CLS which model would you go for??

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pekay

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OK....so this is my dream motor...has been for a while if i'm being honest, but when it comes down to buying one (soon hopefully) I'm still undecided, i know what my heart wants (1st gen CLS 63 6.2 sedan) just for the hell of it, but head says 350 shooting brake( I have dogs and grandchild to consider).
I love the lines of the first gen but the front end of the second gen, seeing as there are over 100 CLS owners on here in various guises i would love to hear your thoughts/preferences.....problems and issues for different models etc, true running costs and the like.(reason i ask this is because Journeyplanner.com only shows a £300 difference in fuel between 24mpg 63amg and 45 mpg 350D over a 4500mile trip) not much in the grand scheme of things:rolleyes:
I would use the car on longer journeys and the continent, would be looking at a 30k budget and obviously FSH, so probably MB approved used!

Come on folks...lets start a good debate!!
 
Once you're set on an AMG you may find a 350 will leave you wanting, which won't be a nice feeling.

Can the budget stretch to a 5.5 SB?
 
I had a first generation cls55 amg and a cls320 cdi.

I personally feel they have two different uses. I felt the diesel was a motorway and daily car. Perfect for everything with lower cost and equal style. I wouldn't personally use my diesel cls to go for a Sunday drive.

When I had the amg I'd take it out on a Sunday for a blast, over to spa and silverstone for track days. Not a second went by that I didn't enjoy the experience in both but every second was exciting and an event in the amg.

With a map on a shooting break you won't be wanting for power as it will still go well, but it's less of an event.
 
I have the CLS350CDI C218, and find the 3.0 litre V6 diesel an excellent motor. The torque is phenomenal, as it glides to 60 and beyond. The only issue with a diesel is literally the weight of the powerplant, which means it is not as easy to throw it in to corners as a lighter petrol engine.

I haven't owned a CLS petrol, but I did own a CLK500 5.0 litre V8. This was also a phenomenal car as well.

One thing to consider is that there is a difference between a CLS and a CLS sport (also known as the AMG Line), in that one is softer than the other regarding ride, but if you are going for a big petrol engine, the ride will be a sportier, harsher, ride anyway.

There is a CLS400, which is petrol. It sort of sits between the CLS350 (cdi & petrol) and CLS63 performance wise, and is a viable choice if you want the best of both worlds, as it compromises a small amount of performance and a small amount of economy.

In fact, see if you can get a dealer to arrange a test drive in a CLS350 petrol and a CLS350 diesel, so you can get the feel of both, back to back.
 
Depends on your requirements ?

AMG , if you want that special feeling every time you use the car and you have the roads to enjoy it and the financial backing to run it.

350 CDi , if you want a good looking everyday run-around with sensible (ish) running costs.

I deliberated for a long while over a 63 or the 350 diesel and the head over ruled the heart as my 2.5 mile commute in stop start traffic to work would be totally wasted on the 63 and as a weekend "tool" i have a few bikes to fall back on.

RE - the CLS SB , if you are going to be transporting "mutley" then the SB is a must as my hound doesn`t get in the CLS due to the carnage it would cause to the interior leather etc. , that is what the wifes Scenic and daughters Clio are used for.

At some point my AMG itch will be getting scratched but not until i can utilise it properly which wont be for a few years yet.

Kenny
 
2.5 mile commute, how does the 350cdi cope with such short journeys? Does the engine get to full operating temp?
 
Does the engine get to full operating temp?

Depending on the time of year and how many sets of lights i get stuck at.

As mentioned previously , i am a DPF equipped cars worst nightmare and to be fair it has been problem free so far.

My record for the journey home , after a nightshift, is 4.5 mins in my wifes old Suzuki Ignis which had a stopwatch built into the display :dk:, my best on my pushbike is 7.5 mins which was a few years (and lbs) ago.

Kenny
 
I love my CLS 320 CDI it now has 128k miles and the turbo is giving in, apart from tht its bin faultless. 70mph on the motorway will give 48mpg easily but i still use my old CLK V6 petrol for short runs as petrol's are just more fun to drive. I just slap my dog (large male Weimaraner)on the rear seat of the CLK or CLS with a waterproof seat cover/blanket. Either way i don't think you can go wrong.
 
I love my CLS 320 CDI it now has 128k miles and the turbo is giving in, apart from tht its bin faultless. 70mph on the motorway will give 48mpg easily but i still use my old CLK V6 petrol for short runs as petrol's are just more fun to drive. I just slap my dog (large male Weimaraner)on the rear seat of the CLK or CLS with a waterproof seat cover/blanket. Either way i don't think you can go wrong.

