Through this blog I would like you all to take a look at a "car" which caters more to the priority of a consumer's safety, security & "luxury".
One look at the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, however, and you'd think the opposite took place and the engineers came out with a gorgeous, jaw-dropping shape and then decided to make the most that practicality would allow within that form.
The CLS’ face and its large striking L-shaped headlights will tell you that this Merc is a departure from tradition.
With its arching roofline and narrow frameless windows within a low-slung muscular profile, the CLS looks fast even when stationary. And it is striking from any angle, more so from the back with its sloping rear windscreen that ends into two large wraparound triangular taillights.
Mercedes-Benz says the CLS blends the strong emotive charisma and beauty of a luxury coupe with the comfort and practicality of a four-door premium sedan.
Sharing the same platform as the E-Class, the CLS is a few inches longer and fits in-between the E- and S-Class.
Get inside the CLS and you sit much lower than in most of its Merc siblings.
Unlike most other coupes however, the CLS’ four-door layout means rear passengers have their own doors and need not bother the front passenger and driver when getting in and out.
And unlike other Mercs, once inside you'd think you were inside a fine British luxury car.
The centre piece is the large, one-piece trim panel of fine burr walnut on the dashboard which continues into the console – a warm counterpoint to the creamy hand stitched leather seats and steering wheel on our test car.
The seats for all four passengers were comfortable and firm with a multitude of electronically controlled adjustments.
Those expecting premium rear leg or headroom may be a little disappointed. It's less compared with an E-Class but is better than almost any coupe. And you have to remember that is what this car really is – a coupe with four doors.
Air vents with individual temperature settings for back passengers increase the comfort level.
Those in front get the Dynamic multi-contoured seats which have air chambers that expand to support your back and sides better during fast acceleration or hard corners.
Our high specs CLS350 test unit, courtesy of DaimlerChrysler Sdn Bhd, came with a 3.5-litre V6 engine that pushes out a maximum power of 272bhp for a 0-100kph dash of seven seconds.
Acceleration was refined and linear. Just floor the accelerator pedal and power flows through to the rear wheels and propels the 1.7 tonne car forward smoothly, accompanied by a sporty exhaust note.
The 7G-TRONIC gearbox provides swift, jerk-free gear changes and is able to downshift by as many as four gears, rather than just one at a time.
The Airmatic Dual Control air suspension has a single setting for comfort and two for sports dampening. The air suspension enabled us to “glide” over potholes and rough trunk roads during our drive to Tanjung Malim.
Mind you, the CLS 350 is shod in 40 series tyres mounted on 18-inch wheels. As these low-profile tyres don’t soak up as much shock from rough roads, we could easily conclude that the air suspension system was doing a first class job.
On the hardest of the sports modes, we found the CLS handling thoroughly beefed up – rather akin to some really hot GTi.
It allows some pretty hard cornering, the suspension holding the car very level through corners and under aggressive acceleration and braking.
Even when we were barrelling along the North-South Expressway at breakneck speeds, we always felt like we were going only half as fast as we really were - and were eating up the miles with mininum stress.
We were quite taken in by the Distronic adaptive cruise control system. This system is connected to a radar proximity sensor on the front grille.
The CLS will cruise at your preset speed and decelerate if it senses a slow moving vehicle ahead.
Anyway, the Distronic automatically switches off at speeds below 30kph and warns the driver to take over with a loud beep and a red warning light on the dashboard.
The CLS comes with the KEYLESS GO ignition system, which allows you to lock, unlock and start the car without having ever to take the remote control key out of your pocket.
Other standard equipment include airbags, Bi-xenon lights, Parktronic system, voice control of main audio and telephone functions, a user-friendly command centre for audio and telecommunication functions via a 6.5-inch TFT screen, the top-of-the-line Harman Kardon LOGIC7 surround sound system with 12 speakers and a multi-function steering wheel with gearshift buttons.
With its stunning looks, classy interior, technological wizardry and brilliant handling, the CLS350 is destined to become one of those timeless masterpieces that define a marque.
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