I've had a 2016 S550 coupe that has been good to me, and I was sad to see the S coupes be killed off like I think many of us were. I had previously posted about this but wanted to revisit options with recent and upcoming lineup changes.

For a next 4MATIC vehicle in a wintry climate, I'm looking at:

1. A used 2018-2020 S560 coupe if I can find one perfectly optioned;
2. A new/BTO CLS450 coupe;
3. A new/BTO E450 coupe;
4. Going to the dark side (BMW 8-series or Audi A7/S7), doubtful.

I enjoy a fast ride but appreciate a quiet/softer one. It doesn't have to be "boaty." I have never ordered a BTO just how I want it.

The things that make me wonder are:

1. Upcoming merging of the C/E line coupes into a "CLE" coupe and how that will compare in terms of quality and options to existing C, E, and S coupes;
2. Some packages that are available on AMG or non-AMG models (the high-end Burmester) and whether it really matters, as I lean towards comfort more than sport and would probably go for the non-AMG rides;
3. The Acoustic package to make the CLS ride even more quiet, presumably comparable to my S-class, which is not available on the E coupes.

I'm interested in the perspective anyone might have to offer from their test drives of these vehicles or just general input. The current shortages, of course, limit my ability to test drive locally.

Thanks in advance.

 

If you don’t already have an E450 Coupe on order, you likely are not going to get one.

 

Nothing really rides like an S-Class (at least imo, compared to the E, CLS, etc it doesn't matter even if you optioned air body control or not. The magic body control in the S-Class also makes the base S-Class ride even nicer than an E) so I am not sure if going from an S-Class to anything lower is going to be something you would like. That being said, I heard the CLS rides harsher than an E-coupe. If you don't need four doors and is willing to step down from an S-Class then E-coupe might indeed be a good option. Forum member Mikey53 has a point, chip shortage and what everything is going on right now means you need to find a way to get yourself an allocation. Personal experience, in Canada I have been waiting for 6 months for an allocation on an E 450, didn't get one same goes with some of my friends, the wait is longer for those who want AMGs, hopefully it is easier in your country. If you don't want E-coupe and just want to stand out in the crowd (as in a good way) then get the CLS as no doubt E-coupe is more common than the CLS (generally but still depending on where you live though).

 

That being said, test driving all 3 is always the way to go. You mentioned there are limited vehicles to test drive did the dealership give you an appointment (in your case 3 appointments) to test all 3 vehicles?

 

Thank you for the input. @Mikey53 does raise a good point -- might be a moot point, anyhow.

I had not heard that about the CLS riding harsher than an E coupe. I suppose I can see it going both ways given the difference in vehicle size.

My local dealership is not particularly high volume; I have been in touch with them on and off about these models, but I don't know that there is a CLS or recent E coupe handy which I could test drive.

 

CLS is more of a coupe in name only lol. It would be my first choice because it has a useful back seat. I personally found the S Coupe and E Coupe back seats useless so I would skip that. Unless you have another car a 2+2 coupe is a pain in the neck to live with everyday.

There is just nothing like a S Class but the CLS comes close.

 

Sorry about that, I couldn't find the source of which CLS and E-coupe was compared in terms of ride quality but I did remember owners complaining the CLS not riding as well as an E-Class with standard suspension, I didn't drive the current gen CLS myself to compare with an E-class coupe. I did drive an E coupe but I personally own a C-Class so it really isn't a comparison that will be useful to you. My friends unfortunately do not have a CLS either, they either get a C-Class, E-Class or S-Class or G-wagen. I also rarely see CLS on the streets of where I live either.

I am hoping the facelift C257 CLS improved the ride quality to be more on par to the E-Class or hopefully better since it is closer to S-Class money but still an E-Class interior and based on the same platform. Some have a CLS on this forum and I am sure they would be more than happy to answer your questions on the CLS. Forum member js_cls has since moved to an W223 S-Class but they personally love the C257 CLS, I am not sure if they driven an C238 E-Class coupe before to compare but his experience with his vehicle should be helpful to you.

 

I wish the CLS had a fastback liftgate instead of a traditional trunk like the A7 I am almost certain that would had helped MB sell more.

 

I'd opt for the CLS but then again I'm biased having owned a CLS53. I've driven the 450 and it is a very lovely car, ride quality is great with Airmatic, and the interior while its design is based on the E does feature higher grade materials when opting for the Napa based interior options, not to mention its a beautiful car and very rare on the roads.

That being said, there's such a unique charm to not having a b-pillar in a 2-door coupe which I really like from the current E-Coupe. Only Mercedes, Bentley, and Rolls offer this feature, and its unconfirmed if the future CLE will continue this trend. Not really a bad choice between the two, as they're both excellent cars.

