Spy Shot: Mercedes CLS facelift
With Porsche's four-door coupe nearing production and Aston Martin readying the Rapide, it's easy to forget the one that started it all has been on the market since 2004. The shape of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is still one of most striking on the market, but DCX evidently reckons that by the time the fourth year roles around, it'll be time for a few cosmetic changes.
This disguised test mule was caught undergoing cold weather testing somewhere in Europe. We can see the from the photo that the updated CLS will get a new grille mimicking that of its big-coupe counterpart, the CL, plus a new set of taillights and a new rear bumper around back. It'd also be safe to assume some changes will be made to the interior, and some new rims should round out the package. The arguably least attractive element of the design, the strangely-shaped headlights, will evidently carry over unchanged, though.
The revised CLS-Class should be hitting the market sometime in 2008, ready to hold its own against the onslaught of future competitors in the four-door coupe niche market. Click the Read link to check out additional uncropped spy shots of the next MB CLS.
[Source: World Car Fans]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
UnderCover Soul Brother 1:54PM (3/15/2007)
That's not a new front. That's just the AMG grill with the regular CLS coupe air dam. See:
http://www.mbusa.com/models/gallery/index.do?modelCode=CLS550C
And the head lights are an acquired taste. The AMG version of the CLS is epic.
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David 2:34PM (3/15/2007)
Did anyone forget about the Infiniti J30? That was really the 4-door coupe that preceeded the CLS. It was based on the 300ZX. It had little headroom in the back and virtually no truck because of the tapered rear end - oh, just like the CLS.
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BOB 4:55PM (3/15/2007)
FOUR DOOR COUPE -- well, you young whippersnappers dont look back very far for the real antecedents, lol.
Lancia Flaminia
a couple of Facel Vegas
1961 Lincoln Continental
1976 Thunderbird -__the most obvious predecessor to the CLS http://www.calgarythunderbirdclub.ca/pages/vintageads.htm#1967
Of course, you are not the only ones who missed it -- if the previous round of geniuses at Ford did not have head-in-butt disease, they would have made a sexy 4-door instead of the wimpy retro 2 seater that failed in this decade.
Noah, you dont like the headlights. (I see these cars every day, and dont find anything wrong with the desgn, except they are getting a touch dated). You should know that changing headlight shape means new fenders and/or hood -- much more $$ than freshening bumpers and trim.
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Matt 12:46AM (3/16/2007)
"The one that started it all" ?
I guess, if your knowledge of automotive history only goes back 4 years...
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Kevin Nguyen 5:17PM (3/16/2007)
Yeah thats true, my mother used to have one and I did like it.
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ryan 11:28PM (3/15/2007)
im not sure that i like it. the only think that i really notice is the shape of the body. it kinda looks like the shape of a Lexus...
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Buster01 12:25AM (3/16/2007)
the cls needs more then a mild facelift to keep up with the beautiful Astin Martin. That thing looks like a pig next to it!
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tommy e 1:58AM (3/16/2007)
I've never seen inside the trunk of a J30 so I'll assume you're right about it being small but as far as the CLS goes you're very wrong. I have a CLS500 and a S500 and their trunks are about the same size and never have not been able to hold more than I expected, check one out and I'm sure you'll be impressed.
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emehrkay 7:28PM (3/16/2007)
I thought that the J30 was an luxury altima?
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Alex 9:02PM (4/01/2007)
Okay, let's straighten this out. The CLS was the first "4-door coupe" that started the current fashion. I'd say the CLS-Class looks just as nice as the Rapide, and maginally better than the Porsche. The CLS63 AMG will blow the doors off the V-12 Rapide, too. Still, I'm a bland person. I'd rather have an S65 AMG instead of a Rapide or CLS.
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