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Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks test drives the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLS
Love it or loathe it, BMW has pushed boundaries in the luxury car segment. Audi has been speeding up the fast lane to catch up with what it views as its direct competitor, and now Mercedes-Benz seems to be following suit.

Exterior lines are crisp and sharp on the CLS, but the interior sticks to conventional interpretations of luxury

The new CLS looks the business. It has the 'wow' factor that Mercedes-Benz anticipates will attract a new, possibly younger and more daring customer to the brand -- maybe even steel a few from BMW. The car shares around 40 per cent of the current E-Class saloon, including the entire crash structure and most of the floorplan, but you wouldn't know to look at it.

Stylistically, much is new on the four-door coupé, including newly shaped headlights that make a serious statement on the road. Exterior lines are crisp and dynamic as well as working in harmony with the interior shape.

Inside, though modern in design, is loaded with conventional luxury icons -- leather, chrome, wood -- typical of Mercedes-Benz. Jürgen Braüchle, design head for passenger cars and leading the CLS project explains that the design team are always looking at new interpretations of luxury, experimenting with materials that are taken from other areas like sports cloths, but unfortunately Mercedes-Benz customers are not necessarily ready to accept such dramatic change. "They like wood and leather," he admits.

Seating is limited to four as the rear seats benefit from a wooden partition housing a small workstation. There is a distance of 829mm between the front and rear seats, together with the generous shoulder and elbow width this puts the coupé more in the saloon category. The CLS also offers a generous boot space of 505 litres.

There are two engines currently available on the CLS, with a 55 AMG expected in July 2005, adding more 'bling' to the brand. The 'less' powerful 350 comes equipped with a newly developed V6 engine with promised outputs of 272ps (200kW) and maximum torque of 350Nm (258lb ft) from a mere 2400rpm. It accelerates to 100km in just 7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 250km/h. The powerful 5 litre V8 CLS 500 has an output of 306ps (225kW) and an impressive 460Nm (339lb ft) of torque. This model accelerates to 100km in only 6.1 seconds. Fuel consumption is 10.1 litres/100km on the 350 and 11.3 litres/100km on the 500. Both variants come equipped as standard with the company's 7G-Tronic, a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The CLS concept was born in 2003 at the Frankfurt show. The carmaker needed to create a new segment to attract new buyers to the brand. This is a completely independent model and a separate model series in the Mercedes-Benz range. Braüchle says that the car has a unique production developed on the basis of familiar family characteristics.

As a brand, Mercedes-Benz is often cautious with design. Braüchle admits that the design can even be a little bit boring. The CLS, on the other hand, incorporates a younger and bolder design language. "With this project we had much more freedom concerning the design. We tried to find out what happens when you take a more emotional direction," says Braüchle. The buyer, he hopes, will not be a typical Mercedes-Benz buyer. "The new car is for those interested in design and arts. They may not be younger, but they will be younger in mind."

Research in Stuttgart suggests that at least 60 per cent of CLS buyers will be new to the marquee and that it will not steel attention away from the other models. BMW's 6 Series is an obvious benchmark, as is the Jaguar S Type and even the Audi A6.

Competition is harsh amongst luxury marquees. Mercedes-Benz has its niche, but in order to secure future market-share, it needs to not only hold onto loyal followers, but constantly attract new ones too. The CLS is not a major production car -- it's aiming at producing 5,000 units this year, increasing to 30,000 units in 2005 -- it is more of a statement. It says that this is a carmaker who can make emotionally-charged vehicles although you cannot help but wish that the interior would also reflect this newborn bravery.