Sealed Deal

It May Cost An Arm, But Would You Look At The Thing?

- Raunak Ajinkya

All it took was a few moments for me to make my mind up about the Mercedes-Benz CLS when I saw it being backed into my driveway. And I believe it’s precisely the preceding line that Mercedes will be banking on for the CLS and its fate in India.

The truth of the matter is that this undeniably gorgeous four-door luxury coupe isn’t jostling for space in a crowded niche that’s already been established. I mean, sure, the Audi A7 and the BMW 6 GT are direct rivals, and they’re both really tremendous machines, but you’d be a fool to underestimate the importance of a drop-dead appealing set of clothes when you’re looking at a segment as rarified as this. That, I believe, is more than half of the war won for Mercedes right there.

It’s atrociously hard to take your eyes off the CLS. The hunkered front with those sleek headlamps and that tremendous body length coupled with a near-perfect rear makes this, in my eyes, one of the most stunning sedans in India, and a fair amount of people will be ready to put down their money solely because of that. Forget the fact that it’s essentially got the guts of an E-Class, and you’d be willing, if you were able, to drive home in this one. Am I selling this too hard?

All right, here’s a bit of balance, then: why, Mercedes, could you not settle on a better-looking set of wheels when you’ve got a mobile Girl with a Pearl Earring? The five-spoke 18-inch alloys bring down the sense of occasion considerably; like someone threw some ketchup on the Mona Lisa.