Been driving mine for 2 years now. It's the kind of car that you find yourself driving 20 miles to get a pint of milk. Relaxing when you are in no hurry, aggressive when you want it to be. Surprisingly fuel consumption is really good when driving steadily long distance.
Nigh on $200K for a squeaky/creaky interior, which will be lucky to be worth half its price in two years? These seem to be essentially disposable cars, which you wouldn’t dream of keeping beyond its warranty. Looks good though and it’s hard to deny the significant (but fleeting) showroom appeal. I’ll have to admire these from a distance.
I've had a few C63s, as I age, this CLS would be the preferred car for the same money. I see that there is already a leaf in the front oil cooler/radiator area. The modern AMGs collect leaves there better than a groundsman with a leaf blower. They are also hard to get out!
Can someone please, pleeeease tell me why we're switching to capacitive touch buttons where the button is single use!? It's ludicrous. It doesn't scream luxury to me, a properly damped and clicky button does.
Just notice that you guys have passed 100K follower, congratulations! Why not make a video of Q&A about the channel and prapare some giveaway to followers :)
Honestly the downside of all these luxury European cars is that they can't even upgrade cooled seats for a hot country like Australia, when the option is available on an Hyundai i20 but not an E300 you starting to wonder if they even do the slightest bit of market research
Totally agree. Heck - ventilated seats came as standard in the Kia Cerato SLi all the way back in 2014. Mercedes (and Audi) can and should do MUCH better in cars that cost 6-7x more!
The best looking generation of CLS thus far. Proportionally more cohesive than an A7 but front end could blend with a touch more aggressiveness. I like it!
Great review as always Tom. Your channel has the most thorough reviews on YT. I'm a Volvo addict and appreciate your comprehensive reviews on my favourite manufacturer, thank you. (I think you're pro Volvo too ey??)
Tom, you've nailed my issue with MB Australia. why can't I get the nice motor in a MB gentleman's outfit with more suspension compliance? The AMG front end is a JDM add-on.
Completely agree as well. Not everyone wants a sporty car, and not everyone wants something that looks and sounds so brutish. I think AMG these days have started to attract the younger (wrong) crowd to Mercedes, who don't appreciate what the brand actually stands for. The older "classic" AMGs like the C36 and E36 is exactly what an AMG should be, in my opinion - sleepers, which eschew tacky plastic oversized air intakes for a more understated styling package that retains the classic Mercedes-Benz lines. These are the sorts of cars which will appeal to people who know, because they don't scream and shout. They speak softly, but carry a big stick - to coin a phrase. To further complicate things, as Tom mentioned, there is no other option. Here in Australia, we have so-called "product planners" deciding what we should be allowed to have, whereas I've just tried to configure a new car on Mercedes' German website and I could have practically anything I want, and configure the car to almost exactly the spec I want, without compromise. If I'm paying six figures for a Mercedes-Benz, I want to be able to tick the option boxes myself.
Spot on review, Tom. What a superb car! Fuel efficient, luxurious, sporty all ingredients for a must have prestige vehicle. However CLA and CLS series of Benz have been plague with issues in the past. I do hope the new CLS is reliable enough and there is an improvement in their reliability and ownership experience . Time will tell.
For me they are just asking for trouble once the warranty runs out. As those service intervals are really pushing the boundaries (personal opinion). I also wish Merc would bring back the elegance trim level for the more traditional buyers.
Sir i dont know what kind of merc ypu getnin australia but believe me the base burmester stero is miles better than the base BW , B&o and harman kardon and when you upgrade to then full 3d spind itsn light years better sp maybe in your market its bad bit in EU its the best in business.
Pretty much sums up MB these days. Understated cool luxury has given way to chase $$ and they are in their right to do so. They sell more c-class than camrys per year
True, and you are correct that it is their right to take the brand in whatever direction the shareholders see fit - but for lovers of old-school understated luxe Benz cars like me, it’s pleasant that there are still some absolute gems in the range like this CLS
Lol, haptic feedback controls. No just on that one feature (not that I would be buying this anyway). Please, please, please manufactures STOP thinking haptic controls are desirable. If anything I would expect the cheapest, lowest quality cars to have haptic feedback buttons as the manufacture is too miserable to spend money on real controls. Medium to high end quality should ALWAYS, always be tactile mechanical buttons.
I find the current generation the most disappointing of the three, it's as though they've given up on it by ditching the proper Merc V8 fearing it would steal sales away from the AMG GT 4 Door, and by discontinuing the wonderful Shooting Brake version, worse yet, they also discontinued the full length centre console and gave it a boring bench seat at the back! Such a shame and more of a reason to find myself a CLS400 Shooting Brake in the next year or so!
Not true. Creaks because of the layers on the car. Built like a tank and reliable still for me still and value better than any 4dr Merc and car in its class
