2004 Mercedes-Benz CLS (C219) 500 V8 7AT RWD (388 HP)

Vehicle Overview

When the CLS debuted, many people viewed the ‘four-door coupe’ label as a marketing gimmick, but many other carmakers have since jumped on the bandwagon. Even though most still consider a coupe to have a maximum of two doors, terms like two-door sedans and four-door coupes have existed long before the Mercedes-Benz CLS debuted.

Earlier examples include the Mazda RX-8 with its small rear suicide doors and the original four-door coupe, the Rover P5 Coupe from the 1960s, which offered four doors in both its sedan and coupe versions. Interestingly, the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) doesn’t define a coupe by the number of doors but rather by its rear interior volume, specifying it as having less than 33 cubic feet (934 liters) of rear passenger volume.

Mercedes-Benz made a pretty bold statement at the 2004 New York Auto Show when it unveiled the production version of the stunning Vision CLS concept car. The first-ever CLS closely mirrored the concept, and it was unlike any previous model from the brand from a design standpoint. With its’ four-door coupe’ look, Mercedes-Benz was the first premium carmaker to reintroduce a misunderstood niche in the automotive world in the 21st century.

You wouldn’t guess by looking at its banana shape, but the car shares most of its platform bits and bobs with the E-Class W211 and even Chrysler LX cars, such as the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Magnum. This was the only way to recuperate the more than $2 billion Mercedes-Benz spent on developing the rear-wheel-drive architecture.

That said, the first CLS had the most distinct design, with its low roofline and frameless doors having nothing in common with the aforementioned models with which it shared its mechanical DNA. Only the closest related model, the E-Class W211, shared most of its center console with the four-door-coupe, while almost everything else was bespoke.

Speaking of the interior, the first CLS had four distinct passenger seats, with no rear bench available. Even so, you couldn’t say every passenger had the best seat in the house because the low, sweeping roofline minimized rear headroom. That is probably why the next generations also had optional 5-seat arrangements and much improved interior room.

Despite the sub-optimal space, all passengers were pampered by acres of sumptuous leather, wood veneers, and other luxurious materials on the interior. Safety features included an early version of Pre-Safe that could automatically brake the car in the event of a collision, electronic stability control, multiple airbags, and the ill-fated SBC (Sensotronic Brake Control) innovative feature, which was dropped for the facelifted model.

The engine lineup mirrored the more powerful side of the E-Class W211 lineup, comprising a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6, a 5.0-liter V8, and even a 3.0-liter diesel. The top-of-the-range version was the CLS 55 AMG, which was among the Mercedes models to bring back the ‘Hammer’ moniker with its 5.4-liter, supercharged V8.