The brake system helps to reduce the unsprung masses through the use of floating (four- and six-cylinder models) or fixed front callipers with housings in aluminium or aluminium composite design and rear floating callipers with aluminium housings. Large front and rear brake discs provide an ideal technical basis for ensuring safe and reliable deceleration in any driving situation. The front and rear discs measure up to 360 millimetres and 320 millimetres in diameter respectively, depending on the engine version. To cool the brakes the Mercedes engineers have developed two-piece aluminium cover plates which have undergone testing in the wind tunnel. These ensure that the cooling air flows from the underbody into the wheel arches and subsequently on to the brake discs while the vehicle is in motion.

Wheels and tyres: 19-inch size available ex-factory for the first time

The four- and six-cylinder variants of the CLS feature 17-inch wheels fitted with 245/45 R 17 tyres as standard. The CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY is factory-fitted with 18-inch wheels and tyres in size 255/40 R 18 - this combination is available as an option for four- and six-cylinder models. Alternatively, 18-inch wheels fitted with tyres in size 255/40 R 18 at the front and 285/35 R 18 at the rear are available for all models. The 19-inch wheels which are available for the first time lend the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class an even sportier appearance. These wheels are fitted with tyres in size 255/35 R 19 at the front and 285/30 R 19 at the rear.

The electronic stability programme which features as standard also monitors the tyre pressure and displays a warning in case of any sudden loss of pressure in a tyre. For this purpose the system continuously compares the rotational speeds of the wheels, which are primarily dependent on the vehicle's speed, the load and the tyre pressure. The control unit additionally refers to other driving dynamics-related ESP® sensor signals, such as lateral acceleration, yaw rate and wheel torques, in order to diagnose pressure loss in a tyre. In this way the system is able to establish any deviations, informing the driver accordingly on the central display.