New Mercedes-Benz CLS 250 CDI first drive, review

What is it like to drive?

In a word, different. And that’s got to do with the engine that resides under the CLS’ chiselled bonnet. Sadly, the silky smooth 302bhp, 3.5-litre petrol V6 the CLS used to come with is no longer available to Indian buyers. In its place, India-bound CLS gets Merc’s tried and tested four-cylinder, 2.1-litre diesel engine. It’s the same engine that powers a whole host of Mercs, but here the engine makes 204bhp and 50.9kgm. In a car that weighs 1850kg and looks as sporty as the CLS, the numbers appear adequate but not quite special. Still, we’ll give the engine a fair hearing.

Start the engine up and it sounds unmistakably diesel – idle is quite gravelly. Things do settle down as you get moving. To be fair, if you drive with a light foot, the engine note won’t intrude much into the general quietness of the cabin. Then again, if you keep your foot pinned to the throttle, the engine will start to sound quite strained as it closes in on its 4500rpm rev limiter. However, the speedo numbers climb faster than the engine note will have you believe and performance, in general, is quite good. This isn’t the fastest-revving engine so it's unexciting in that sense, but there’s no lack of power in everyday driving. There is an ‘S’ mode too but it doesn’t dial up the engine’s eagerness by all that big a margin. You can make things more exciting by operating the paddle shifters to work the seven-speed gearbox though. Shifts are quick enough and the gearbox is also quite nice in full auto mode.

On the road, you’ll also notice how polished the CLS’ ride quality is. It doesn’t quite steam roll over small imperfections as well as the E-class but it still does a very good job. And like all large Mercs, ride quality only gets better with speed. The CLS’ standard adjustable air suspension can also be firmed up when set to its Sport setting but that means you have to settle for a jiggly ride in exchange for slightly better body control around bends. On our roads, it’s not a trade-off you’d like to make. That’s also because the CLS isn’t the most agile of cars, suspension wizardry notwithstanding. The CLS feels its size at all times and the steering, though precise, could do with more weight at speed.