Exterior

The coupe version of the S-Class sedan, the CL-Class sits very near the top of the Mercedes-Benz range, and would be a rare thing in anybody's lineup: a large coupe. And when I say large, I mean it: The CL is roughly 200 inches long. That's the same length as a GMC Acadia — a crossover that seats up to eight people in three rows (see them compared).

Still, the CL is one of the best-looking cars on the road. That's partly due to the fact that Mercedes gave it a stretched-out form; there's a low, sloping roof and no pillars between the front and rear side windows. The car is also fairly wide, and the overall impression is of a very low, wide car. Interestingly, it's not hard to get in and out of the front seats. I never felt like I was falling onto the ground, as I have in other coupes.

The CL was restyled for 2011, with a reworked front end, and LED running lights and taillights. The CL wasn't ugly before, but I think the changes were done well. (Compare a 2011 to a 2010 here.)

    See also:

    Door control panel
    1 Opens the door 2 Unlocks/locks the vehicle 3 Adjusts the exterior mirrors 4 Selects the exterior mirror, electrically folds the exterior mirrors in/out 5 Opens/closes the side window ...

    Cleaning the exterior lighting
    •► Clean the plastic lenses of the exterior lights with a wet sponge and a mild cleaning agent, e.g. Mercedes-Benz car shampoo or cleaning cloths. Only use cleaning agents or cleaning c ...

    Setting the side air vents
    ► To open/close: turn thumbwheel 3 to the left or right. Side window defroster vent 1 is never completely shut, even if side air vent 2 is shut. ...