Tuesday 9th September 2003

Mercedes Vision CLS

Mercedes unveil their vision for future saloons

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[detomaso]

I don't know what anybody else' views are and having not seen it in the flesh, but from the pictures I think it looks like a cross between a Citroen C5 from the front and a Jagaur S-Type from the side with that curving crease.
Not the most elegant of shapes, it looks like the back was stuck in a vacuum cleaner as the front tried desperately to break free adding a stretched, shrinking effect to the cars proportions as you look from front to back. It's nothing special, more evolution than revolution, a shame as I quite like Mercedes concept cars as they seemed to push away from the current models image.

[anonymous-user]

Shame they had to rummage through BMW's parts bin to steal a few M3 wheels.

[andy_b]

cant see the point in this when it overlaps on the CLK, E class and S class. Wont it just be robbing sales from other similar Mercs, or have I missed the point?

[swilly]

Is it just me or does this look like a great big hump-back whale.

[RobDickinson]

Hmm, so Mercs 'Vision of the furute' is a big desil barge - so rather like now then eh?

[PetrolTed]

I think it's big, elegant and classy. It should have real presence.

Better than the slab sided nonsense of late.

[Don]

I think with all the big Mercs - the car majors on being so easy to drive that its a relaxing way of travelling. That's quite a list of driver aids...

I don't think its not meant to be fun - just easy to do. The last two big Mercs I drove were like that. An E-class of some sort and an S-class.

And if this car lives up to those I mentioned I'd have one. Not for fun driving. But for all those horrid miles you have to do in queues in the GATSO infested South.

[Dodge]

"Soft stop" - I have a brake pedal to do that.

Seems like we're on our way to removing driver responsibility onto an autopilot, but without any sign of the actual autopilot replacement.

[danmangt40]

looks just like the spy photos and computer-generated images suggested. It's a little bulbous, I would've gone with more of a notchback, but I suppose that this styling feature visually separates it from being merely a warmed over E-class. You just know all the turbov12s and blown V8's are gonna be available in this thing eventually, and since it's smaller than an E (I hope it'll be smaller than an E, at least outwardly and in weight), it'll probably be the hottest ride per dollar.

[FourWheelDrift]

Seems a natural progression of design with current generation Mercedes, with a hint of Maybach about it.

I'd rather drive something that stands out than a bland Euro/Jap box.