Under the Hood

The CLS500 gets a 302-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 that works with a seven-speed-automatic transmission. The CLS55 AMG has a 469-hp, supercharged 5.5-liter V-8 that's connected to a five-speed-automatic transmission. Both transmissions have manual-shift provisions.

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    Safety
    The R-Class received a Good overall score — the highest rating possible — in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal-offset and side-impact crash tests. It hadn't yet undergone IIHS' ...

    Opening/closing automatically fromthe inside
    WARNING   Maintain sight of the area around the rear of the vehicle while operating the tailgate with the door-mounted remote tailgate switch. Monitor the opening procedure carefully to ...

    Speedometer with segments
    The segments in the speedometer indicate which speed range is available. DISTRONIC activated: One or two segments in the set speed range light up. DISTRONIC detects a vehicle in front: T ...