Speaking of CLE, its very likely to be positioned lower than the current E-Coupe as it will be priced between the C and E, and based on the W206 C-Class (similar to the CLK (and even the previous generation C207 E-Coupe) which were all based on C-Class platforms).

You could always buy a used S-Coupe as you suggested above, however this market has inflated the prices beyond reason, S-Coupes are typically some of the highest depreciating Benz's and when this market is over, that depreciation won't be pretty. I would only buy new (and at MSRP) in this current market. CLS' have a tough time selling so it may even be worthwhile trying to buy a current stock unit as a dealer may be happy to get it off their hands.

 

Probably very likely, although even in this SUV world I think it wouldn't have been enough, sadly the CLS' days are overs as the coupe and sedan body style fall out of favor. I think if they gave it a hatch it would lose its typical design characteristics of a long, low and sleek roofline. Cars like the A7 and GT4D (which is somewhat a CLS in itself) have taller rooflines and more squared off rears due to their hatches and just don't look as elegant as a nicely proportioned and longer vehicle like the 6er and CLS. I think the 8er could look a bit better past its C-pillar as in person it looks quite chunky compared to the CLS and previous 6GC which was beautiful, but that's probably as fastback as these cars can get while still retaining that long, low, and sleek look that they stand for.

 

I enjoyed that too when I was test driving one and also driving one of my family members' C238.

I really much do hope Mercedes continues the b-pillarless design on the CLE. I can only hope, at least let us who appreciate these designs enjoy it till the last day of the demise of these vehicle body styles.

 

Unfortunately, the C257 never got the attention it deserved, despite being such an important vehicle (the CLS is the reason why Panamera existed I heard and now more and more manufacturers has a competitor). Yes, you have a point with the design but the liftgate might help it compete with the other vehicles you mentioned. I guess if they pay more attention to the C257, they could offer a version with a liftgate and one with a regular trunk to satisfy both types of customers.

The GT four door was making too much money for MB I guess for them to pay attention to the C257.

The facelift C257 was so lazy, barely anything changed (I was hoping they make digital light available, oh well), I think a lot of people complained about the taillights and it didn't get a redesign. Personally I am neutral towards the design of the C257 taillights. I am glad they kept the stardust in the facelift C257 but I guess it is because it is the exact same taillight as the pre-facelift. Stardust was something I missed on the facelift C238. Even the C205 coupe taillights are different to the pre-facelift despite being pretty much the same design. https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-c63s-...ml#post8436799

 

This would definitely be my guess. The GT4D is probably a huge profit maker for the brand as it uses a lot of E-Class parts/structure all the while costing even more than a CLS which already costs more than the E. In addition market preferences have shifted towards design that is more aggressive and stands out more, and I will definitely say that the GT4D has a more eye-catching design when seeing one on the road, great road presence. Add to the fact that MB dealers want a slimmed lineup so it only makes sense that the GT4D would succeed the CLS. I am curious how many CLS' MB does sell in the US since they group E and CLS sales together. I can't imagine its many though, seeing a CLS 450 for me was a rare occurrence during my ownership, and even more so to see a 53.

I've always loved the design (as you can tell) and never really understood the taillight issue, I had the opposite opinion and actually never liked the C218's taillights. My issue was always with our stupid North American regulations that added bumperettes to the car. Its incredibly stupid that a European bumper doesn't pass regulations but a Tesla yoke does. The stardust was also very nice, I do miss that in the E-Class. Hopefully they will get the pixel style lights from the S-Class as I think that is the second best design to the stardust and looks cool.



The CLS facelift was indeed very tame, at least for the 450's, although the new star-pattern grill is quite attractive. The 53's got some nice upgrades (design and 4Matic+) but clearly Americans weren't appreciative enough to get that model. Given that these models are on their way out it makes sense to not spend too much money, I'm honestly surprised we even got the facelift given the low sales. BMW is doing similar with the 8er which received only an updated grill and head unit, the M version actually received even less design upgrades interestingly, although the gran coupe is rumored to possibly live on, but the poor Z4 at this point won't even get a facelift. Its a shame that these great cars are overshadowed by behemoths like the X6 and GLE Coupe but that sadly is the market.

 

My dealer , Contemporary Motor Cars in NJ, has both an E450 coupe and a CLS450 listed on their website . Both a silver color.

