLS into a highly personal one-off, if your pockets are deep enough. A quick look at the spec sheet shows that a range of special paintwork is available, an additional S$22,500 option.

The car’s price put it just under what a BMW 740Li is going for these days, though as far as large, four-door luxury coupes go the CLS has the ground largely to itself in the half-million dollar price segment.

Audi’s A7 Sportback offers a similar experience but with the difference of a fastback hatch rear for slightly easier cargo-loading.

Still, BMW has the smaller, all-electric i4 Gran Coupe and the regular 4 Series Gran Coupe that is quite enticing if you’re a keen driver. It’s got nothing to answer for when compared against the CLS in size, bit it’s also more than S$100k less than a CLS, and needs no petrol. BMW also has the more expensive and slightly larger 8 Series Gran Coupe, which we tested in whacking lovely M850i form.

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