More Mercedes CLS Grand Edition Details and Eye Candy Released

It was meant for people able to make a distinction between a functional discreet family car and a striking sleek elegant 4-door coupé. And same goes for this particular limited series: designo ultra fine leather, precious wood and exotic paintjob, real alcantara rooflining, top of the range nav system and so on. As long as there will be discerning men, these cars will make sense.

I just puked a bit, i can't believe you mentioned a caddy in a CLS post. Joe this car is leaps and bounds over any caddy, any lexus, and way above the Audi A6. It is completely covered in the finest italian leather on the inside, the wood trim is amazing. The purpose of the CLS is not to just carry you, its a fashion statement, perhaps the first car mercedes has built in a few years that appeals to a younger crowd. It may not make sense to you by looking at a photo or seeing this car drive by on the street, but sit in it and it will all make sense, the interior is epic, everything is in the right spot, finest materials, soft leathers. It's the kind of car that is not at home on the race track, it's home is parked in front of a 5 star hotel and the opera/ballet. The best photos of this car were when it first came out, it was in the burgundy colour with a cream interior and there was a gorgeous woman in a fancy long dress that was the same colour blowing in the wind, the lines in the dress formed by the fluttering made out the same lines as the car's. Epic photo and thats exactly what this car represents, imo there is no other car that has that effect.

"its a fashion statement" and "It may not make sense to you by looking at a photo or seeing this car drive by on the street" your right, it does make a fashion statement. The statement seems to approximate paying top price for something that has as much visual stimulation as a jetta, and you just admitted it. If you gold plate a pos at the end of the day it's still a pos. And your just upset because caddy offers a much better car for the price. Be it measured in any sense.

also, commenting on luxury leathers is like saying expensive hand bags are better since they use the same leather. It changes nothing about the design of the handbag or it's overall usefulness or even it's visual appeal. Its expensive for the sake of being expensive.

I don't understand how any Cadillac offers a better car for the price than the CLS. In terms of design, Cadillac's angular and awkwards shapes don't compare to the curvature of the CLS, or any other Mercedes. And Cadillacs' interiors..are just void of style whatsoever; just a chunk of wood here, a slab of chrome there..And Cadillac advertises how they use the same interior materials supplier as Mercedes, which is just an acknowledgement that Mercedes is superior. I mean, you don't see Mercedes bragging about how they use the same materials as Cadillac. Then you have the engines. American manufacturers still don't know how to fine-tune small engines which is why in the DTS you have a gas-guzzling 4.6L V8 that produces 275 horsepower, while in the CLS, a V6 produces the equivalent amount, while a V8 can produce 382 horsepower. Oh, not to mention the DTS, starting at the low price of 47,000 USD comes only with superb front-wheel-drive performance paired to a state-of-the-art 4-speed transmission. On the other hand, I acknowledge that the CTS is a whole different story. Yes it's a good car, a good rival to the C class, but it hasn't quite yet reached the level of refinement in a Mercedes, or any other German car for that matter.

I'm sorry, but the problem you see... is that usually the higher the hp/liter ratio, the worse the fuel consumption. Can you tell me why if American cars are "poorly tuned" they still get better mileage then german "well tuned" cars? I'll bring up the 3.1L A4 quattro, you know what it's fuel economy numbers compare to? A 6.2L corvette! Your logic doesn't seem to hold up. Why you might ask? Simple, German cars are tuned for performance and make up for poor fuel economy by making smaller engines. American cars however are tuned for fuel economy, and make up for low performance numbers by using bigger engines. It isn't that Germans are superior or that Americans are inferior. And if you ask me, I would rather get a fuel economy tuned vehicle because they simply last longer.

If you want to get into gas mileages, here are the figures for the two cars I was mentioning above: 2009 Cadillac DTS(300HP 4.6L V8) 15/22MPG 2009 Mercedes CLS 550 (382HP 5.5L V8) 14/21MPG Considering the significant size and output of the Mercedes engine, that's not much of a difference.

ok, those numbers go along with what I was saying. Look at the merc numbers that is a horrible hp/liter ratio, when you take into account the size power and displacement of the two vehicles those numbers seem awefully similar lol.

