I love this guy. He is the love child of Jeremy clarkson , Quentin Wilson , Tiff Nidell , and all the other 90s car show presenters , and thats completely fine by me 😆
Only 68 examples of the CLS 63S left on the road, thank god I own one of them. Bought it new back in 2016, will never sell it. For such a big car it handles so well in comfort suspension setting, especially when you are pushing it along. Plenty of space for 4 adults, and a big boot. Hammer it all the time, and you get 18mpg which isn’t too bad. Mine’s done 100,000 miles, no mechanical issues at all yet. They are oil thirsty, but common with this engine. A future rare classic, these are creeping back up in value.
No, they are not oil thirsty. If yours is I suggest you endoscope the cylinders. Maybe you will not like what one might see. At around 150.000km (or short of 100k miles) the cylinders can show a lot of scratches, since the engine has issues with its "Alusil" surface. Up until ~03/2015 the M278 (little 4,7l brother) and until the end of production of the m157 (5,5l AMG Version) they used it and it causes a lot of headache. If the engines start using (a lot of) oil the surfaces are usually done for. The m278 got better steal surfaces somewhere in 03/2015. The AMG version didn't. Also affected are the 350 CGIs with direct fuel injection (m276 v6) for example. Sure a lot of those engine still run on high miles, but you find a lot of examples that have these issues. Some say probably faulty fuel injectors, but who knows...
@keine_ahnung_wie_der_heisst did they do a post facelift 3.6🤔❔️I thought they dropped that engine after the facelift or was that only in the UK as I've always thought that was the correct recipe for that model
@martinmcdonald4207 funnily enough I never liked the previous gen and I feel that the one that followed after though very good looking from the front the back is a little inproportionate. This one specifically the 218 facelift is it for me. And I also feel is the model that benefited the best from the diamond style grille although the AMG models don't have it. If I owned one I'd probably try and customise one of the later style diamond grilles with the little Mercedes stars in it to somehow make it fit✨️
Had one too for about 7 years. Lovely car. Fabulous looks and luxury interior. As far as diesel's go the 350 is fabulous. Loads of torque and very smooth. I've averaged 39 mpg over that time too!
I owned a 2nd generation CLS63s... What an amazing car. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wasn't a common sight. The shooting brake in South Africa is absolute hens teeth. I've only ever seen one CLS63s... That 5.5l V8 M157 can only be described with one word, VIOLENT!!!! That 7G tonic was the only irritation as it had a slight delay when changing gears manually.
We were lucky enough to have a 2nd gen non facelift cls63 in the family. At that time we didn’t realize how insanely rare the non shooting brake version was in SA. I see a lot of older car enthusiasts driving the existing CLS63’s I see these days. You can’t even find a CLS to purchase, they are all owned and loved and driven.
@CITRUS-- There is no CLS shooting brake there is only the sedan and wagon (I dunno what he's talking about but his definition of shooting brake is wrong because a shooting brake is a wagon designed car with 2 doors eg: Ferrari FF and the Ferrari GTC 4 Lusso). The CLS has 4 doors. Therefore, it can not be a shooting brake. Yes, the CLS isn't a common site here in SA that goes for the CLS 55, CLS 63 Gen 1, CLS 63 GEN 2, and Gen 2 facelift even the current CLS 53 is rare I've only seen 1 but also you mentioned the sedan the rarest version which it is not the CLS wagon is by far the rarest version I've only ever seen 2 in comparison I've seen dozens of CLS sedans.
It's a Shooting Brake... End of... A "Wagon" is the American terminology for an estate car... The CLS Shooting Brake is not a regular "Wagon/Estate"... Try and be smart re your mention of an obscure 2 door Ferrari or 2, but at the end of the day the CLS Shooting Brake is as it says... Plus, alongside a Maserati it is strikingly beautiful and will always garner positive comments... A Ferrari is that,like a Porsche is that and so on... I currently own a CLS Shooting Brake AMG 63S and E Class 350d coupe , owned a 63 version previously plus any number of nice cars including a Cayman S, a Carrera GT in 2004/5 so I know my cars... CLS Shooting Brake it is... Period
I think Rover P5 was the first to use the coupe term for sleek 4-door saloon. I remember you saw one and talked about it briefly during one of your event at Gilk's Garage in your 'Living With Ferrari Roma' video. Something I learned for the first time, to be honest. Also, here in Indonesia the CLS63 C218 was a very popular car. It's a handsome thing, and that M157 engine is just rude and brutal.
