Mercedes-Benz's 'four-door coupé', the CLS, will be replaced next month at the Paris Motor Show. The dramatic looking car mixes coupé styling cues with the four doors of a saloon. The German firm claims to have introduced a new niche with its 2003 original. Good as that original still looks, Mercedes-Benz has decided it's time for it to be replaced.
Details of the new car are limited prior to its official unveiling but the CLS's styling has been updated to incorporate the company's current design themes. The upright grille and its single-piece headlamps are reminiscent of the SLS AMG supercar, while the bold kicked-up rear wheelarch is shared with the E-Class.
The CLS's design remains true to the Shooting Break concept - an estate-cum-coupé. For now the CLS will retain its four-door coupé/saloon shape, but it's possible a version sharing the concept's more spacious rear will appear in a few years.
There's no word on engine and transmission options, but the CLS will almost certainly debut with a 5.4-litre V8 in CLS 500 guise, a 3.5-litre V6 direct injection petrol engine and, more importantly for the Irish market, a 3.0-litre turbodiesel. All are likely to be mated to Mercedes' seven-speed automatic gearbox.
What is also certain is that AMG will have been busy preparing a performance flagship model - most likely powered by the 5.5-litre twin-turbo engine recently fitted to the updated S 63 AMG.
Full details will be available on the first press day at the Paris Motor Show - September 30.