Mercedes-Benz CLS to be launched on 16 November

Mercedes’ luxurious four-door coupe, the CLS, is all set to make a comeback in the Indian car market on 16 November. The stylish sedan will be positioned between the E-Class and the S-Class and it competes against the likes of the 6 Series Gran Coupe and the Audi A7 in the global market.

Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, this is the third generation of the CLS, globally as well as in India. The all-new C257 CLS gets the new Mercedes styling that began with the A-Class sedan. The trapezoidal front grille gets a single chrome slat and the three-pointed star in the centre. The angular headlamps are swept back and the bumper gets an aggressive three-part layout. The iconic sloping roofline and notchback-like boot are signature CLS and the slashed tail lamps look gorgeous.

Inside, it has a twin-screen layout which has become more or less a standard on all high-end Mercedes cars – one for the digital instrument cluster and the other one for the touchscreen infotainment system. Like always, the cabin is luxurious with the S-Class-like dash adorned by wooden trims. The upholstery is all leather and the CLS will offer a choice of hues for different shades of paint. Panoramic sunroof, electric seats with memory function three-zone climate control and auto-dimming mirrors among others will be standard fitment along with automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers. 

Under the hood, the CLS might be offered with the 2.0-litre turbocharged Euro 6 compliant petrol engine and the 2.9-litre BS-VI straight-six offered on the S-Class. But we aren’t sure about the 4matic all-wheel drive. Both the engines develop about 290bhp of power and come mated to the nine-speed automatic gearbox. We expect the CLS to be priced between Rs 70 lakhs to Rs 1 crore depending upon the equipment offered.