Review: 2009 Mercedes CLS 550

In the world of cars, “luxury” can be a tricky word. What seems luxurious to some may seem downright distasteful and tacky to others. Then there’s the mercurial issue of style, changing and developing in ways unfathomable to an orderly mind. Yet the business of building luxury cars is a big one, and Mercedes-Benz is one of the biggest players in that business.

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550C is a prime example of just how successful Mercedes has been, though as a car built on a foundation of compromise, there’s a lot more risk involved than first meets the eye.

Styling and Exterior
I should start off by saying I wasn’t a fan of the CLS’s style to begin with. Something about its proportions - so attractive to most - always put me in the mind of a sort of mechanized ant-eater. I’m still not convinced the rear taillight area isn’t a train-wreck of design, and the fender gap with the standard 18in wheels seems wide enough for stowaways, but I’ve come around to the overall package.

At any rate, it’s an eye-catching car, turning more heads than you might expect, even several years after its debut. Inside, it’s every bit as attractive, and a good deal less polarizing: it would be a hard thing to find fault with the cabin of the CLS.

Inside, materials are excellent, fit and finish is first-class and the styling, though perhaps a bit heavy-handed, fits very well with the car’s overall theme, and with the luxury segment in general. The quality of the wood is notable, looking less like a lacquered simulacrum and more like a polished bit of furniture.

The leather is soft and pliant, without the slickness encountered in cheaper-feeling leathers. Panels fit closely and securely, and all about the cabin are made to feel substantial and solid, even at the lower door panels and across the cabin ceiling. Aspiring rivals would do well to cover their bases as thoroughly.

Equipment and Features
The CLS 550 delivered to us for testing came with an Indium Grey paint job, Cashmere Beige interior and three options/equipment packages: the Parktronic system, the P01 Premium Package and the 318 Trim Package; which is a cryptic way of saying it had a built-in iPod/MP3 interface (note: NOT iPhone compatible), electronic trunk closer, active heated and cooled front seats, and a handful of other handy gadgets.

Parking is more difficult than it might seem, given that the car not only looks bigger than it is from the outside, but from the inside as well. After several trial runs and some assistance from the parking sensor, however, all of the eccentricities of the car’s dimensions can be sussed out, allowing dazzling displays of wheel placement without mounting or scraping a curb.

The navigation system, however, leaves quite a lot to be desired. Oh, it’s functional enough, and fully-featured; it’s just impossible to control effectively. Despite occupying about half a square foot of dashboard real-estate, the screen isn’t touch-sensitive, meaning you’re left fumbling about with an awkwardly-placed set of cursor keys on the far side of the unit.

Navigating menus, selecting single letters to spell out a destination, and toiling through endless lists of points-of-interest is made all the more painful and slow thanks to the interface. The voice command system works quite well, but is limited in its scope; eventually the navigation system fell into complete disuse and I used the screen solely for audio functions.

But beyond that black spot, there’s only one other (very minor) nit to pick with the interior features and layout, and that’s the wasting of an entire instrument panel gauge on an analog clock. Luxury cars are keen to adopt this particular vanity, and hardly a one can be found lacking, but the redundancy of the device is made all the more obvious by the ill-functioning COMAND system, where a digital display of the time is proudly displayed on most every screen.

On the Road
Enough of sitting in the car looking at every nook and cranny. Let’s fire this sucker up!

It thrums to life with a pleasing note, but presently settles into a quiet and dignified hum, barely audible and almost free of vibration. Notch it into gear and depress the throttle and something surprising happens - an almost American sensation pervades the car.

Floating down the road, the steering is loose, the ride is couch-like and the engine has a definite V8 burble at cruise. But this is with the computer set to comfort mode and the Airmatic semi-active suspension set to full soft. Kick the computer over into sport mode, and the engine comes to life.

Or at least the accelerator becomes a great deal more responsive, allowing the driver to access its 382hp potential. The prodigious torque (391lb-ft) is available across a broad band, from 2,800rpm to 4,800rpm, and comes in very useful - no matter the computer's setting - when passing on the highway.

Bump the suspension up to full stiff and leave the computer in sport mode, and the car’s character clearly changes - in my opinion, for the better. The ride is still plush, but body roll is minimized in fast corners and feels more stable under acceleration. This is where the car’s Autobahn genealogy shines through.

And oddly enough, that’s what makes this a terrific car for America: it eats pavement like a Steelers fan eats hot dogs. Commuting has largely become a routine of navigating vast stretches of asphalt and concrete, and this is a tool for that job par excellence. It conducts the occupants in style and comfort, with alacrity, exactly as it should.

Technical
We’re down to the nuts and bolts. Already many of the car’s core features - its powerful engine, full-featured yet impenetrable entertainment system, and well-appointed interior - have been addressed, so here I’ll treat of the car’s finer elements.

The seven-speed transmission, though manually shift-able, does not encourage such exertions. This is not a “driver’s car” in the sense that the Lexus IS-F is intended to be; rather it is a car for drivers. It shifts are slick and buttery smooth, rarely ill-timed and always ready to adjust to the driver’s will. Passing is easily accomplished and the jaunt from 60mph-80mph and back is accompanied only by a constant sensation of acceleration followed by smooth slowing.

Shifting gears, so to speak, to the car’s 18in alloy wheels, the appearance of the exterior is somewhat marred by the gap left between their edge and the fender well. Personally, I am no advocate of monstrous wheels - they increase stopping distances, slow acceleration, worsen handling and make for very expensive replacement tires - but in this case a set of 19in or even 20in wheels would serve well to meet the robust proportions of this car and give a more finished look.

Finally, the rear seats must be addressed, as leg room is an important technicality for anyone seriously considering a four-door coupe. The sloping rear roof section certainly compromises head room, though Mercedes does a valiant job of attempting to excavate space from the ceiling. The real penalty is paid in leg room. Just a few inches - not more than 4 - are available between the rear of the driver’s seat and the front of the rear passenger bench when adjusted for my 6ft 2in frame. That means seating full-sized, much less tallish, adults in the rear is effectively an impossibility should the same be seated up front. Still, it should prove adequate for children and younger teenagers.

Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a stylish, powerful and comfortable cruiser, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than the CLS 550. It’s not a sports sedan (or coupe) by any means, it’s more at home traveling in straight lines than curves and it’s a touch pricey at $77,135 as tested, but the overall package comes out a strong success.