Test drive Mercedes Benz CLS class C218 since 2010 sedan

Mercedes without a tie

The Germans proved that a prestigious car can be an excellent addition not only to a business suit, but also to elegant tuxedos.



 

But he is much more beautiful than in the photo! The unusual proportions of the body with narrow loopholes of window openings and massive doors, curved, as if elongated by some kind of aerodynamic force, after five seconds of communication, the tete-atte begin to seem quite harmonious. Peering into polished sides, I am unsuccessfully looking for similarity with other models of the company. In theory, CLS should resemble an E-class on the basis of which it is made. At least in something. But imagine without knowing, you can’t say.
 





Quiet! He lives here ... Poltergeist!
But inside the similarity of our handsome man with his brother is already obvious. With the only reservation that for comparison we take E-class only in expensive versions. Since even the basic CLS will meet you with a truly palace luxury: combined leather-tone upholstery, finishing the salon with natural polishing walnut and an abundance of servo, electro-, pneumatic, hydro-air, thermal and other miracles.
 

I sit behind the wheel, drive it, like a chair, under the harmonious squeak of electric traffic jams. Immediately I replace the installations in memory, now out of three buttons my first. By the way, the perforated seats are not a whim of a designer, but a pure functionality, through these small holes a built -in fan drives air so that a shirt does not stick to the back in the heat. The fact that the seats and the stove is also available, you can not mention, but the steering wheel with heating the attribute of the car of a truly prestigious brand, those that are simpler, will not put one even by order.

 
       
The burgundy metallic of the body and the skin of the cream brown in the cabin how we missed such warm tones and classic combinations!


Now on the gallery. So I thought in the opening of the back door I beat a low bow, this is the fee for the curtain falling to the stern the roof. There is no less comfort here than in front, and a heating chair, and a separate remote control of the climate control ... But the notorious corner of the roof closes the view to the left, and in order to admire the scenery outside the window, you need to lean forward. But from the street you can’t see who is going.
 

You can get out of here only through your door, since the separating the sofa of the box blocks the space of the legs. As for the room in the rear seats, there is one nuance here. Sitting behind itself (height 178 cm), I found that from the knees to the back of the front chair is as much as 15 cm, but there is almost no reserve above my head. This can hardly be considered a large drawback of a car replacing the compartment. After all, who can go here? Wife children. It will be comfortable there. Throw a couple of funny friends just right. The fact that the owner himself will ride behind cannot be a speech in CLS his place only at the wheel.

 
       
The rear sofa is cut in half with a drawer for small things in order to stop the very thought to put someone in the middle
There are several more departments for small things in the bowels of the folding rear armrest


And I am transferring forward again. Where from the abundance of what can be turned on, activated or configured, eyes run up. What is the command system a real personal computer, to which a thick instruction book is given. However, without spending a week on studying it, you will at the very least deal with the control of radio, TV, DVD, navigation system, four-zone climate and other toys. It is very exciting to program all this filling, but whether the solid owner of a Mercedes-Boin is a controversial question. However, the logic of German engineers is understandable why not to cram the hundred thousandth machine with electronics for the eyeballs, if in any case everything is paid for everything? Moreover, smart technique will remind of himself and the one who controls the CLS in the old fashioned way, as if it is simple as a wolf roller.

 
   
Dials on the dashboard of a truly Mercedes dash
   


It is worth starting the engine, and invisible electric gnomes come to life in the cabin like I don’t press anything superfluous, but here and here, there is a quiet buzzing, launching, slamming ... And if you do not score your head with knowledge of the air suspension of the Eirmatic, which lifts or lowers the body of the car in Depending on the speed and position of the ignition key, about the coordinated operation of the windows and door locks, independent of the engine and ventilation system and others autonomously from the driver of turning on and triggered devices, it seems that the machine makes all these sounds intentionally. Demonstratively. Like, do not forget, you are going in a car with a capital letter, in which the good brownie lives, he will take care so that you are comfortable and safe.
 



We are not going, but we float
Intra -sub -sulfate poltergeist is only a small part of the machine independent of the driver of life. On the move, it also shines with intelligence, but, as a rule, without external manifestations. A seven-speed automatic transmission is adjusted to the driving style: from sleepy-loving-economic to neurophasi-horn. But try to find it! After all, to feel that the motor does not switch and badly pulls because you just dozed at the wheel, it will not give you a solid power of 272 liters. With. 3.5 liters, and to understand that he howls at increased speeds after overtaking gas to the floor will not allow some supernatural sound insulation of this car. Which cannot be said especially.
 