 

Fully agree and that is precisely the unfortunate reason the CLS didn't sell as well. If the GT4D didn't exist the CLS would had sold way more. I am too curious how many CLS were sold, I don't understand why do they have to group the sales figures together with the E-Class either, I guess the CLS' sales figures are way too little, which is sad. Opposite to your experience (I saw more 53 compared to 450 but only 3 CLS in total), I personally seen only 3 since it first got introduced in Canada other than dealerships. In downtown Toronto, I saw one, where I live there is one and only saw another one on the street. Out of all those 3, two of which are CLS 53 models. I also think the headlights looking like an A-Class (when the truth is the A-Class copied the CLS front design) also didn't help with selling these vehicles but overall the C257 is definitely a good looking vehicle.

 

For sure, I am not surprised you liked the C257 CLS, it is definitely a good looking vehicle with good overall portions and design. I too didn't like the previous generation CLS' taillight, for some reason it "scares me" but some will argue that design looks aggressive and they prefer that.

It is definitely a preference thing, I like the C238 rear taillight design and rear overall design more over the C257 CLS but you are the opposite, nothing wrong with that at all, to each their own but like I said I am neutral towards the C257 taillight, it looks good. I especially like stardust, I have mixed feelings with the C238 facelift that had C217 facelift inspired-ish taillights with the squares. If I remembered correctly, it did not get the actual OLED just the shape of it. Please correct me if I am wrong. The W222 facelift got the stardust as you know which was nice. Some will like the C238 facelift's taillight over the stardust as they claim it is more modern, not for me though.

Yes, I know right. Those bumperettes needs to go, as you already know only recently USA revisited the automotive lighting regulation, they should also revisit this bumper regulation too, I doubt it really helps with safety but I might be wrong.

I guess Tesla got the pass for the steering wheel because the brand was made in USA and the vehicles sold there are too? Was there actually a regulation regulating the shape of the steering wheel? I am not sure actually. I do like the bumperettes on the C238 if I have to have them, at least it looks like a mustache and the taillights are just eyes and eye brows instead of something entirely out of place (just in my opinion). Just like MB's social media page: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zm...anhQf8bWfi=s85

Agree, I personally call that the skyscraper design, hopefully it does get tricked down the lineup. I guess the number of rows also represent if it is an S, E, or C.

 

After hearing you explain, it all makes sense, I guess I was too greedy and asked for too much from Mercedes when they facelifted the C257 especially when it might not had gotten a facelift in the first place. I do agree with you with the new grille being a nice touch.

What confuses me is why the GT4D got an even smaller facelift compared to the C257 when basically all the money is on that vehicle as it is making MB and AMG so much money. The bumper slats (sorry and admittedly I don't know what the proper terminology for that is called) went from vertical to horizontal some will like it as they call it more aggressive but it reminds me of an aftermarket mod.

I wonder if both of these small facelifts was actually due to the current industry, they want to reuse as much of the parts as possible and the majority changes will be in software so they don't have to order entirely new parts which might not be fulfilled due to the shortage? Although another reason is probably because of the idea of if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Thanks for sharing your experience and your observations with the 8er facelift and the Z4 as well. I think (most likely wrong) BMW gave the Z4 the lack of attention was because the existence of the Supra, for those who wants a BMW they don't want to be reminded that it shares the same platform as the Supra (which it really is BMW's own platform that was shared with the Supra). Don't get me wrong, the Supra is not a bad vehicle but I guess BMW owners want a bit more.

Yes that is sad for sure, when will this SUV craze end : ( All I want is to enjoy those nice coupes and nice automotive designs before they completely destroy it once everything transitions to fully electric or ride-sharing. Is that too much for us customers to ask for???

 

Mercedes deleting the stardust effect from the coupe taillights is perplexing. They really stand out at night.

 

I know right, oh well : (
I wonder if this decision saves them money or they are changing things for the sake of changing things?

 

Absolutely love stardust, so much thought in this design: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/des...e-new-e-class/
"Optionally available rear lights provide an additional highlight reminiscent of stardust, the Milky Way or the glow of a jet engine. This crystal optic effect is created by an innovative reflector technology with a specially designed surface structure for the tail light and ensures a brilliant appearance. The optionally available rear light uses all-LED technology."
I don't think even Rolls-Royce or Bentley put this much thought in taillight design. Mercedes-Benz was truly the best or nothing.

 

After nearly one year since ordering , I finally have a build date of April 19 for my E450 cabriolet . During the long wait and uncertainty of even getting my car I was also looking at the possibility of waiting for the proposed CLE model next year . I remember reading several sources the USA saying that this model will not be imported to North America . There are constant references to this model these days ,so I'm wondering if this has changed in recent months ?

 

It is coming to North America, just not sure when at the moment.