The next Mercedes Class to be put through its paces is none other than the CLS, with a total of four reviews dedicated to the model being published.  As I'm sure you're quickly growing accustomed to, you can find each article along with excerpts from each immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (via Channel 4)
Reviewer's rating: 

"Everyone wants it all nowadays. They want the best of both worlds, the happy medium and the cake you can have and eat...  The CLS is cake you can gorge on. It's a bit of everything: a bit of sportiness here, a bit of practicality there. Throw in a bit of style to go with the substance and you've got that pot at the end of the rainbow: four-door practicality with coupe-like looks.

Overall, the CLS delivers a good compromise between ride and handling: it's a fine meeting of engine, chassis and gearbox, emphasising the car's potential for tackling bends as well as motorways, but without losing much comfort or refinement."

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Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG (via Channel 4)
Reviewer's rating:

"The [CLS] AMG is obscene in terms of outright velocity. Plant your boot on the loud pedal and you'll feel like the car is driving you rather than you driving it. It's not that it's out-of-control fast - it's entirely manageable - but you find that it's goading you just so that it can show off all its capabilities. It's like a decathlete - more than just a fast runner - it can throw stuff and jump over things too.

The thing goes like a bullet, handles beautifully and what's more, when you start over-hooning around corners all the technical gizmos start working to make up for any lack of talent you may or may not have. When you corner with gusto the seat side supports firm up to combat the centrifugal forces that will push you outwards. It's this rather strange feeling that tells you that this car is the boss - you are merely a human."

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Mercedes-Benz CLS350 CGI (via Autocar.co.uk)
Reviewer's rating: Unspecified

"It’s very, very similar to the current model. The visual tweaks do help lift the design, not so much at the front, which remains the CLS’ least successful angle, but at the back, the deep bumper and more prominent horizontal styling line giving a broader stance. It is in profile, though, where there have been no changes except that 18” alloys are now standard, that the CLS appears most distinctive.

To drive the CLS is exactly as it ever was. Competent, in the sense it goes where you point it, and will corner at quite some lick, but shows very little enthusiasm in doing so. Next to the dynamism displayed by the new C-Class, and even the recently perked up SLK, the CLS feels slightly wooden. That won’t matter to some buyers, but that the CLS doesn’t ride with quite the same sophistication as the C-Class, should."

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Mercedes-Benz CLS350 CGI (via evo)
Reviewer's rating: Unspecified

[Preface:  conclusion to evo's long-term CLS350 CGI test]
" After a year and 14,000 miles, though, I think the 500 would have been a better bet – indeed, the optimum CLS. For all its undoubted efficiency, and a pleasing full-throttle growl, the 292bhp 3.5-litre V6 never really propelled the CLS with sufficient force to thrill or, come to that, fully exploit the potential of an excellent chassis, the damping performance of which was a highlight and comfortably trounced that of a new C320 CDI I recently had in for test.

The door ‘tizz’ never did fully disappear and the nearside door mirror still pointed skywards to ‘aid’ reversing, but too few Mercs have a quirky sense of humour. This one has been a delight to live with for the past year: swift, quiet, dynamically gifted, materially durable, a fabulous thing in which to take on a long trip, and an even better thing in which to arrive. I’ve loved every second of it. All it lacked was excitement."

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To Shiv:  again, a huge thanks for sending us the aforementioined reviews.  As always, we're humbly in your gratitude.