Well, as requested by nstanford99, I have posted pics of my new baby.

I am absolutely in love with this car. The decision on whether to get the CLS550, the 550i x-drive, or the A7/S7 was killing me for several months, and I think I've read every review, video, and post that's out there. In the end, the CLS seemed to be the best combination of luxury, power, and looks.

Of course, no car is perfect, and there are a few things I dislike about the car:

1. The climate controls - I don't think they are cheap looking as many others do, but the function is limited. There are no separate mode controls for the driver and passenger, so if the driver wants air in the footwell and the passenger wants it in his/her face, you're out of luck in the CLS. The A7 and 550i have quad zone options and even have options for separate mode and fan speed control for the front zones. My old 2004 TL's climate controls were more advanced. Also, no residual heat/circulation function.

2. Technology is not very current. Normally, I don't care about this aspect much, as technology becomes obsolete on cars so quickly, but the 10-inch display and color HUD on the 5 series are magnificent. I found both to be highly useful, and I wish the CLS had a bigger screen and HUD. Also, the navigation system is awful, and having access to Google's POI database (as on the A7) would have been a welcome addition. I hear mBrace2 is getting this next year (crap! lol).

These were my two biggest gripes, and I think they are pretty minor.

Here is why I didn't go with the other two:

1. A7: Love the car -- I still visit the A7 forum at AudiWorld regularly, and I am still excited to see what the S7 has in store when it is released later this year. I thought the A7 had a bit less power than what I was looking for, and the interior wasn't what I thought it would be. There were a lot of plastics and very few adjustments for the seats (and the side bolstering was terrible). I was worried about ride quality from the articles I read, but I found it to be pretty quiet and comfortable during my brief test drive. I could see my next car being Generation 2 of the S7, and I hope Audi chooses to put some more comfortable seats in the Gen 1 S7!

2. 550i x-drive: I really liked this car. I thought the interior was beautiful with the ceramic controls and two-tone oyster/black or cinnamon/black. The car is surprisingly quiet and the transmission is smooth. It didn't feel as powerful as the CLS even though a recent test measured a 0-60 of 4.5s and a 1/4 mile of 12.7s (almost identical to the CLS). I really like the looks, but I feel that it is a bit too conservative looking. I was inches away from buying this car, as the technology in the car was spectacular. The HUD, screen, and active roll stabilization are great features. Sadly, the newly revised fuel economy estimates of 15 city/20 highway were really off putting. I know fuel economy is not going to be great with FI V8s, but those numbers are pretty bad.

So, why did I choose the CLS? For starters, the car has an amazing interior, especially with the porcelain/black found in the launch edition. The seats are super comfortable, and I love the dymanic drivers seat. The sound system is great, and the electronic nannies actually work well without being too intrusive. When you step on the gas, the sound of the engine rumbling is intoxicating, and the power is making it really, really hard to abide by the break-in guidelines.

I - love - this - car!

Pics below:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803722049/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803722049/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803730845/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803730845/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803723573/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803723573/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803724665/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803724665/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803720281/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803720281/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803726619/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803726619/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803724187/http://www.flickr.com/photos/75784162@N08/6803724187/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/75784162@N08/, on Flickr

 

freshhh

e550 4matic setups are boss. Together with the new cls.... need i say more?

 

Congrats! Good to see more posts here on this quiet forum.
Excellent personal reviews on the vehicles you considered.
I was looking at the same group of cars.
Owned a 2011 bmw gt. Love the interior and tech you mentioned.
I also agree with you on the A7 having some cheap plastic pieces.
At last, I'm also very happy with the cls.
The exhuast note is perfect. Not too crazy where it may scare my clients, but just enough for me to appreciate.
Glad you went with a different color other than black or white.
Funny how I always want what I don't have.

 

Awesome! Congratulations. Welcome to the club.

 

I know the feeling! I have asked myself a hundred times if I should have gone with Diamond White!

I am too chicken to get a black car here in Portland. The rain here makes black even more difficult to keep clean. I have yet to see a CLS in black, but yours looks amazing in the pics, especially with the new wheels!

Why did you get rid of your GT?

 

Thanks! We're twins, huh?

 

I really like mine. I only wish we had the leather stitched airbag cover. Minor detail but I think it would add that extra something to the LEs.

