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2018 Mercedes-Benz CLS Spied Up Close, Interior Included

Get ready to feel nostalgia for the old CLS-Class because there's a new one coming out, and it might not even be called the same. Also, the CLE-Class probably won't have any of those popular V8 engines.
2019 Mercedes CLS/CLE Spied Up Close Ahead, Interior Included 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2018 Mercedes CLE/CLS2018 Mercedes CLE/CLS2018 Mercedes CLE/CLS2018 Mercedes CLE/CLS
Mercedes is taking the successful four-door coupe idea and splitting it into two cars. This CLs is a sister car to the E-Class, while the AMG GT 4-Door is a combination between the GT and an E63.

If both had the 4.0-liter engine, it would hurt sales, so the CLE-Class will probably make do with an inline 6 pushing out North of 400 HP. That's not too bad, right?

Everybody expects the CLS replacement to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It's even been spotted wearing nothing but a towel. But this sighting involves the Darth Vader body cladding package.

Despite the camouflage over the front, we're getting a pretty good idea of the styling. The coupe features the same tapered headlights we saw on the A-Class sedan preview concept. The grille combines the familiar starburst look with a new design for the outer frame.

The weird thing is that it looks nothing like the E-Class or the S-Class, which is an odd thing for BMW. Maybe there's going to be a family of four-door coupe models with cohesive styling.

If you're a fan of the "vanilla" CLS versions, you're going to love this new car. It's going to have the latest inline 6 diesel engines in the 350d and 400d. They should be just as fast and economical as their BMW counterparts.

The standard transmission should be a nine-speed auto, sending power either to the back or all four wheels. The LA Auto Show kicks off on the first day of December, but a web debut a few days before that is likely.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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