Mercedes-Benz - CLS550 Coupe

The CLS550 Coupe

Mercedes originated the “four-door coupe” with the CLS-class, which is basically an E-class wrapped in a sleeker, sexier body. Its intimate interior seats four, so practicality isn’t its strong suit. The CLS400 has a 329-hp twin-turbo V-6, while the CLS550 has a potent 402-hp twin-turbocharged V-8. Rear-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is available on both. For more power, check out the CLS63 AMG. Prices for the CLS models start higher than the E-class—but style isn’t cheap. The CLS550 can be seen in the famous series Ray Donovan where Ray uses it as his daily car.

Driver’s Choice

We found the CLS most enjoyable to drive if we took the time, before leaving the driveway, to deactivate most of the assists, so we’d probably be better off not checking that option box at all. As with the E-class with which it shares a platform, the CLS’s “Intelligent Drive” technology takes a big step into the autonomous-car future. These technologies are allegedly among the options most desired by new-car shoppers. In rush-hour highway conditions, they can ease worries and people seem eager to have the backup just in case, you know, they get distracted by a text message or a cat video.
This comes at a price we’d just as soon avoid—and not just the monetary one. Technology that thinks on your behalf has to assume you’re not thinking for yourself. This car was sounding alarms, braking, and even steering us away from “imminent” collisions with large signs or piles of snow at the curb when, in fact, the road curved away from these obstacles. Presumably, the technology that works so well on major highways couldn’t read the road properly because the lines were obscured or nonexistent on our local streets. Once, seeking to avoid a badly patched, pothole-strewn stretch of pavement on a two-lane artery, we moved into the other lane. The asphalt was much smoother over there, we could see more than a mile ahead on this sunny day, and there were no oncoming cars, but simply crossing the double-yellow line freaked the CLS right out. It applied the brakes without our bidding, bringing us from 35 mph to 10 mph in short order, perhaps reading roadside objects (snow piles, trash cans, signs) as vehicles. All the warnings and alarms made us feel like Kimi “Just leave me alone, I know what I’m doing” Räikkönen. We liked the car well enough, but it didn’t always seem to like us. We won’t say consumers shouldn’t want this stuff—only that they should know what they’re buying . . . and how and when to disengage it.
A decade ago, when the CLS first brought the four-door coupe into being, it was a sleek and elegant alternative to the more stately E-class sedan and wagon. It was pricey, but distinct enough to justify the expense. Today, there’s an actual two-door E-class coupe and even the regular sedan wears fairly stylish lines. The premium price for the CLS’s mildly more appealing design, outside and in, might be harder to justify all on its own, then. Yet this new, less costly V-6 model amends the value proposition, bringing sufficient performance at a starting price that lets the customer add on “all the toys” or just select the ones that appeal most. It can even be fun to drive, if you take a moment to let the car know who’s the boss.