Style

There are just two elements that could account for that price difference: The CLS' more advanced V-8 engine and its darn appealing, elegant design. Like most new Benzes, the CLS features a large, dominant grille, in this case embedded with a gigantic three-pointed star. And of course there are optional full LED headlights. Luxury automakers are in a war to see which can use more LEDs to illuminate our roads, and the CLS comes to the fight with two stories of LED strips in the headlight cluster — to great effect.

The CLS' design trademark is the sloping roofline that many other vehicles have emulated over the years. For 2012, the car allows for a more traditional profile, albeit one dressed up with scallops running along the doors. It then radically drops off in the rear in a rounded truncation.

It's a startling effect, set off with giant taillights, yet whenever I try to describe it I end up using the word "droopy."

The CLS63 AMG has larger, 19-inch wheels, a more aggressive front bumper, a chin spoiler and quad exhaust.

    See also:

    Adaptive Highbeam Assist
    You can use this function to set the headlamps to change between low beam and high beam automatically. The system recognizes vehicles with their lights on, either approaching from the opposite ...

    How the occupant classification system works
    The Occupant Classification System (OCS) categorizes the occupant on the frontpassenger seat by means of a weight sensor. The front-passenger front air bag is deactivated automatically for certain ...

    Roadside Assistance button
    – Press and hold Roadside Assistance button 1 for more than two seconds. This initiates a call to the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center. The indicator lamp in Roadside Assistance but ...