The C219 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is the first generation of the CLS-Class range of four-door

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...

which features a

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut of ...

body style by

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

, and was produced between 2003 and 2010. The CLS-Class has only four seats and is marketed by Mercedes as a four-door coupé. It was the first model globally to introduce this four-door coupe style and VW followed with the

Volkswagen CC The Volkswagen CC, initially sold as the Volkswagen Passat CC, is a car built by German marque Volkswagen from 2008 to 2016. It is a variant of the Volkswagen Passat that trades headroom and cargo space for a coupé-like profile and sweeping roofl ...

model in 2008 and the

Porsche Panamera The Porsche Panamera is a Mid-size car, mid to full-sized luxury car (E-segment or F-segment for LWB in Europe) manufactured and marketed by Germany, German automobile manufacturer Porsche. It currently spans across three generations, using a Fr ...

and

Audi A7 The Audi A7 is an executive five-door liftback produced by Audi since 2010. The coupé variant of the Audi A6 saloon/estate, the Audi A7 features a sloping roofline with a steeply raked rear window and integrated boot lid (forming the Sportback ...

in 2009. The car is less practical than the W211 E-Class that it is based on, with less legroom, headroom, and boot space. The CLS-Class is priced above the E-Class, but below the S-Class in the Mercedes model range. The production of the C219 series totalled only 170,000 units globally throughout its six year production run. It was replaced by the

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (C218) The C218 Mercedes-Benz CLS is the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, Mercedes CLS-Class range of four-door sedan (car), coupé sedans. The model shares the chassis and most of the technology with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212), ...

in 2011.

Development and launch

The C219 CLS-Class is based on the Vision CLS concept that was unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The design combined the roof-line of a coupé onto the body of a four-door chassis leading to a fastback vehicle. It featured new technologies such as cornering lights, an electrohydraulic braking system (Sensotronic Brake Control), a seven-speed (7G-Tronic) automatic transmission, and a turbo-diesel engine rated at and . The production version of the C219 CLS-Class was based on the W211 E-Class platform, and shares major components including the engines, transmissions and an identical

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

of . The car is longer, wider, and lower in comparison, and features, according to Mercedes, a 30% stiffer suspension setup and faster steering. Design patents were filed on July 24, 2002. The production version CLS 500 debuted at the 2004 New York International Auto Show.

Equipment

Standard equipment includes heated automatically dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and an automatic climate control system. The CLS-Class comes with front and side

airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. ...

s, and a smart sensor system connected to the seatbelts and airbags that can detect and react to an accident. Available options include: self-cleaning bi-xenon HID headlamps, radar-guided

cruise control Cruise control (also known as speed control, cruise command, autocruise, or tempomat) is a system that automatically controls the speed of an automobile. The system is a servomechanism that takes over the car's throttle to maintain a steady sp ...

keyless go A smart key is a vehicular passive entry system developed by Siemens in 1995 and introduced by Mercedes-Benz under the name "Keyless-Go" in 1998 on the W220 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220), S-Class, after the design patent was filed by Daimler-Benz o ...

, GPS navigation,

Sensotronic Brake Control Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) is an electro-hydraulic brake system developed by Daimler and Bosch. In this system, the wheel brake cylinders of a vehicle are operated through a servomechanism, offering precise and responsive braking. The SBC ...

and AirMATIC

air suspension Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspensio ...

that can be controlled from the driver and can be raised or lowered by .

Models

Petrol engines

Diesel engines

Special models

CLS 55 AMG

The CLS 55 AMG is a high-performance variant of the CLS-Class featuring a 5.4-litre

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...

V8 producing and , and was unveiled at the

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show () is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de V ...

in 2004. Compared to the standard model, the CLS 55 AMG has larger 360 mm brake discs with eight-piston callipers from the SL55 AMG, wider 18-inch alloy wheels, revised stiffer AirMATIC air suspension with multiple driving modes, AMG bodywork, and a five-speed automatic transmission.

CLS 63 AMG

The CLS 63 AMG was introduced in 2006, as the successor to the CLS 55 AMG. The car is powered by the then new Mercedes M156 engine that produces and ; with less torque than before in order to accommodate the new AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic seven-speed transmission, instead of the previous five-speed automatic. The new transmission includes a comfort, sport, and manual mode that allows for the manual changing of gears. Sport mode have shift speeds that are almost 30% faster than comfort and 50% faster than manual. The car also features an updated instrument cluster and alloy-wheel design. The CLS 63 AMG had a V8

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends ...

, with and of

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

, and an electronically-limited top speed of . The CLS 63 AMG was able to reach in 4.5 seconds. Its

curb weight A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...

was .

CLS Grand Edition (2009)

The CLS Grand Edition was a special edition model of the CLS-Class, with only 560 units produced and sold in 2009. The CLS Grand Edition was available with all non-AMG models at the time, and the CLS 350 CDI model received performance improvements of and . Standard equipment included: bi-xenon headlights, titanium grey 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, laurel wood interior trim, and 'Grand Edition' insignia. Models were also offered with a choice of designo leather upholstery and four exclusive metallic exterior paint colours.

CLS 55 AMG IWC Edition

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG IWC Edition is a limited edition model of the CLS-Class produced in collaboration with the renowned Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. Launched in 2006, this exclusive model is based on the high-performance CLS 55 AMG, known for its powerful 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine producing 469 horsepower. The CLS 55 AMG IWC Edition stands out with unique design elements and luxury features, including bespoke IWC-inspired details, special badging, and an exclusive IWC Ingenieur watch. Only 55 units were produced, making it a rare and coveted collector's item. This collaboration highlights the fusion of automotive excellence and horological craftsmanship.

Model year changes

2006

* CLS 350 replaced by CLS 350 CGI * CLS 55 AMG replaced by CLS 63 AMG * CLS 500 upgraded to 5.5-litre engine and renamed as CLS 550 for US and Canada * SBC was discontinued.

2008 facelift

In 2008, a

facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () 'wrinkle', and () 'excision', the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure intended to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are ...

was introduced for the CLS-Class: * Exterior changes include: restyled bumpers and mirrors, LED taillights, redesigned grille now with two louvres, new alloy-wheel designs, squarer shaped tailpipes * Interior changes include: introduction of new COMAND APS NTG 2.5 system, non-COMAND systems now have 5.0-inch colour screen, new restyled three-spoke steering wheel * CLS63 AMG model now comes with: black grille, 19-inch alloy wheels, AMG sports exhaust system, and new AMG steering wheel * Introduction of CLS280 model Pre-facelift styling 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS 320 CDi Automatic 3.0 Front.jpg, Front 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS 320 CDi Automatic 3.0 Rear.jpg, Rear Post-facelift styling Mercedes CLS (C219) Facelift front 20100918.jpg, Front Mercedes CLS (C219) Facelift rear 20100918.jpg, Rear

2009

* Limited production Grand Edition models introduced.

Sales figures

The CLS-Class was produced in

Sindelfingen Sindelfingen ( Swabian: ''Sendlfenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg in south Germany. It lies near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe (a tributary of the river Würm), and is home to a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant. The current mayor ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The following are the sales figures in European markets and in the United States only:

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercedes-Benz Cls-Class CLS-Class Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Luxury vehicles 2010s cars Cars introduced in 2004 Sports sedans Coupés