Nice to hear you enjoy yours Dan, the majority of complaints i find when researching is with the 320CDI, manifold issues, bottom end bearings, swirl valve, 7g valve bodies...TBH i don't think i would ever consider another diesel engine...Merc or not, iv'e had a number of diesels over the years and all seem to suffer the same issues, DPF probs, DMF probs leading eventually to injector and pump issues ya de ya da!!, whatever model i go for it's gonna be petrol this time. Up to now I haven't seen any major issues with the petrol power plants even the earlier big 6.2, is this the case??
 
I am just about to px my 14 plate 350CDI AMG Sport for a C350e. I will be very very sorry to see the CLS go - I regularly get 50+mpg on a run and the torque is superb. Refinement is good although the current wife finds the ride a bit hard ! I am changing to the C350e purely because I find the CLS too big parking at the station and the like and I am convinced that as it is Euro 5 rather than Euro 6, in a year or two the residual will be effected by the 'fuel of the devil' movement against diesels. Good luck finding one - I am sure you will
 
I've owned at Cls320 with brabus chip and am now in a CLS 63 AMG (both first gen 2008). The Cdi was a great car and felt powerful enough,but the AMG is an an incredible thing which is essentially a super car - with 507bhp on tap. If you can afford it then scratch the AMG itch as it brings a fat smile to your face every time you blip that throttle and the beast residing under the bonnet roars into life! As others have said is a bit of a head versus heart thing - good luck with your decision!
 
I owned a 219 CLS320 CDI for a year. It was (and still is in my opinion) a really beautiful car, not quite so much inside (i feel the 218 is better in that respect) but the shape still makes me look when I see one!

But, I had a lot of diesel related issues with mine, hence I only kept it a year - which was a shame because it was my aspirational car for so long!!

In hindsight I should've bought a petrol CLS and not been so hung up on fuel economy (a relative term when talking about a 3.0!) and road tax cost. But we live and learn!

I may get a 218 petrol CLS some time in the future! :)
 
I too would like to change back to a petrol car, and in the absence of decent SUV type alternatives (petrol driven) my attention is turning to a CLS SB. I now only do occasional short journeys and have to make a point of going on longer trips just for the sake of the DPF in my current diesel. A petrol engine would obviously solve this problem but I wonder if an AMG version would be any better. Would I face other issues with such occasional use, don't want to be out of the frying pan into the fire!?
 
So...from the few of you that have replied I get the feeling that petrol is the way to go, some of you mention issues with the diesel versions which only compound my fears and past experiences with diesels, it seems that no manufacturers have yet overcome the common issues with diesels that unfortunately manifest themselves at the point that the likes of myself are looking to pick them up in the second hand market, i.e, 80k onwards.
Researching further and reading a few articles it seems that the newer models aside (2013 onwards) most of the engine variants are not without issues, even the M273 and M156 in the earlier models had class actions filed against them from unhappy owners, looks like the M113 as used in the 1st gen CLS500s and the supercharged CLS 55 AMG are the most reliable, some on this site have called them bulletproof!!. I think my search will be aimed at what will become a classic 2006 55AMG it will have to be black with cashmere interior, not that i,m picky,
Thanks for the input folks
 
I may get a 218 petrol CLS some time in the future! :)

it will have to be an AMG, as hardly any petrols sold :)
 
Nice to hear you enjoy yours Dan, the majority of complaints i find when researching is with the 320CDI, manifold issues, bottom end bearings, swirl valve, 7g valve bodies...TBH i don't think i would ever consider another diesel engine...Merc or not, iv'e had a number of diesels over the years and all seem to suffer the same issues, DPF probs, DMF probs leading eventually to injector and pump issues ya de ya da!!, whatever model i go for it's gonna be petrol this time. Up to now I haven't seen any major issues with the petrol power plants even the earlier big 6.2, is this the case??

My inde pretty much paraphrased the above when I last spoke to him about a diesel he was working on with numerous running issues.

If one has no option (hybrid!), fine but otherwise, petrol!

it will have to be an AMG, as hardly any petrols sold :)

Terrible news. Nice bit of man maths creeping in... like it.
 
it will have to be an AMG, as hardly any petrols sold :)

I have a 218 CLS 250 petrol. Nice compromise. I get over 40mpg driving like a good boy on a long run. There are a few for sale, not many though.
 
Give it a few years and there should be quite a few CLS400's available. Like everything, you have to wait for things to filter through to the second hand market.
 
218 CLS400 has no torque wave, a real disappointment after the CLS350d

218 63 AMG SB - now that would be the one to have :)

however my economists head ruled the day at replacement time, so it's another 350d
 

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