CLS 500

STORY

The CLS invented a genre. When the first-generation C219 arrived in 2004, based on the 2003 Vision CLS concept, it took the mechanicals of an E-Class saloon and draped them in a low, sweeping, frameless-windowed fastback body, then christened it the "four-door coupé." Critics scoffed at the marketing term; buyers fell for the shape.

The idea proved enormously influential. Within a few years Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche had all launched their own interpretations of the four-door coupé, and today the style is everywhere across the industry. But Mercedes did it first, and did it most elegantly.

Prioritising drama over rear headroom and practicality, the CLS gave the range a car bought purely for its beauty. It was a design statement that carved out an entire new segment and reminded everyone that a Mercedes could be desirable as well as dignified.