The CLS-Class is related to the E-Class sedan, which means the CLS won the parent lottery from the beginning. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS ranks in the middle of the competitive luxury large car class. The rear-drive CLS450 is rated 24/31/26 mpg by the EPA. Despite the sloped roofline, rear-seat riders won’t gripe for head room unless they’re starting in an NBA backcourt. There's an opulent cabin within its doors, and its handling deftly tiptoes the line between sporty and smooth. The front of the CLS-Class is taut and muscular, this year every model gets the “power dome” that was reserved last year for the AMG version. Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class models The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS is a five-passenger four-door sedan, though Mercedes markets it as a coupe. Performing is what the CLS does best, and it performs for onlookers. We’ve carved canyons in Colorado and California behind the wheel of the CLS 53 and found that it dialed the right amount of heft. © 2020 The Car Connection. The CLS-Class uses the touchpad and clickwheel controller that’s mounted on the center console, within easy reach of the driver and passenger. View all 10 consumer vehicle reviews for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2020 GLS-Class. Called EQ boost, the starter-generator is also tasked with harvesting energy to shut off the engine at stoplights and can smoothly restart the engine in stop-and-go traffic. The CLS gets a standard 12.3-inch display for infotainment that uses Mercedes’ older software, called COMAND. The fast roof plunges toward the rear elegantly, and the frameless doors of the CLS-Class melt into the bodysides. An upgraded air suspension for the CLS450 is an entirely reasonable $1,900 option. The EPA rates the 2020 CLS450 with all-wheel drive at 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 26 combined. The low-slung sedan is elegant and sporty, with the right amount of ‘tude to turn heads. The front seats? Rate and Review your car for The Car Connection. Compared to the outgoing CLS550, which had a thirsty V-8, the new version is not only more powerful but it’s also more efficient. Compare the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class against the competition. On paper, the CLS-Class has 35 inches of rear-seat leg room, but deep front seats pushed all the way back can make that feel much smaller. Compared to V-6-powered CLS400s from just a few years ago, that’s an improvement of 4-5 mpg across the board without sacrificing any performance. Also on paper: The rear bench can seat up to three across. Inside, four adults will fit fine, but two will be happier. Wonderful. It adds uprated AMG seats that are more snug and grippier, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (that’s optional on CLS450 versions), standard all-wheel drive, an air suspension, and racy accents and wheels for $82,195. Mercedes’ 9-speed automatic pleasantly rifles through ratios, with a preference for upshifts in Comfort modes. It’s an 8. All-wheel drive and an air suspension are on the options list. It can be dizzying at first, tapping through menus, swiping for songs, or reaching for a volume knob (it’s actually a roller) but the system can be mastered in just a few hours of use. It’s an 8 on our scale because the exterior is better than good, it’s great. Mercedes-Benz’s new, 362-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 dispatches with the old V-6 in the CLS400 in the name of efficiency and comfort. Sure, the exterior is pretty, but the interior is a pretty nice place too. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is mostly unchanged from last year’s version, which was a ground-up redo for the luxury mid-size sedan. We’d pick it for its adeptness at comfort and performance. Automatic emergency braking is standard too, which we cover above. Luxury bona fides in place, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is a crowd-pleaser all the way around. The interior is good too, but have you seen that body? The clickwheel controller makes those touch-based systems a pain to use and it’s counterintuitive. The CLS-class is a study in contradictions, but one thing that's clear is its commitment to luxury and performance. Disclaimer(s): Available only to qualified customers through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services at participating dealers through November 30, 2020… The old V-6 was rated at 329 hp. The CLS-Class puts leather and soft materials in all the touchable places, which is so totally typical Mercedes. That’s an investment on fun, by the way; the exhaust rips, snorts, and scatters overrun in pure driving bliss. The Car Connection is published by, See Full 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class Specs », Browse all 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class listings in your area », Be the first one to write a review on 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS Class. All models come with blind-spot monitoring for safer lane changes. Inside, the CLS-Class is similarly elegant—but doesn’t strike out in a different direction than the rest of Mercedes’ lineup. We could quibble with the “four-door coupe” designation from Mercedes until we’re blue in the face, but our breath is already taken by the sedan’s profile. We wouldn’t stray far from the base version, but wouldn’t begrudge anyone who opts for the top model either. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS ranks in the middle of the competitive luxury large car class. Our overall rating of 7.2 applies to the 2020 CLS450, which is more popular among buyers. If the CLS53 were rated on its own, it’d be an easy 8—maybe higher. Until they change their minds, which isn’t likely soon, we’ll withhold our ratings here. The short of the long: the inline-6 deftly replaced the old V-8s and V-6s and we’re just fine with it. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is available in CLS 450 and AMG CLS 53 versions. Others have imitated the look (even some cars sitting across the same showroom) but the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class started the four-door “coupe” trend and it still wears it best. We won’t get too in the weeds here, but what’s under the hoods of all CLS models is beyond impressive engineering—it’s excellent. The base suspension setup is four-corner coils over springs with a preference for comfort. Offer only valid 11/04/2020 through 11/30/2020 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS 450 Coupe Applies to select new 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLS 450. It's available with a plethora of driver-assistance features, all designed to banish anxiety and uncertainty when you're behind the wheel. Starting from the base model, the CLS450 is a sumptuous bucket for well-heeled buyers to pour more money into, everything from upgraded tech to softer hides to better performance is available. Serious performers may bemoan the lack of communication from the wheel, but serious performers will look instead to AMG’s other models. All Rights Reserved. For a starting price of $70,945, including destination, the CLS-Class can race past six figures for a fully stocked CLS53 but it doesn’t want for comfort either.