The Doors to the Los Angeles Auto Show are Propped open, and all the Worlds Most Important Car Makers are in Attendance. Among the crowd of new and revised cars sits the 2019 Mercedes CLS, a car that features an updated exterior design, fresh interior, and there’s even a new inline-six to deliver a decent 362 horsepower. For the first time in the car’s history, the four-door sedan or (“four-door coupe” as Merc likes to call it) now offers seating for five thanks to a bench seat in the rear, something previously only available on the shooting-brake.

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2019 Mercedes CLS Interior

The interior of the CLS is graced with a complete revision that includes a fresh look and feel beyond that of typical generational shifts from the Mercedes brand. The dash appears to have been lowered a bit and topped with a thicker dash pad in comparison to the outgoing model. It takes on some cues from other Mercedes models, like the circular HVAC vents and four-vent cluster in the center. The instrument cluster sits higher than before and meets the dash much higher as well thanks to the upward swoop toward the forward end. And ambient LED strip traverses around the center of the cabin, and runs along the face of the dash, ultimately accentuating the simple but elegant contour of the entire design. The masterpiece of the interior, however, is that large central display. In base form, you’ll get an analog instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Opt for the double-display, and you’ll get two 12.3-inch screens (one replacing the instrument cluster) butted up against each other and secured to the dash below a single pane of glass. This becomes a full digital cockpit and is on par with anything you could expect from a German luxury brand.

All told, the interior is cleaner and more organized. The controls for HVAC and infotainment are smaller. A new infotainment touchpad is positioned in a place that’s much easier for the driver to reach. The central armrest up front has the dual split, something we’re glad to see stuck around, and the ambient lighting I mentioned before is adjustable to one of 64 different colors of your picking. Finally, the rear seat, which now offers seating for five in the sedan, is set up to include more supportive seats on the outside, effectively mimicking those up front. The backrest in the rear can fold down in a 40\20\40-split despite the fact that it appears to be all one piece.

2019 Mercedes CLS Engine and Drivetrain Specifications

Under the hood of the new 2019 Mercedes CLS is a completely new, in-line six-cylinder engine that’s good for 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Compared to the current model here in the U.S. (the CLS 500 is the only model sold here,) that’s a decrease of 40 horsepower and 74 pound-feet but, keep in mind, the CLS 500 is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 that will likely carry over or be revised at some point for the new CLS. In current form, that delivers 402 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes hasn’t gone into specifics about sprint times or fuel economy as of the time of this writing, but we do know that the new inline-six comes with a particulate filter as standard to cut back on CO2 emissions. The new CLS is also the first Mercedes model to use a 48-volt system which enables the EQ Boost system to deliver an extra 21 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque in short bursts as needed on the fly (when the small battery is charged by the starter-generator during coasting, of course.) With that in mind, at certain times, you could get as much as 383 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque for a few seconds here or there – just make sure you jump on it at the right time.

As of now, that’s all of the drivetrain information we have on the new CLS, but it’s scheduled to launch in the fall of 2018, so we should receive more detailed specs in the near future.

Drivetrain Specifications

References

Mercedes CLS

Read our full review on the 2019 Mercedes CLS.

Read more 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show news.