I really like this car, mainly because of the amazing engine. But the lack of a 4wd version in the UK is an real oversight, meaning that it is not as quick or driveable in all weathers as it could be. A pity. Totally agree with you that Alcantara has no place on a steering wheel.
Dreadful tyres... Cutting corners on the rubber is very short sighted and penny pinching... Pilot 4s or Conti 5 are the minimum, maybe P Zeros... Not some cheap garbage that I see on many cars...
Keep that one quiet mate. Drove one yesterday had a stage 1 remap, I think it was pushing 300 hp. It's 1 second slower to 60 than the amg. For nearly half the money and running costs.
I have a 2013 CLS 350 remapped by gad Tuning in the UK. 307hp and 730nm of torque. It's a weapon all through the rev range Awesome car, will keep it for many years
@jgripen969 Talk to the converted mate... I've been riding motorbikes for 30 years and have owned 4 different AMGs.... But on a day to day an estate car can be practical with a little go. Hence my suggestion.
It's still not an AMG 63S though... I should know having owned a 350d, an AMG63 previously and currently an AMG 63S with the rev limiter removed... If you want speed it has it in abundance... Just shy of 200mph all out, handles beautifully yet is as docile to drive as the 350d...
I very recently bought a W212 Facelift E63 and I am in awe of that engine, it’s absolutely raucous and a torque monster. It was meant to replace my E250 cdi S212 estate, but they seem to be a good pairing. Definitely think your influence rubbed off on me there lol
Another CLS owner clocking in here. C218 post facelift coupe, cavansite blue 350d AMG line with the Premium Plus package. Cracking car and a joy to ride even in the mayhem of London traffic.
We've got a 2015 saloon version of this car in Australia and it's great. We've had it for 6 years. No major problems. Had a C218 CLS500 prior. Need to take care of the M157 in this one. Proper and regular servicing is a must, plus changing out the leaking camshaft position sensors, or fitting a harness protection kit so oil doesn't go into the harness/ECU. These cars do have the 7-speed MCT gearbox.
I absolutely loved my CLS shooting brake. Treaded the right line between practicality,nicheness and uniqueness for me. Loved it. Should say I had a Passat cc,5gt,A5 Sportback,4 series GC and currently in an A7 so this market segment definitely appeals to me. CLS was may favourite of the lot.
Very fair review - owned both generations of the CLS starting with the CLS 55 and its M113K, bags of character and the CLS 63 with the M157 which is a sledgehammer. Mapped and tracked both of them yet the perfect continent crossing cars. CLS 55 was more of a drivers car whereas the 63 was technically better in every aspect. Never owned something with someone that splashed £118K on new with options!
Wow! Never seen this car in this “station wagon” (Estate for Brits) configuration. It actually looks better than the 2 door and 4 door models. I don’t think we got these in the USA. Very cool
The ONLY reason why I have identical tech E class estate instead of this, is the boot lip. CLS is far more sexier car, and its noisy frameless doors would be tolerable just to get that cool factor. But the aging, hairy, four-legged queen cannot jump in over the damn boot lip. Sitting back there with a cuppa and shielded from the light rain by the boot door is just poetry of the E class. Also, the w212 infotainment screen is nicely hidden so the sun doesn't spoil it, not a hideous tablet glued to the dashboard. The knob-control is actually fantastic once you get it memorised, as you don't have to stretch to the touch screen while driving - the control knob is right under you resting palm. But you have to own the car to appreciate that.
You question when we last saw an omega. At 20 I had a Vectra 2.2 DTI, my dad had a heart attack(he's ok) I drove from Westbury to edington to Bristol just as quick if I was in a McLaren. That car really flew when you needed it to. I might be the only person on earth to request a review on one, if you can find one!
1:45 - 4 series gran coupe, 8 series gran coupe, audi a7, vw arteon , mercedes cls, mercedes gt63 4 door, bmw i4 you could also argue that the 2 series gran coupe, mercedes cla, panamera, kia stinger GT fall in this category as well.