Horrible HP/liter ratio? Do the calculations. The Mercedes actually has more horsepower per liter than the DTS. 382hp/5.5L=69.69hp/liter. 300hp/4.6L=65.20hp/liter. And that's the DTS with 300hp, not the one with 275hp with the same 4.6L engine. What are you talking about?

He did not even take the time to read the short description, simply compare the new direct injection 3.5 V6 with over 300 *real*hp with that rather crappy V8. The simple fact of comparing the fuel efficiency achieved by recent german engines with current gen Northstars and the like seems absurd to me.

A few things, for the price, the CLS550 doesn't compete with the DTS, it competes with the STS, which gets 320hp out of a 4.6L which is 69.6hp/L which is almost identical to the Benz this comparison is way better since both cars are in the same price range and can spend the same amount on their engines... as to fuel economy, the sts gets 15/24 while the merc only 14/21. The numbers add up pretty nicely, and seems to be a even draw. Also, the engine in that merc is still no where near 1hp/liter which by your standards is "poorly tuned". Besides, you seem to forget the fact that only one of the Mercedes bluetech diesels can score over 20mpg in the city. Oh snap and burn, yes that means a barbaric hybrid Escalade gets better then all but one of the cars in Mercs line up in terms of city fuel economy.

I was just refuting your factually flawed argument ('ok, those numbers go along with what I was saying. Look at the merc numbers that is a horrible hp/liter ratio') when in reality the Mercedes had a much better horsepower/liter ratio. Also, you mention city fuel economy in your argument, but reality is that cities aren't the only place where driving occurs. EPA estimates are based on 45% highway and 55% city driving, not such a huge difference. All of Mercedes' Bluetec diesels get significantly better highway estimates than the Escalade Hybrid. The Escalade gets 20/21 MPG. The GL 320 Bluetec gets 17/23. The ML 320 Bluetec gets 18/24. The E 320 Bluetec gets 23/32.

You still don't get it, the Escalade is a full sized luxury SUV. And here it is getting comparable numbers to the Mercedes "super efficient" blue tec models. And I don't get what your argument is anymore. "when in reality the Mercedes had a much better horsepower/liter ratio" nooo my comparison was more accurate, the CLS550 isn't borrowing it's engine from a better model, therefore it doesn't have to step it's power down, the DTS is a step under the STS and so it doesn't interfere with STS sales, the DTS will never be at it's peak unless it gets its own motor, which simply isn't that feasible.

When I said 'tuned' I meant performanc-wise, not economy-wise. Engine's aren't made for the sole purpose of being efficient. They're made to provide power to move cars and I would assume a better hp/liter ratio is better. Efficiency is of secondary importance and when you're looking at higher end cars, pose much less of an issue. And it's not even like Mercedes vehicles have terrible fuel economies. You say "Escalade is a full sized luxury SUV. And here it is getting comparable numbers to the Mercedes "super efficient" blue tec models." Is the GL not a full-size luxury SUV like the Escalade? Another thing, the E 320 Bluetec has much better mileage than the Escalade, no comparison there. And the ML gets better highway mileage too. I don't know what you're trying to argue here with the Escalade hybrid. I honestly think that for a car labeled 'hybrid' 21/22 is pretty crappy.

Anyway, the original argument was about the appeal of the CLS in comparison to that of Cadillacs. When you're in that price range, I think it's much more about power and performance than fuel economy, as most people who buy cars in this price range probably couldn't care less about MPG ratings. I think overall in style, performance, power etc.etc. the CLS would just overshadow any equally priced Cadillac.

