An inspiring reinvention of the coupé

With the CLS, Mercedes-Benz created a new vehicle category in 2003 which for the first time combined the elegance and dynamism of a coupé with the comfort and functionality of a saloon. The customers were delighted, the competition taken aback: for many years the CLS remained the only four-door coupé in its class and since October 2004 it has been the car of choice for some 170,000 buyers around the globe.

DIMO is excited to introduce the second generation CLS-Class (C218) to Sri Lanka. It is expected to continue the leading position in the four-door coupe segment with its unique design, extensive technology, and equipment innovations. The new CLS appeals to a very discerning target group looking for an extravagant vehicle as a sign of success, good taste and individuality. The new CLS combines compelling, scintillating design with exclusivity and sportiness. The pronounced exterior conveys more prestige and dominance thanks to the elongated front end with its dominant radiator grille, the classic coupé side line with its dynamic lines and the muscular rear end with its wide shoulder line.

The interior of the CLS-Class is exclusive and spacious, with high quality look and feel. Characteristic features include the high beltline which generates an impression of exceptional security in the interior. Compared to the earlier CLS model, there is more shoulder room (+21mm in front, +13mm in rear) and more elbow room (+8mm in front, +21mm in rear). Special highlights in the interior include high quality instrument cluster with three white-backed dials for the first time with central 10.9cm TFT display for full colour images, ambient lighting in three colours (Neutral, Solar and Polar) can be individually selected via the multifunction steering wheel and an analogue clock with the three pointed star in the centre console.

The CLS is the first vehicle from Mercedes-Benz to have frameless, all-aluminum doors. These are made from deep-drawn aluminum panels with extruded sections, and in comparison with conventional steel doors, are some 24 kilograms lighter. Apart from the doors, the bonnet, front wings, boot lid, parcel shelf, various support profiles and substantial parts of the suspension and engines are all made of aluminum.

Aerodynamics plays an important part in the outstanding efficiency of the Mercedes-Benz CLS with a Cd value of 0.26, which has been improved by 13 percent. The CLS is the first passenger car in the world to offer LED High Performance headlamps, which combine the exciting colour elements of LED technology – Bi-xenon headlamps are standard in the CLS-Class, while LED high-performance headlamps are optional.

The headlamps, with their 71 LED lamps in total, look exciting; and they serve to underline the unmistakable appearance of the CLS.

There are further arguments for the LED-based lighting technology: the average operating life of a LED is around 10,000 hours, around five times longer than that of a xenon light; moreover, LED headlamps most closely approximate to the colour of daylight.

This means that LED light is in keeping with the normal human perception patterns and that the driver experiences significantly more brightness on the road at night.

Features available in the new CLS-Class for the first time include Active Parking Assist, the Driving Assistance Plus package with Active Blind Spot and Lane Keeping Assist, the Lane Tracking Package, Night View Assist Plus, Speed Limit Assist and a reversing camera plus ATTENTION ASSIST as standard equipment.

The new CLS is a perfect example for the claim “The best or nothing”, for it not only thrills with its emotional exterior form - its interior, too, which has been created with perfect craftsmanship, will set car-lovers’ hearts beating faster.

The art of design is to create something extraordinary. With its stylish, refined sportiness the new CLS makes a clear statement about the intended - sensual - design idiom for Mercedes-Benz in the future.

The new CLS is exclusively available from Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO), the authorised distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Sri Lanka from Rs. 24.2m + vat onwards.