I have the 5.5L in an AMG S63 Cabrio. I have owned most of the great cars of our time, and raced Ferraris and Porsches. The M157 is a WONDERFUL motor - maybe the best I've ever driven. It is like driving the American muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. It has a lovely, quiet rumble with tons of silent torque at low RPMs, but goes into full beast mode when you stomp on it. The S Class cars that carry it are very heavy cars, so while it is no slouch off the line, it really shines in rolling starts from as little as 10mph. If you leave it in Sport mode and prepare by getting the RPMs up to around 4k, it will then execute some very sexy upshifts as you add speed, barking and gurgling through the shifts. Full manual mode can be challenging, because you have to hit a shift point right before the limiter kicks in, or you will lose a ton of momentum. And it is very hard to hit that point because from 4k to redline is quick. I suggest anyone buy this motor in any car they can. There were some issues in early years, but from around 2015 on they are very solid. And I have not ever Dyno'd this car, but I have read several reports of it sending 605 hp to the crank. They estimate that is about 540 to the wheels, because... it is all wheel drive! Try putting 600hp down with 2 wheel drive - challenging. But with the 4 Matic system it is effortless. In most 2 wheel drive cars full 600 hp throttle would have the tires smoking. But not only is there not even the tiniest tire chirp, but you can be the first car at a red light, then when it turns green punch the accel and the car will pull itself through the start/turn with no spin, no tire chirp. Just pure power to the pavement. Brilliant job, Mercedes on these cars and engines.
I fell in love with the first gen ever since I got to sit in a CLS500 for like a year. Proper mafia car, burgundy on burgundy leather. I'd just swap the air suspension for a static and and it would've been a great daily
Ever since I saw a Lagonda shooting brake in the Haynes motor museum I've found that style fascinating. Plus the bizarre interior on that car is amazing!
Driven a few of these, great to drive. Huge power when you want it or just drives along at 1000rpm when you don’t want to be pushing the limits. M157 is one of the goat Benz engines. Just get ready to be replacing engine mounts and fixing coolant leaks constantly. And oil top ups every few 1000km haha
The c219 cls is a stunningly beautiful car and I won’t take any other opinion, sorry jay. Not a single ‘odd proportion‘ on the entire car. Unfortunately couldn’t ever own one because so does every shisha bar owner in the country.
Great video! However the CLS63 has a 7G MCT gearbox, not the regular and more failure prone torque converter-equipped 7G-tronic gearbox that mercs from circa 2005-2014 had. For reference my ’07 E420 CDI has 1000nm of torque, and the ”regular” 7G-tronic (that doesn’t quite like it…) the solution is a reinforced torque converter or using the gearbox out of a later S65 AMG. But these M157’s can easily produce over 1000nm reliably as long as the gearbox torque limits aren’t exceeded in the software.
Absolute dream car for me. I would feel like the coolest dude on earth inside of these. The segment it opened also brought the A7 and the 6 series grand coupe into existence which I've always found stunning. They all still look modern, special, planted, sporty. It comes from an era when they all were trying to fit the biggest engine possible into everything while now Mercedes is desperate to sell everything with that 4 cylinder unit. The CLS has been discontinued but Mercedes just rebranded it as the gt 4 door I think, which makes sense I guess since masses are interested in saloons or big coupes, they are trying to tie it to the sports car rather than the s class
Theres one CLS shooting brake near me parked up looking tired and with the rear suspension collapsed. I think the owner just don't give a toss that it's rare and could be a future classic.. 🤷🏽
Interesting fact about the CLS. In saloon form it was a 4 seater with a rear centre console. As an estate it had a bench style seat that could seat three [three seatbelt sets]
My cousin used to work for a Mercedes dealership and left because he was embarrassed by their lack of service. He told me some horror stories, and frankly, based on that, Mercedes should consider themselves lucky to have any customers!
What a compelling car. I’d be looking to get one were it not for a mad oversight from Mercedes… you cannot mount a towbar to this car. Come on guys, zero towing capacity on a wagon?!? Same with the older rs6’s (thankfully the brand new ones can!) and RS4’s… what’s the point in a do it all wagon when it can’t do it all?
