Third-generation Mercedes CLS returns to the venerable inline six

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What is it?  The third generation of the seminal coupe-styled sedan.

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Why does it matter?  Mercedes-Benz started this preoccupation with four-door sedans that look like two-door coupes way back in 2004 by chopping down the roof — in the most elegant way possible! — of the then au courant W211 E-Class. No longer an E-Class replicant, the CLS now leads Mercedes’ technology charge as this all-new model marks the return of Mercedes’ 3.0-litre inline six cylinder engine which Stuttgart had forsaken — but BMW retained — way back in 1998. In its “450” guise here in L.A., the turbocharged six is good for 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. But, since even the base CLS includes Mercedes’ EQ Boost 48-volt ‘mild’ hybridization, the combination is good for 367 hp and a whopping 553 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s good enough for a 4.8 second zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour acceleration time. One last goodie: there will be more variants of this new six, Mercedes indicating that even AMG variants will have the inline format, albeit, one assumes, with more turbo boost.

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Third-generation Mercedes CLS returns to the venerable inline six Back to video

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When will it arrive in Canada? The only information we have from Mercedes is that it will be available next summer.

Should you buy one?  That depends. Based on its specification and upgraded powertrain — the inline six promises to be much smoother than the V6 it replaces — the CLS 450 looks mighty attractive. And, of course, being a Mercedes-Benz it features all the requisite electronic safety nannies. The interior is a whole bunch of goodness as well, emulating the S-Class’s techiness with some unique, very stylish touches all its own. Roominess will also be improved despite the outward dimensions being roughly similar.

What might give you room for pause is that the exterior styling is noticeably chunkier than the original, the front end taller than the original (at least in part for greater pedestrian safety) and the rear roofline not nearly as sloping. Still attractive compared with its competition, the 2019 CLS suffers most when compared with the original, which, as time goes by without being improved, may prove to have been not only ground-breaking but also inimitable, even by Mercedes itself.

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