mbwestminster

These were taken yesterday at the Detroit Auto Show, no firm release date or pricing yet.

Stiggs

Front is awesome.....back is not-awesome!

CY

I wonder what it would look like in black with smoked lights...better or even worse?

sprins

Time to order that lowering module!

Here it is in black.

Jaki

Agreed! I like the front, but the back looks just too wimpsy. The back reminds me of a Corolla or a Hyundai Sonata.

Stiggs

So lets start speculating......do you think the new CLK body style will be more like this car????

amgme

+1. i don't think i'll ever like it's ugly rear.

EUROTEK//AMG

looks good in blk!!!! any pics of the 07/08 G55 AMG (500hp) ?

MercedesFTW

The wheels on the Black one are hottt.

cfsafs

Nice car. I think the rear end is growing on me. I wonder what the wheels cost on the black one.

Speed Thrills

What an absolute failure in the new CL. It's like you have to force youre self to find something to like in it. Even with the AMG extras this car looks like a toyota avalon with a sport kit.

Vadim @ FD

Sorry, my friend, but I disagree.

In person CL looks fantastic.

Take a look at your local dealer.

Speed Thrills

I waited until I saw it at the dealer to make a proper assessment. I was with my girlfriend and didnt say a word other than "what do you think of the CL?" She thought it looked like a acura and didnt like it. This has been the general response from most I have talked to. Of course there will be some people who like and some who dont. From all the car people I know I have not found one person that likes it. I will say the interior is very nice and has a good roomy feel when in the driver seat. But that is not even half the battle as we like to have the exterior nice as well. And with a 100k+ car we should get a lot more than just nice and I dont think the CL even makes the "nice" mark. It's the kind of car that would pass you and you wouldn't even look twice. Not my idea of an upgrade from the CLS or the 06 CL for that matter which I like.

Jaki

^ Agreed. I checked it out in person, and wasn't the least impressed.

awiner

Unfortunately I am in the same boat. I was so looking forward to the W216 Now I am looking at Porsche's and Audi's for a change of pace.

Vadim @ FD

Speed Thrills:

Hmmm, what can I say.

We all have our tastes.

Personally I find a new CL is a great luxury coupe. I have driven a number of them and the comfort and luxury is beyong reproach.

Have you driven one?

E500C70

The previous CL was pure class. Nothing could compare. The new one, thought it is a hot car, and the front is sexy, just lacks that which the previous model had. It looks like a nicer, bigger CLK.

eddietr

To be quite honest, I haven't been following Mercedes much the last few years. So I wasn't expecting to see the new CL at the dealership when I was shopping for my 221.

And I ended up just walking right by it. Then later when I was walking back out from across the dealership I saw the rear of the CL and I swear I was thinking "Why did they park that Acura in the showroom?" I was too far away to really judge how big it was, and I could only really see the rear.

And I was walking towards it, staring at it, the salesperson said "Beauty, isn't it? That's our first one. We're the only dealership in the area with one. [BS, by the way]" And it was only then that I saw the badge and realized what it was.

Since then I've warmed up to it. And I do love the interior. And I'm sure it's a wonderful car. But, I personally wouldn't buy one until they do a facelift with new lights. They really should have considered the uncanny resemblance to the Acura coupe when they approved the design.

Again, having said that, I'm sure it's an awesome car. And I may well end up owning one some day, but I have to be honest as an "outsider" (non Mercedes fan), that was my first impression.

On the other hand, I've always admired previous CLs when I see them.

awiner

When I first saw the W216 CL550 in the show room it was parked next to a W221 S550. The S550 was pure class whereas the CL550 looked like a Japanese knock off. A shark with downs syndrome if you will

Later that week I was at another dealer and they had the W216 CL550 parked next to a W215 CL500 on the lot. CynCarvn32 was with me and we both looked at each other and said they better move that W215 because with it parked next to the W216 they are going to have a hard time selling the W216.

I will admit that the CL63 kit does help with the front, however the rear is hideous.

The Sport Kit doesn't even look that good. The AMG Sport Kit however that comes on the CL63 does have a much nicer front fascia and the dark headlight lenses on the CL63 do help the front end as well.

The W216 is a "love it" or "leave it" design. Not everyone will like it and that is ok.

As mentioned, the interior is nothing short of outstanding. I just wish the exterior held that same sentiment for me. My W215 is 4 years old now and I am looking for a replacement in the very near future. The W216 AMG may have been a serious contender if the exterior thrilled me.

vixapphire

yes, but would you buy one?

ItalianStallion

+1...I also saw the same exact thing, a CL550 parked next to an S550. The S550 was beautiful and the fender bulges, the front and rear headlights, everything just made sense. The CL550 just looked like a failed version of the S550. I really tried to love the CL550, I really did but I just couldn't force myself to like it. The rear is identical to an acura. The front is...yeah, a shark with down syndrome. Its rather sad that the car with the most class has evolved into a design disaster. Its even sadder that the interior is so soft and beautiful and if it drives as good as the S550 then it really is a shame that MB ruined the CL class by giving it an ugly exterior.

The CL63 does look much nicer than the CL550 (especially the AMG front); however, its not enough to save the car. I'd take a w209 CLK63 or CLS63 (and possibly even the 550 models) ANY DAY over the CL63. And even though I'm not a big fan of the M6, I think it blows this CL63 away in every aspect except the luxurious S-class interior.

Vadim @ FD

No, I would not buy one....

I would definitely lease it

mclarenm8d

The whole difference between the new S-class and the new CL-class taillights is what baffles me. What, exactly, were they thinking about when they created that goofy abnormal white triangle falling off the side of the car as a continuation of the body crease line thingy of a reverse light?

Why couldn't they just stick with the horizontal bars theme that is on the S-class taillights? I could get used to everything else.

Although in hindsight (no pun intended), they should have just put the whole back-end of the new S-class on it. That approach worked well for my 215.

Speed Thrills

Again I'm not saying it's not luxurious or doubting it being a great drive. It's just amazing to me that at one time there was a room full of benz execs and designers that could have done anything they wanted, and they all looked at the current model design and said... "lets go with that one".

Vadim @ FD

We all have our own tastes. What you do not like, someone else does.

In the end market makes the ultimate decision. If the car does not sell, than it will be restyled sooner.