Mercedes-Benz CLS 320CDI Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mercedes CLS 320CDI
Prices: £46,255 – on the road
Insurance Group: 18A CO2 EMISSONS:] 202g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 7.0s / Max Speed 155mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 37.2mpg
Safety: Twin front, side & window airbags, ABS, ESP
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4913/1873/1403mm

MISHMASH MASTER CLASS

Our Rating: 8.3 / 10

Quite where Mercedes’ CLS 320CDI fits into the UK prestige car market is anyone’s guess but its unusual make-Up should render it a hit with buyers keen to stand out from the crowd. Steve Walker reports…

We were just about getting used to the idea of prestige coupes with diesel engines and then Mercedes-Benz saw fit to confront us with this – the CLS 320CDI. Bafflement ensued around the office, heads were scratched and chins were stroked in an attempt to get a handle on the vehicle and its place in the market. The CLS on its own is pretty hard to pin down. It has four doors and a boot like a saloon but we’re told it’s a coupe and the swoopy styling would appear to back that up. Chuck the 320CDi engine into the mix and the waters are muddied further. It’s a remarkable powerplant but its practical values don’t really tally with the ostentatious appeal of the CLS in the way that the big petrol engines do. What sort of person would buy one?

To choose a Mercedes-Benz CLS in the first place, you have to be a person who’s driven by the way things look and feel. Here’s a vehicle that’s around £7,000 more model for model than an E-Class and yet it offers significantly reduced interior space and luggage capacity. It does have four doors along with space to seat four adults in comfort, however, and the styling, although initially challenging, does grow on you with its elegant lines and retro influences. The CLS is a classy product, obviously conceived for people who like to stand out from the crowd and perhaps this is where the 320CDi engine comes in. Like the CLS itself, it’s an offbeat choice but it’s also an informed one.

If you had to pigeonhole the Mercedes-Benz CLS, it would probably be as some kind of luxury grand tourer and that would lead you to expect that it functions best with the drama of a big petrol engine snarling away under its bonnet. In the 350, the 500 and the 63 AMG models, the CLS has a V6 and two V8s to fire the imagination. You can visualise it snaking up a remote mountain pass or blasting down an autobahn but couldn’t the same effect be achieved with a diesel? If we’re talking about the Mercedes-Benz 320CDI diesel, it most certainly could.

The engine is an absolute stormer, producing 224bhp from its 6-cylinder 24-valve configuration. It’s actually a 3.0-litre unit, despite what the 320CDI title might lead you to believe, and it’s the least powerful option in the CLS range but you wouldn’t know that to drive it. The 540Nm maximum torque output means there’s a tidal wave of acceleration poised to wash over you when the throttle is depressed at virtually any point in the rev range. 0-60mph acceleration of seven seconds is on a par with the CLS 350 but drop the hammer while cruising at 40mph and the diesel’s monumental torque would leave that car floundering. Other advantages include the 37.2mpg average fuel economy and the 202g/km CO2 emissions, both figures being far superior to anything the CLS petrol engines can mange.

The CLS is a car of contradictions and nowhere are these more apparent than when you’re seated behind the wheel. The low, laid-back driving position will come as a surprise to anyone who had this down as an E-Class with a prettier face. The high window line and low roof add to the sports car feel, as does the pronounced transmission tunnel that runs through the centre of the cabin. You feel cocooned within the car and it’s an altogether different experience than you get from an E-Class. Traditional Mercedes-Benz customers may not like the restricted visibility or the more strenuous entries and exits that result from the low-slung seats but once you’re in, it’s extremely comfortable. The latest revisions include a revised radiator grille, LED taillights and shapelier mirrors.

Once you get moving, the CLS surprises again. The car’s dynamic exterior lines are forgotten as it serves up an experience that is typical Mercedes-Benz. Beautifully-damped suspension obliterates uneven road surfaces and anyone harbouring concerns over the refinement of the 320CDI engine will quickly lay them to rest after a stint at the wheel. The ride can be firmed-up with a press of a button but the CLS tackles