Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 Review

Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been the most successful model series in its stable. And now, in its fifth year of production, the new generation of four-cylinder turbocharged engine, the CLS 350 or in its technical name the C257 is powered by a 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder petrol engine producing 299 hp and 400 Nm of torque. Its sleek design maintains a big part of the previous generation C-Class.

The CLS 350 is available in both CKD (locally produced model in Malaysia) and CBU (imported from Germany). This model is a mild hybrid consisting of an Integrated Starter Generator (EQ Boost) which boosts power by 10 hp bridging the brief moment until the turbocharger builds up its full charge pressure. This boosting is also used to reach the engine’s ideal rpm as quickly as possible during gearshifts. The shift time of the automatic transmission is shortened as a result. The transmission is a 9G-TRONIC that keeps the turbo engine power on point. Shifting up in both auto and paddle shift mode is smooth and seamless. However when I shifted the gears down to slow down, there is a heavy engine braking feel which is not as smooth as one would expect from a luxury sedan.

The throttle pedal is tight, heavy and not sensitive. There is a lag when I floor the pedal to the metal for a sprint.

Braking is progressive but excellent in stopping this CLS-350.

Steering is responsive and it has a small turning circle. The sport design, multi-function, Nappa leather wrapped steering wheel has a nice, luxurious feel and grip. The Steering adjustment lever is located at the bottom of left-hand signal lever. Driver is able to adjust the steering upwards, downwards, forward and backward.

Some of the many safety features in the CLS 350 are lane tracking, park assist, brake assist, surround view camera, blind spot assist, tire pressure monitoring, adaptive brake lights and cruise control with SPEEDTRONIC speed limiter,

The comfort features in this CLS 350 are: Multiple seat adjustments for individual driver and passenger comfort, including a 2-part back lumbar support. Lumbar support button is at the side of the seat. Multiple information in the instrument panel. Controllable Ambience light with multiple colors to select from and NFC connection for Android phone which support IOS as well. The touch screen or pad control instrument panel comes with a wide range of settings and information and it is good to go through the manual or tutorial to fully understand and utilize those amazing features. For those IT challenged owners, perhaps you need to get a Mercedes-Benz technical person to help you go through them.

The CLS 350 comes with a 19-inch, AMG 5-twin-spoke light alloy rims but it needs an absolutely good sets of tires to let this powerful sedan, which claimed to do a century sprint in 6-seconds stick to the road. The standard tires that was fitted to this test model was not grippy in high speed corners.

On night test, the head lights – daylight-like light colour is easy on the eyes and illuminate the road ahead precisely and brightly. The inside ambience with the selected ambience light on is really cool and comfortable to both the eyes and body.

Some of the things that are below expectation are:

1. The car rolls quite a bit while taking fast corners.

2. Window space is tight when you put head out of window as the arch slopes downwards towards the front. I had a challenging time when trying to pull a parking ticket out from the machine.

3. Keyless entry is good for only unlocking the doors but not locking it nor does it fold the side mirrors after you have parked and locked the doors.

4. The Voice command losses out to the A-class which has MBUX that supports numerous infotainment functions such as destination input, phone call, music selection, as well as climate control and lighting

This youthful, sporty and luxurious designed Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 comes with a price tag of RM570,880 without insurance for private registration and RM571,463.50 for company registration without insurance. So, don’t wait. GO test drive one now at your dearest dealer. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia provides financing as well.

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Justin Hong