Spectacular and rival-free when first launched in 2005, the Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe has a variety of near-facsimile rivals today. But that doesn’t make it any less special…
Hardly a big hitter in the Australian premium car market, the Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe nevertheless comes with significant kudos. When the first version was launched in 2005, the suave combination of low-slung coupe and four-door sedan started a new luxury class sub-genre that remains alive and kicking today, 17 years later. There are question marks over the future of the CLS, but with a fresh update to the current third generation, this single model that carries the torch for the trailblazing series – the 53 AMG – still sets a cracking pace and clearly deserves its place in the line-up.
Hanging on
If the Mercedes-Benz CLS is indeed on the way out, that may well be news to the German luxury car manufacturer that continues to invest in the model line.
The CLS hangs on steadfastly as the more pedestrian Mercedes-Benz E-Class donor car overshadows it on the scoreboard, but this is a niche category and outright sales are perhaps less important than the prestige and presence such a model brings to the brand.
And in late 2021, Mercedes confirmed its ongoing commitment with a general spit and polish which, although it didn’t involve much, was enough to demonstrate the sound fundamentals of the CLS.
Available today in a single model variant, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 picks up a revised front-end design including a more aggressive, on-trend grille and apron, along with detail changes at the rear including a subtle lip spoiler and a black pseudo-diffuser look to the lower rear apron.
There are internal changes too, but otherwise what could be construed as a primo E-Class Benz is little changed from the CLS 53 model that arrived four years ago.
With a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, it’s fast but not frantic, elegant but no longer trend-setting. Still worthy of our attention? Of course…
Pricing down
Asking prices for the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 have shifted in the right direction since the third-generation model was introduced in 2018.
Back then, it was tagged at $179,900 plus on-road costs, but by 2020 it was listed at $186,435 plus ORCs.
Today, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4MATIC+ is priced at $183,600 plus ORCs, with limited stock available in Australia (see your local dealer rather than Mercedes’ website as your best guide) but new units are currently available to order ex-factory.
Naturally, there’s little left wanting in standard equipment.
Headlining the changes is the company’s latest MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia system which includes two 12.3-inch high-res screens sitting prominently side by side on the dash, new-gen voice control functions activated by a “Hey Mercedes” command, and a complex, tricky-to-learn range of functions on the AMG Performance steering wheel.
It’s all very Mercedes-AMG inside with a commanding view of the instruments, quilted Nappa leather cladding on the seats, lots of metallic ‘brightwork’ and (optional) carbon-fibre trim, a head-up display, wireless phone charging and adjustable 64-colour ambient lighting.
There are also the deep, rich sounds of a 13-speaker 590W Burmester sound system, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The big, plush seats, adjustable via door-mounted controls that ape the seat profiles, come with memory settings in the front, along with heating but no standard cooling.
Year-round cabin comfort is attended to by the Benz dual-zone THERMATIC climate control system.
Safety first
Continuing Mercedes’ safety focus that first began attracting attention around the late 1950s/early 1960s, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 is armed to the teeth with passive and active technology.
In addition to the now-familiar range of pre-emptive systems, the safety suite runs to things like active lane change assist that kicks in to steer the car around and pass a vehicle ahead, and impulse side accident protection that’s able to shift a passenger, in an imminent side impact, away from the crash zone towards the centre of the vehicle.
Anticipatory route-based speed adaptation, cross traffic avoidance and active blind spot assist are just some of the CLS’s multitude of advanced in-built safety systems.
It’s something of a pity that the company that once had one of the easiest, safest to use and most logical cruise control systems (known as Tempomat) now joins many others with a system that’s hard to learn and unnecessarily complex to use.
The steering wheel controls require concentration and the cruise control only operates when the speed limiter system is switched on.
Also on the user-interface debit side are the time-consuming searches required for simple functions such as adjusting the head-up display. Unless you’re an eight-year-old, the CLS, like other Benz models, requires a fair bit of time for acclimatisation.
The CLS 53’s dynamic arsenal includes the performance-tuned AMG 4MATIC+ permanent four-wheel drive system that alters the driveline parameters for more aggressive responses.
For example, it sets the car up for quicker corner exits by distributing more torque to the rear wheels (69 per cent) than the standard 4MATIC system.
