2015 Mercedes-Benz CLS Packs Peekaboo LED Lights
Four-door coupe, swoopy sedan, or slightly melted E-Class: whatever you want to call Mercedes-Benz's CLS, the company has refreshed it for 2015 complete with meaty CLS 64 AMG versions. Both the Coupe and the Shooting Brake body-styles have been given face-lifts, with tweaked designs and new Multibeam LED headlamps as an option, using cameras to monitor the road ahead as well as other traffic and adjusting the play of light accordingly.
Each headlamp has 24 LEDs, which can be individually controlled at up to 100 times per second. There's also a swiveling section which can turn the beams around corners: however, since it's directed by the camera system rather than linked to the wheel, it doesn't wait until cornering actually begins.
Meanwhile, the new CLS even knows about road features it hasn't even got near. The navigation can feed the lighting system with details of upcoming roundabouts, triggering the cornering lights ahead of time for better visibility.
Lest you think it's all about lighting (though actually the CLS will also switch its lights to a "friendly" blue to guide you from driveway to front door), the 2015 cars also get AMG Line Plus options, as well as a range of five engines. New is the CLS 220 BlueTEC, a four-cylinder diesel with twin-stage turbos and 170HP, and there are CLS 250 BlueTEC and CLS 350 BlueTEC models with 204HP and 258HP as well.
New in gasoline engines are the CLS 400, with its 333HP 3.5-liter biturbo and 354 lb-ft of torque. A CLS 500 gets 400HP and 442 lb-ft. Four of the engines will get 4MATIC all-wheel-drive.
Most interesting, though, is the new AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo, good for up to 585 HP and a whopping 590 lb-ft of torque in S-Model spec. Select models get 9G-TRONIC nine speed auto transmissions.
Inside, there's a new 8-inch free-standing display, lashings of leather, optional COMAND Online infotainment with full internet access (when stationary), Bluetooth, voice control, an optional TV tuner, 3D mapping, and more. In addition there's HD Voice support for calls on compatible networks.
Mercedes-Benz is yet to confirm pricing for either the CLS Coupe or the CLS Shooting Brake, nor indeed which models will be headed to the US market. That will be revealed later in the year.
