Used 2023 Mercedes-Benz CLS

The CLS is the kind of car that valets will park on the 5-star hotel forecourt to make the place look more classy. And it’s the sort of conveyance that will suit the patrons of such exclusive places.

Mercedes-Benz calls the CLS a coupe, but it’s a sedan with a sloping roof based on the excellent E-Class. It doesn’t have to do much more than look sleek and drive smoothly, which it certainly does. It’s so luxurious it can ignore practicality — to an extent.

The dramatic roof line results in less-than-ideal space for rear passengers. But for well-off empty nesters or successful entrepreneurs who have yet to start a family, the CLS makes the right kind of statements and delivers the right driving experience.

Some cars are thrilling, but plenty of others are dull. The 2023 CLS is fabulous.

Blending silken, progressive, and plentiful power with poised and unruffled dynamics, the CLS would be a perfect car for crossing a continent as well as heading across town. The brakes feel confident, and the steering is weighted perfectly for precise yet low-effort driving.

Standard all-wheel drive (AWD) brings reassurance in bad weather. We prefer better outward vision, but standard blind-spot monitoring compensates for the wide rear pillars.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and researching the current collection of luxury midsize sedans, including this Mercedes-Benz CLS.

The interior will not disappoint anyone spending the best part of $80K or more on their new CLS. It has plenty of tech with the driver information display and infotainment touchscreen, accompanied by genuine design flair.

Leather upholstery is standard, along with 64-color ambient lighting. And we’ve always how that Mercedes-Benz puts the seat adjustment controls on the door, making them easy to use. The CLS offers options like heated front armrests, fine Nappa leather, and a cabin air purification/fragrance system.

Space up front is absolutely fine. The back seats, with a small center position, are really for occasional passengers on short trips if they’re adults or younger members of the family who still have some growing to do.

The trunk space of 11.9 cubic feet is slightly larger than the subcompact CLA’s. Enough for two sets of golf clubs and a couple of weekend bags, but not much more.

MBUX
The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX, for short) is the infotainment system that responds to voice commands spoken at natural speed, such as: “Hey, Mercedes, find the nearest coffee shop.” It also has a learning function, taking the driver’s habits and regular trips on board.

Augmented Video
Even though the 2023 CLS has navigation as standard, this option uses a forward-facing camera to create a combination of live video with information like street names and directions placed over it. It’s exceptionally cool and helpful.

Active multi-contour front seats
Not only do the side bolsters provide automatic extra support when required, but these seats also have “hot stone” and “active workout” massaging programs. It would be silly not to choose this option.

Driver Assistance package
A worthwhile upgrade to the standard driver aids, adding active blind-spot and lane-changing assistance, cross-traffic alert, and route-based adaptive cruise control that knows if there’s something like a toll booth or traffic island coming up and will adjust speed to suit.

Parktronic
This feature is an optional self-parking function with a 360-degree camera system.

Burmester audio
The quiet cabin of the 2023 CLS is an ideal environment to enjoy this excellent 13-speaker/590-watt surround-sound system. It’s part of the optional Premium package that also includes Parktronic.

The drivetrain in the 2023 CLS isn’t a hybrid in the conventional Toyota Prius sense. Still, it does employ an electric motor known as an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) to smooth out the fuel-saving stop/restart action. It allows the gasoline engine (premium gas, please) to achieve its maximum output as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It also provides an electric supercharger to complement the turbocharger and enables a “coasting” feature to save fuel on long downhill stretches. For the driver, all this means no jolt when the engine restarts and a pleasantly responsive throttle. There’s nothing more to learn or take into account than with a regular non-electrified setup.

The 2023 CLS 450 4Matic is propelled by 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque distributed to all four wheels (the 4Matic part of the name). The transmission is a 9-speed automatic. The gasoline engine is a 3.0-liter inline-6, a fundamentally smoother configuration than a V6.

3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine with a 48-volt mild hybrid system
362 horsepower @ 5,500-6,100 rpm
369 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/30 mpg

More Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Mercedes-Benz covers its new vehicles with a warranty that lasts for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first, in line with the warranties of most other luxury car companies.