Some extra light has been shone on the next iteration of Mercedes-Benz’s coupe-like four-door saloon, the CLS, which back in July was announced to be nearing the end of its life as a second-generation (W218) model.
Mercedes-Benz at that time did not even hint at a successor being developed, leaving many questions unanswered about the continuation of one of the most distinct members of their stable. But now, there might be some explanation as to why there’s seemingly so little on the third-generation car.
It perhaps is because there just aren’t any more CLSs down the road. Instead Mercedes-Benz may be laying the groundwork for a more radical refresh, and while this next model might carry the outgoing car’s torch, the CLS won’t have a direct canonical successor.
That baton might be passed on to an all-new car that fills certain common coupe-like criteria, but could instead be called the CLE-Class. And like the current W213 E-Class, it will sit on Benz’s Modular Rear Architecture (MRA) for a lighter, more refined, well-packaged platform.
While it’s much too early to speculate on the finer points of why the CLE will or will not just be called the third-generation CLS and exactly what changes are thrown into the mix, the car is expected to make its showroom arrival in mid-2018 following an official unveil a few months prior.
It will certainly share cues from the E-Class but, aside from the sloping roofline and more aggressive stance, expect some key differences to the design. It would also make sense for Mercedes-Benz to carry over the powertrain spread over from the W213 as well, so expect a bunch of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines as well as a newly-developed straight-six turbo petrol replacing the current V6 at the higher end.
The AMG division, though, might be given the task of crafting a direct competitor to the Porsche Panamera with the CLE as a base, and perhaps even giving the tuning specialists more of a challenge by asking a high-performance hybrid and diesel variant in addition to the fire breathing 4.0-litre V8 in the E 63 AMG.
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