As soon as you move out, you understand the difference between students and teachers. Yes, there are a business class car that delights silence in the cabin. It would seem that everything: the limit has been achieved, quieter is no longer possible. Where is it from an internal combustion engine? But ... I abruptly give it to gas, CLS drags adequately to its technical characteristics, but I hear only the creak of the skin of the seat into which it presses me when accelerated! The patch on the asphalt, on which the car shook significantly, further aggravated the mismatch of the senses. I saw my eyes, I felt the kick, the agde is slap tires and a rumble on the body? Nothing! Almost absolute silence is violated only by the rustling of the soles of the sneakers, I myself gave Mahu, without putting on such occasion shoes made of crocodile leather, under which, apparently, the Germans selected pedals ...
 

The suspension, of course, is harsh. E-class, and even more so the S-class on our potholes will be more compassionate. But this means only the need to slow down in front of the pits, which in Moscow are less and less. And ordinary irregularities, such as tram rails and cracks in the asphalt, the car does not notice. By the way, there is no special feeling that you are traveling on pneumatics, but the opportunity to manually regulate the road clearance here is very modest (up to 15 mm down from normal and up to 25 mm up) this is not an all-around you.
 

I wanted to repent on an excessively light steering wheel, it would be nice to be tunity when you lay a turn at a decent speed. But once again you repeat: calmly! This is not a compartment at all, but the stylization of advertising avenues to cunning. CLS is just a beautiful car, and large and heavy, do not ride it in a controlled skid. Technically, you can, in winter, it’s even interesting to get involved, turning off the ESP system with a button, but from the outside it will always look bad in a tone.
 



Whose will you be?
There is no doubt that CLS is not at all suitable as a representative car to invite a business partner to dive into a low doorway of the pseudo -KUP. This is a weekend machine, it personifies the holiday of life just on such appropriate to visit, restaurants, resorts and secular parties.

CLS is ideal for a carefree co -owner of a large company, not to earn our thoughts, but, on the contrary, spend it. Yes, in terms of size and number of doors, he justs an e-class on which he hitherto traveled, but decisively does not suit the image of the eyes of the eye. From this a mile away brings the owner’s everyday concerns about investments, futures, working assets, franchising and other boring things. Perhaps the only alternative to the Mercedes-Benz-SL, who had long occupied the niche of the car for especially wealthy playboys. But he is too sports on our roads with its meager road clearance and the corresponding suspension is simply inconvenient to ride. And in general, a purebred compartment does not go too much. Therefore, the new CLS has become truly a find in this narrow sector of the market.
 

As for competitors, then consider them simply not. After all, the cars of other brands (naturally, about prestigious and very prestigious) its buyers. Purely theoretically, you can contrast such a machine, say, BMW of the 6th series. But the real buyer will only throw his eyebrows in surprise and ask: what does BMW have to do with it if I go to Mercedes? This is the same as offering the collector of the painting of Claude Monet, the canvas of Eduard Manet. I understand that the names are similar, that the impressionist is also cool and expensive. But why should I? ..
 

And further. Keep in mind that the discrepancy between the appearance of the machine and the owner (and CLS looks even more expensive than it costs) cuts the eye. Therefore, so that in order not to inadvertently to be honored by the epithet, it is ridiculous, soberly evaluate your external data, you can just not be a four-door compartment from the Mercedes-Benz, but, say, Toyota-Kamri.

 
PER

The prestige of the brand, exquisite appearance, a fairly high price, an exhaustive list of attributes of comfort and luxury
AGAINST

The inconvenience of landing on the rear seats, limited visibility back
 
Mercedes-Benz CLS350

common data
 
Body (number of places/doors)
Sedan (4/4)
 
Equipped mass, kg
1660
 
Length x width x height, mm
4913x1851x1403
 
Base, mm
2854
 
Track, mm
1593/1603
 
Speed, km/h
250
 
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with
7
 
Fuel consumption, l/100 km highway/city
7.8/14.3
 

Engine
 
Location
The front is longing
 
Design
gasoline, V-shaped, 6-cylinder
 
Working volume, SMZ
3498
 
Power, L.S. at rpm
272/6000
 
Torque, kgsm at rpm
36/2400
 

Chassis
 
Drive unit
On the rear wheels
 
Transmission
Automatic 7-speed
 
Suspension
independent, spring, with stabilizers
 
Steering
rhealenic type with hydraulic power steering
 
Brakes
Disk ventilated
 
Tires
245/45 R17
 
 
Anton Utkin, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 

Source: Magazine buy a car [08/2005]