Sat to hear it's discontinued! In the UAE the CLS seems to be one of the most common cars, more common than the E-class, possibly less than the S-class. However, if you want to see where the MB "four door coupe" came from, consider that the internal nickname during the development of the first CLS was the "jag fighter" - it was intended to take on the X308 XJ. As for the line about "there's only the A7 left", there's also the five-door A5 and the BMW 4-series and 8-series GCs. Again, there are a lot of 4GCs in the UAE - probably more than the 3 series.
I have a 2015 C218 CLS...I had a Jag XF before. The interior quality and infotainment is better in the Merc, but the Jag rode a lot better, steered a lot nicer, and the gearbox mapping was much better in the Jag. I love the way the CLS looks, especially in blue with cream leather as mine is...but I very often find myself thinking I would probably have been better off with another XF.
Steering in the XF better? The steering in those early XFs was atrocious. The car is awesome (ride I concur 100%), the gearbox is nice as well. But the steering in the XF is its worse trait. Jag's of new improved steering massively.
@@an-dr6eu No I meant rode. The ride quality was better. It's common terminology to describe how well the dampers and spring rates contribute to the absorption of bumps. Drive is more of a all encompassing term which you might use on the whole, but not to describe the ride quality.
@@pcpedroariel Perhaps there's something wrong with my specific Mercedes, but the steering in the Jaguar felt much more communicative. Not by any means the most communicative steering system I've ever experienced, but the Mercedes feels over assisted by comparison and gives me less information through the wheel. It has to be said that both systems leave a lot to be desired in terms of "feel" but I always preferred the Jag'. Perhaps as I say there's something adrift with my specific Mercedes, tracking/tyres can make quite a difference to steering feel I suppose.
I personally think the 1st gen CLS was a gorgeous car! I still remember having a car magazine when that car was released, with a comparison review vs the W211 E-Class, and the CLS looked so much more posh and fancy! By comparison, I didn't like the 2nd gen that much on the looks department but the shooting brake sure looks amazing! It's unfortunate they didn't sell many of them that they've become so uncommon, in AMG guise or otherwise. Speaking of, I'd love to see a non-AMG CLS shooting brake on this channel as well!
Almost bought one of those but tried a S212 E500T 4Matic with 408bhp and not so harsh suspension and found it to be much better. No regrets after all. I think they didn't sell it in the U.K.
I think the first ‘modern’ coupe/saloon was the 1998 Australian Ford Falcon AU model. This was updated to the BA model with a new nose and tail but still using the same doors due lackluster sales. Interesting to see the difference.
5:50 I noticed that immediately. My Dad's 2nd best car he ever owned. He owned the big lazy i V6 model. Brilliant baby barge as we called it. Only bested by his truly fantastic Panther Kallista, again in V6 guise. Those Omega's are a rare sight nower days. Dad being him self, carefully placed a 'hole' in the exhaust, gave it a really tasty raspy note to the exhaust. I do miss that car.
Fantastic looking car we’ve got the 350D pure luxury and the smoothist ride remapped to 300bhp and getting 40+mpg there’s nothing that can replace this at the moment on the market.
Shooting brake for me, at least, means sporty wagon or sleek wagon bearing similar features to a coupe. And because the CLS’s silhouette could be classified as a coupe, I’d say it’s alright for them to call it a shooting-brake.
Mercedes sold the CLS as a "4-door coupe" due to the sloping body style. If a wagon is based on a sedan and a shooting brake is based on a coupe, then it's logical to them that this is a "four door shooting brake", not a wagon.
Jay, to see just how far you've come over the years with these superb roadtests is so awesome. You are our younger, modern, non sexist/racist/xenophobic and much less cliche'd Clarkson. A great car reviewer that revels in reviewing ALL cars no matter how obscure or run of the mill. Thank you and congratulations on your ever expanding subscribers and viewer count.
That Omega! 😂 I used to drive one because I worked for GM Europe in Germany and it was the best company option I could choose from…so I chose a manual in black. It was actually a fair challenger to the BMW 5 series at the time and could do 220 km/h on the Autobahn comfortably….I mean I would have preferred an E39 obviously!
Always wanted a CLS Estate/Wagon. Sadly all the cool Wagon versions of MB, Audi, and BMW cars were rarely sold here in the US. Guess I'll have to wait 20 years to import one.
Haha that’s my model aswell James as you know I emailed you about showcasing mine , anyway I have this very model too!, it’s in hyacinth red shooting S only thing it’s got louder abit with 730 bhp 😁
