2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class in Santa Monica

When it comes to shameless self-hype, car companies make Deion Sanders, Las Vegas, and Donald Trump look like paragons of understatement. Number one on the list of overused automotive hyperboles is the claim that Product X is truly something new, a revolution in Y that is bound to redefine category Z. Mercedes-Benz is no different, proclaiming the new CLS-class a "unique four-door coupe concept." Forgetting for a moment the Mazda RX-8, that's still a strange claim, because the CLS is a sedan. Take a look: four front-hinged doors, back seats, trunk. If that's a coupe, then Mercedes should open a real estate arm specializing in two-bedroom studio apartments. This coupe posturing is based on the CLS's four-passenger seating and its roofline, which plunges from the blacked-out B-pillar down to the forward edge of the deck lid, where it goes only slightly more horizontal on its way to the taillights (a look that can result in a strange, droopy butt, like the Infiniti J30's, but seems taut and purposeful here). The back seats are set low to clear the sloping roofline, but deeply scooped-out front seatbacks leave sufficient leg-room for six-footers, and rear passengers can set their own temperatures via the four-zone climate control. A wood-trimmed center console separates the seats and continues the theme set by the Paul Bunyan-sized slab of burled walnut that adorns the leather-upholstered dashboard. Unless you're chauffeuring the type of back-seat passengers who regularly ask fellow motorists for Grey Poupon, they should be pleased with their accommodations.... Read full article