Mercedes CLS facelift (2014) first official pics

By Damion Smy

First Official Pictures

18 June 2014 12:30

The Mercedes CLS range has been given a facelift as the four-door coupe and ‘shooting brake’ estate are given the goodies fitted to the E-class they’re based on after it was facelifted late last year.

The 2014 Mercedes CLS is not a ‘new generation’ as Mercedes may have you believe, but more a nip and tuck. That means the outside has been tweaked with new LED headlamps as standard equipment across the range, as well as a new ‘diamond’ front grille, slightly chunkier front bumper with gaping air intakes, and tail lamps that have been given a darker, smoked look.

The CLS now comes with the nine-speed automatic transmission, following in the footsteps of Range Rover’s nine-speed Evoque, and for the Mercedes it’s a true torque convertor automatic, not to be mistaken for a dual-clutch unit.

It replaces the seven-speed G-Tronic transmission on the C350 diesel, the extra two gears bringing fuel economy down, but Mercedes won’t yet say by how much.

There are also two new models: the entry-level CLS 220, and a V6-powered CLS 400. The 220 uses the 2.1-litre twin-turbo diesel with 174bhp, while the new CLS 400 is powered by the potent 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 that CAR sampled in the E400 coupe earlier this month. For the CLS, it makes 328bhp, but misses out on the new nine-speed 'box and is only offered in the coupe, not the CLS Shooting Brake.

As well as the minor visual changes, the AMG CLS models kick on with the 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8, now making 577bhp, up from 550bhp.

Inside, a suite of new colours is available, and while the infotainment system includes a new freestanding 8in display, sadly the CLS doesn’t yet come with the beautifully sculpted touchpad that’s found in the new C- and S-class. It relies on the old rotary dial alone, but now comes with an iPhone interface as standard.

New safety gear includes Collision Prevention Assist Plus as standard, which brakes the CLS automatically to prevent a rear-end accident, while the LED headlamps can be optioned with a new ‘Multibeam’ feature that dips the high beam automatically but also provides additional light on the road sides for better visibility.

As well as this, any safety system offered in the S-class is available as an option to CLS buyers.

The starting point for the CLS at the moment is the £47,610 CLS 250, so the arrival of the new CLS 220 in its place may see pricing drop go less than £47,00 when it arrives in September 2014. The CLS 400 is expected to cost around £55k, with the CLS 63 AMG headline act priced from an estimated £86k.

By Damion Smy