The CLS fever seems to be getting everyone. VW is already a victim, Porsche, Aston Martin, Audi and others announced that they will show the first symptoms pretty soon. I have to admit I don't feel quite well myself. And this would be the only thing to explain why I like the CLS, product of a brand that I otherwise consider boring and monotonous. But why is the CLS so contagious? Well, a mélange between a sports-car and a sedan is what every motor-head dreams. An indecently sexy body with four door access, excellent dynamics with good comfort is everything you could want from a car. No wonder that Audi decided to join the fiesta with their future A7, a cocktail of A8 and A5 with just a few drops of TT. I'd like to see a few classy curves à la A5 and a low roof line joined together in an elegant manner on the car. I also hope for some dynamic headlights (I find the one used on the A5 or the new A4 a bit bulky). I don't think that the chunky wheel arches are appropriate for this car, but they appear on the Audi official sketch shown a while ago So I felt obligated to use them.
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I must be one of the few to not like the CLS.
Why? Too easy. It just strikes me as a pretty easy style exercise with no restraint applied. And unlike an Aston martin of a ferrari which just like they hot and naked, the CLS comes across as wearing too much mascara.
Not to mention the ridiculously small side windows.
I like your rendering of the Audi a whole lot better. The long hood and low greenhouse look great, and the design doesn’t feel forced. Even the flame surfacing on the side seems much better than on the new A4.
I like the looks of the CLS, even if I think it’s styled for the terminally shallow. ‘Yes, I want a sedan, but I want the practicality of a coupe, as well’
The CLS is attractive, but how big is that market? Audi has too many models with too few sales as it is. They need to concentrate on making an A6 that is better than a 5’er. As it is, the Fusion is breathing down their necks.
Not to take anything away from Andrei’s work!
The CLS was the shit for about all of 5 minutes before it played out and joined the ranks of the “Ghetto-Fabulous” throwback queens like the BMW 645/650 and Range Rover.
Today a CLS is most commonly found cruising around in the in low-income neighborhoods pimped out with tacky paste-on chrome trim and big chrome “serving tray” wheels. Hell, Ive even seen a few with rag-tops already.
“terminally shallow” indeed!
Nice design…and I agree that it might look better without the flared wheel arches
The CLS is a car that is attractive in a tacky way, which is probably why it appeals so much to the crowd mentioned in the comments above. It tries way to hard to shake its brand heritage and be cool, even moreso than other modern Mercedes (although, the new SL might be worse still and then there are all the AMG models and the ML).
In Europe this is less of a problem since cars are generally so darn expensive that even used CLS are out of the question for most people, especially with insurance and everything. Still, that drugdealer/new found riches vibe that comes with the car for some reason is just beneath the surface.
In case of an Audi, that could be a lot less the case, if they execute it well and don’t make it ghetto-fabulous like the Q7 that is.
Ghetto credits is nice and all when you buy a Sclade or 300 but not so much for these kind of cars.