shortspark

Does anyone know when dealers can take orders for the '22 model? I have had a '21 ordered since December and it is still on the dock in Europe. It may be worth my while to cancel that order and wait until I can order a '22. There still is no pricing on the '22 but the reviews and pictures are everywhere. It is to be released early next year.

mischief

Mercedes usually starts production of the next model year in June or July of the current year. As a result, 2022 CLS production should have either started already or will be starting in July. Dealers should know their allocations already for July, August and possibly September.

Most dealers never stop taking orders. If they don't have allocations, they'll hold to order till they get an allocation. They can use this to lobby to MB to get allocations.

shortspark

Well, my 2021 CLS 450 is on a boat in the Atlantic heading for Baltimore and then on to Brunswick where it will unload to the VPC there. It is scheduled to arrive at Brunswick on the 29th. I live in Texas and hope all goes well. If so, a month from now I should have it. One thing concerns me. I have not read at this forum very many people who have a 2021 CLS. Are there any people here who have already bought a 2021? I would like to hear from them and give their reviews and impressions. Dealers around this part of the country (Texas) where I live have very few as part of their dealer stock. I bet there are not half a dozen new CLS in the whole state. This could be the rarest of all Mercedes models this year. Please let me know if anyone has a 2021 CLS, when you received it (order or dealer stock) and what you think of it.

mischief

I bet you get your car sometime in the first 2 weeks of July.

the local stealer here in atx has a designo Arabian gray on the lot. I think the popularity of the cls has died off recently. Don't see many on the st nor on stealer lots.

shortspark

I did a search for a 500 mile radius and only came up with a few new CLS models available. I think the only ones on the road are special orders but even they are just now trickling in. Like I said before, I ordered my in December! I think you are right, the popularity of this car has gone down from the days it set the standard. Even Chev and Toyota have cars that look as good although the quality of course is not there. I think the CLS's days are numbered, two, maybe three more years and its gone.

mischief

Unfortunately order date is a poor reference point. Just cuz a stealer has an order doesn't mean that they have an allocation from merc to fill that order. Plus the stealer may also have other orders to fill before yours.

when you placed your order, did your stealer give you any indication when their next allocation was?

shortspark

Nothing about allocation. Just said the car should be built in Feb. for a March/April delivery. Of course now I realize he just said that with no clue when it would be built. He had the order and when he got an allocation he would slot me in. He said we had an April slot and that came and went too. Finally it was built the end of May. I probably could have gone to one of the big dealers in Dallas and got a build much sooner because they would have more slots available to them. The local stealer just strung me along all this time, at least I think that is what happened.

mischief

Sure seems like it. Sorry to hear about your troubles. You'd think that the stealers in smaller centers would play less games and be more upfront with customers as they have a more limited client base. Did he give you any indication on what happened to his April allocation?

Nonetheless, at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you should have your car within the next few of weeks.

shortspark

You were right my friend, the car arrived at the dealer yesterday. But I refused to take delivery and will probably eat my $1000 deposit. They sent me photos and although I ordered the amg with night package, the steering wheel was round, not like the flat bottom sport wheel I have on my 2017 CLS550. I was livid! I wanted that sport steering wheel badly,, not only to look sporty in the interior but much better for playing with the paddle shifters. The salesman said I signed off on it and the reason it was not included is because I ordered a color/leather combination that required round wheel only. I said no one told me that. I assumed if I ordered the amg package I would get the sport steering wheel. The MB website where I built the CLS shows the sport steering wheel with my interior. It also never red flagged me or mentioned that the sport wheel would be excluded if I selected certain color options. The dealer showed me some in house document that said the round steering wheel would be standard on several colors and the sport wheel would come with other colors. I never saw that document before and it was his responsibility to advise me if I selected certain options or packages that conflicted with each other. I wasted 8 months! We'll see what happens with my deposit.

cda

Wow so sorry to hear this - you waited so long! Are you going to order another one or look elsewhere?

shortspark

Not sure cda. About a month ago I ordered one of those baby trucks from Ford called Maverick. I figured I was going to have a brand new sports coupe in the CLS and wanted some little vehicle to knock around in. The Maverick won't come out until the end of the year but I was in no hurry. Now, I'm not sure what I want to do. I will probably keep the 2017 CLS (less than 45,000 miles on it and pristine) for a while longer until the Maverick comes in. Then I will decide. By that time the 2022 CLS will be out, or close to it.

mischief

Wow, I can only imagine how disappointing this must be.

Did you sign any paperwork when you ordered the vehicle and placed your deposit? If so, I'd read the fine print and see what the terms are. Regardless, with what you've said, is pretty **** poor for the stealer to keep your deposit. They've mislead you on the delivery date of your vehicle and if they knew you wanted the flat bottom steering wheel when you placed your order, they should have advised you that it wasn't possible with your configuration.

shortspark

It was one of those things that was missed. The MB configurer sheet on their website, showed the flat bottom sport wheel and my interior color combination. The salesman said those are not always accurate and that he told me the wheel only came with certain combinations of leather and color for the interior. I don't recall that conversation. Of course, it was 8 months ago. In any event, I did get the deposit back. MB needs to be more careful about what packages and options are not compatible with each other. If it shows on the build page you should assume that is accurate.

mischief

Glad to hear you got your deposit back.

I didn't realize the CLS is getting facelifted for 2022. For some reason I thought it got facelifted in 2021 along with the E class. Nonetheless it doesn't appear to be anything major; just some minor exterior styling differences. The major upgrade is the MBUX infotainment system which was already included in the 2021's.

W205C43PFL

I know right, I was surprised they came up with such a lazy facelift. The facelift got a different front bumper (I think it is the one from the new C-Class) and the MB-star style grille from the new C-Class, a new steering wheel from the facelifted E-Class, some new wheel designs. This facelift is almost like a model year change/update (for example E450 replacing 2018's E400 for MY19, and a new steering wheel compared to the MY18). Looks like they also discontinued the CLS 53 for the North American market (for now till next gen maybe)
The GT 4-door gets an even lazier facelift.

shortspark

Yes, I was expecting more from this face lift. I think the CLS' days are numbered. I think I'll just keep my 2017 550 for as long as I can.

W205C43PFL

Did Porsche created the Panamera to compete with the CLS or was it the other way around? Sorry if I am asking too many questions, I don't know the history of the CLS so well.

shortspark

I don't know for sure but I think the CLS was introduced first.

W205C43PFL

I see thank you for your answer.