Character redefined
The sole reliance on the new-gen 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine brings subtle character redefinitions for the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53.
Not unusual in a current-generation hi-po passenger car, the CLS Benz’s engine embraces mild-hybrid technology to help deliver added accelerator response and driveline smoothness as well as reduced consumption and emissions.
Of course, there’s a calculated, pre-ordained level of background noise from the exhaust, but it doesn’t have the theatrical rasp of the largely V-formation engines that dominate the performance brigade (apart from BMW!).
The CLS 53 tends towards an authoritative but mellow growl that seems very much at home in a consciously-elegant four-door coupe.
It delivers in a similarly refined way. Although there’s never any questioning the capabilities of a big, two-tonne-plus passenger car that can reach 100km/h from standstill in 4.5 seconds, the whole performance is enacted with an unusual calm.
A lot of this undoubtedly comes from the added 250Nm of torque delivered by the mild-hybrid electrics motor that shoulders-in when the reciprocating engine is in the less productive part of its torque curve.
Another small but noticeable effect of the hybrid system is that the initial engine start-up is instantaneous, just like flicking a switch. Thank the electric motor for that.
The nine-speed auto, its rapid-fire upshifts in the lower gears coming with a brevity comparable to a close-ratio high-performance motorcycle, adds a certain steadiness to the acceleration.
It might sound like an understatement, but the CLS 53, rather than shoving you in the back when the boot is planted, simply and remorselessly gathers speed.
The hybrid configuration helps not just with the 3.0-litre six-cylinder’s performance, but also with fuel consumption.
We didn’t match the official 9.2L/100km claim (a middling figure among its competitors), but our recorded 11.1L/100km during a week of urban-focused driving was still within sight of the manufacturer’s quoted combined-cycle economy – although the 98 RON fuel requirement brings an extra burden at the pump.
Luxury with an edge
The 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 impresses the senses with an interior that’s almost equal, in terms of presence, to its swanky exterior.
Because it’s about 10mm longer, 23mm winder and sits 32mm higher than it was 17 years ago, the 2022 CLS’s cabin feels more accommodating, particularly in the back. But the low roofline still brings its disadvantages.
Lanky rear seat passengers will continue feeling a mite crowded by the low roofline, and the rear legroom – despite the CLS being 57mm longer overall than the E-Class sedan – remains compromised as well.
The width of the cabin, although it tends to be narrower than the bulk of its contemporaries today, helps allay any suggestions of being hemmed in. And as for peering out of the slit-style side windows, well, we’re getting pretty used to that sort of thing these days.
The 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system and the driver-selected or auto-adjusting air suspension combine to generally deliver on the promise of a well-metered ride and handling experience.
The ride is certainly meticulously controlled – with anti-dive, anti-squat and level control – as a big Benz sedan should be, but in AMG 53 form the CLS is not all that fond of small, harsh and abrupt bumps thanks to the tuned suspension and staggered, low-profile tyres.
The steering is quick – going from lock to lock in just 2.2 turns – and nicely weighted, although it needs help returning to centre in certain situations such as a full-lock parking manoeuvre.
Any practical difficulties that arise from the differing front/rear tyre dimensions are countered by the repair kit that’s standard in the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 where others – such as the BMW 840i M Sport and Audi A7 – respectively use run-flat and space-saver tyres.
Unique no more
Having lost its uniqueness to challengers that have drifted into the market in the years since it first appeared, the Mercedes-Benz CLS doesn’t grab attention in the way it once did.
The string of competitors is varied, true, but there are plenty of sports-luxury large sedans from the likes of Audi, BMW, Maserati and Porsche that are legitimate contenders on the same elemental shopping list.
But 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 sits comfortably.
Its sumptuous interior, surging inline six-cylinder mild-hybrid engine, all-wheel drive and the low-slung, narrow-windowed styling combine to make it more special than the equivalent E-Class sedan and more practical than the two-door E 53 coupe.
It might have lost its distinctive styling allure that did such a good job at the forefront of the sedan-coupe genre, but it’s still a worthy entrant that rightly continues to attract a small but loyal band of devotees.
How much does the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4MATIC+ cost?Price: $183,600 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrolOutput: 320kW/520NmTransmission: Nine-speed automaticFuel: 9.2L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 210kg/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 2022 Review