When you are an automotive manufacturer tuning is a game of compromise. Mercedes could have tuned purely for performance, what would have come out is a Ferrari style engine. That doesn't mean it would be the worlds best engine, just a compromise of different needs. Your opinion of what is good and bad tuning is useless, by holding performance so high, you would sacrifice engine life, fuel economy and price. That is honestly one of the most ignorant views you can hold towards "production cars". Do you know any other 5600lb hybrid vehicles? The GL gets its economy because it uses a 3L diesel and weighs 300lbs less, not a 6L gas engine, that isn't amazing, its simply common sense that it would get those numbers. Ok, now back to the original argument, I say nay it isn't just about how many hp/liter you can get while hauling your family around. It's about Safety, Comfort, Visual Appeal, Performance, Cost of running (both maintenance and cost of fuel), and price. Now I see Merc's as lacking so heavily in the Visual appeal that any performance advantage over it's competitors is negated. Whats left is an expensive vehicle that hasn't been tuned for efficiency as you say, and is sold purely because they use the same leather found in outrageously priced handbags. Take what you will from it, Merc's still don't make sense to me.

They are 18s, looked like 19s to me too so i raised the brightness on the photo of the wheel and you can see on the tire it says 245/40 R18 in the front. May just look like that, maybe it has a sports suspension pkg and is lower than the stock one and thats what gives that impression they are 19s.

why is it a shame? the cls has been around for years and its only natural they have a special edition towards the end of its lifeline. gorgeous car i must say. the face is startin to look dated but the rest of the bod still has it. after all the first 4dr coupe trendsetter. good job merc

Mercedes has offered other "Grand Editions". My fav, the 1999 W140 Grand Edition. I hope they continue. This one makes me wanna smog a CLS350 CGI GE over to the states... hehehe

Radmeister, no I am not a GM fan, I am a car fan, I like most brands and have say that regularly. How can you say blue tec is reliable? the first blue tec vehicles were released in 2007... and no, the numbers for comparing both the a4 quattro and vette were combined city and highway... not just holding at 90km/h I thought you would be smart enough to realize this. The only reason why I have been provoked is because I included Caddy in my BMW, Lexus, Audi list. If you ask me, most of the comments on this page are blind fanaticism and should be banned.

The Blue-tec is a CDI with an exhaust modification/add-on, not much is actually different on the engine. The audi 3.2 gets 19.4mpg City vs. 16mpg for the vette. And 30.5mpg on the hwy vs 26mpg for the vette. Combined it would be 25mpg vs. 21mpg. If you want to compare you'd have to look at lets say the S6 with the 5.2 V10, it gets 19mpg so a 2mpg difference between it and the vette which is much lighter and has a lower COD. We will have to wait for that engine to be put into the R8 but i predict it will get better than 21mpg. Realistically lets be serious, the downfall of American cars isn't their fuel consumption because they have relatively the same Displacement/hp/fuel ratios as european cars. The problem is everything else, don't get me wrong the CTS is a nice car, but it cannot touch the CLS on interior and build quality. Very rarely will your engine explode, sensors and electronics are what fail and cause you most of the problems, mechanically all cars are pretty good these days.

Wow, I'm an avid Mercedes enthusiast, but, their Bluetec range is brand-new. Like you stated, there aren't many mechanical changes to the engine, most are in software. However, the car as a whole is considerably more complex, with more components to EVERY system and sub-system. This inevitably makes the car "less reliable". Even with Audi's 3.2 you're comparing an almost brand-new design to a "tried and true" 50-year-old GM smallblock. I wonder who the winner will be...

The audi V6 has been around a while it's the VR6 motor with different heads. If you want to talk about heritage, the mercedes CDI has been around almost 100 years, because that engine is just as similar to the Blue-tec today as the 1950s smallblock is to the Lx line. Joe i trust the manufacturer's site more than that site, it doesn't even have photos for all the cars, and it says the audi is a 3.1L? Either way you put the 3.2 Auto vs 6.2 Auto and u get 20mpg v 18 so still a 2mpg spread.

The VR6 was changed substantially with the introduction of direct-injection. The CDI came around in the 90s. I believe 1997 in the US, don't quote me on that one. However, the small-block has been around (with constant updates) for 50+ years.