 

You definitely made the right choice, personally i dislike overall look of the A7, im sure the interior is nice, as all audi's are. And the technology in Audi is probably the best. I find the bmw 5 kind of boring, i dont like how the front of the car is flat, and i personally think all BMW's kind of look the same. i drove a 550 back in 2010 and i didnt find it as fast as what i have now. the CLS is a beautiful car, and you will constantly find people starring at you while your in it, or saying hey nice car. Yours is gorgeous!!! i love the color, and the interior is awesome! i would love to have that interior with the white paint that i have. Maybe that will be available in the AMG? but your car is gorgeous and you definitely made a great choice! good looking car!!

 

I find myself cleaning the car as I should be playing with my son when we're outside. This is the only way I can keep it clean. Thanks, starting to warm up to the new look.

As for the GT, I noticed electrical problems were starting to surface. And the engine suck down a quart of oil every 3K miles. Bmw said its normal.

 

Boss ride!

I love the A7 also, but the difference in horsepower and interior made the CLS a better choice for me.

 

Ohji, would be interested in knowing how your leather seats are holding up. Mine are taking on subtle hue of my unwashed selvedge jeans. (Ha ha.)

 

They are doing very well, so far (almost 500 miles on the odometer currently). I have a soft towel in the trunk that I put down whenever I have jeans on. Yes, it's ****, but I really really like the way the interior looks with unmarred seats, lol.

I went to dinner with some friends of mine Friday night, and one of them had these little shiny stones on her back jeans pocket, and she actually brought her own towel to sit on! She's known me forever, and she said "I thought my jeans might scratch your seats, so I brought a towel." Her husband also had a towel in hand...

I need to invest in some good leather cleaner, as I imagine the seats (especially the headrests) will need frequent cleaning.

 

Ohji, wow, your friend is very considerate. I guess I should have towels in my car for that purpose. I do use one when I have my nephews booster seat installed. Mercedes leather conditioner and cleaner has worked well for me in the past.

 

Will we get an update for mbrace2? Mercedes is using '12 CLS550 for their mbrace2 promotional video.

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/mbrace2?embed=false

 

Unfortunately, mbrace2 won't be compatible with pre-2013 models. This exact question was posted on MBUSA's Facebook page, and the official response was that mbrace2 is a hardware upgrade and therefore won't be made available on earlier models.

Of course, with the enterprising aftermarket community, there may be an unofficial upgrade strategy (fingers crossed).

 

I see. That sucks. I just want the apps feature.

 

Ohji, almost identical combination we have, Designo Graphite exterior and Designo Platinum White interior... Car will be delivered tomorow, I'll post pics

What is your exterior color, also Graphite?

 

Hey Stekki -- My car has the Steel Grey exterior with Porcelain leather interior. Over there in Europe, they call the exterior color Tenorite Grey.

Graphite has less of a blue undertone when compared with the Steel/Tenorite grey, and the Porcelain interior is sort of a cream colored leather. I can't wait to see your Platinum White interior -- I don't think I've seen very many pics of that color at all. I think it is very slightly grey, whereas the Deep White is very, very white, and the Porcelain is an off-white.

You must be like a kid before Christmas -- the wait would be killing me right now, lol. Can't wait to see your pics!

 

The other thing I forgot to mention is that I LOVE how the seat backs are in black with the designo. It enhances the contrast of the two-tone interior, and it is easier to clean off scuffs from careless back seat passengers!

 

mannn your cars sound awesome hahha, my dream car would be a 63 with matte white paint and a your porcelain interior. I have about 3400 miles on my clock and i love the car, im hoping to get a tune soon, starting to miss the power from my E55

 

Pics of our Designo Graphite with Designo Platinum White interior can be found here:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/75421336@N02/

 

That link requires a log-in.

Regards,
Don

 

stekki,

Your CLS is beautiful! I love that designo interior!! The graphite is definitely a lot less blue than the steel grey. You have an amazing color combo there. I wish I had that alcantara headliner!

The site you posted does require a login, and the registration cannot be done in English. I registered anyway but you might want to post the link to your flickr gallery instead. I am happy to do so, with your permission.

Thanks, and congratulations on your new CLS!!

 

Ohji, you may link my flickr link if you want! other people may enjoy this also ;-))

 

Edit: stekki posted link above