Beemer B773ER

There's nothing pointless about this thread. This is not some sort of petition to MB against the CLS being called or coupe.. it's simply here to find out how many of us think it is a coupe..and how many think it isn't. The point is simply to see the percentage for and against...and voicing opinions.
Yes many of us here may not agree with ur sentiment that the CLS is a coupe, ..that's expected in a forum as diverse as ours, but labelling this thread pointless on the basis that not everyone is calling a CLS a coupe is pretty narrow-minded.

Now on to the car itself. I personally don't think it resembles a coupe. If it were a coupe, then why would MB feels they have to call it a '4-door Coupe'... why not just call it a coupe. They needed to add the '4-door' just so people could find some way of swallow the whole idea. Without it, people would not agree with the image of it being a coupe. I know im generalising there.
I do agree that MB created a new segment... but not a new segment of coupes.. but more a sedan pretending to be a coupe.

Curb Zone

 

warot

4 door coupe, sure... Mazda Rx8. But the difference is that the CLS has 4 full sized doors... therefore it's a sedan.

The Artist

okay man.. you win.. enjoy

NSL

Indeed, one thing is the perception people in general gets of this car. Apart from us car enthusiasts, anyone that does not know much about Mercedes-Benz cars or German cars or cars in general will call this car a sedan when they see it go by on the road. It may take Mercedes-Benz years and other car manufactures to follow on this concept for the general population to start accepting it as a 4-door coupe.

Let me quote the Wall Street Journal:
"Mercedes-Benz calls it a 4-door Coupe. Translation: A Sedan with cramped back seats"

The DMV's classification as a 'coupe' or '4-door coupe' is important since these cars are not on the inexpensive side and 'coupes' tend to keep their values more than sedans.
Maybe it'll have nothing to do with the actual appreciation/depreciation of the car itself since many factors are accounted in this equation, i.e. how many cars were built, was it limited production or not?, did it hold it's value after reliability records were made public, was this car replaced by a second generation without being pulled from the market for a while, (like i.e. the Mercedes SLC, or BMW 6/8 Series) and most important of them all: human emotions.

Oh and about pillarless or not, I think both of you are right, Mercedes is only making it more confusing to people believe it or not. Yes, they call the CLS pillarless, but they are referring to the 'pillarless doors', not the roof. Then, for the CL and CLK, they call them pillarless because there is no B-Pillar at all, and the fact that a real coupe has already pillarless doors by default.

I'm attaching a few pics here:

CLS:



CL:



CLK:

Alx

Good point, and well put!!! I certainly agree with you here!!! To the average Joe, its a sedan. And a small one at that (Interior).

To the enthusiast its more of a technicallty. Still feel its a sedan....

If it walks like a duck....

If it has 4 Doors....

ALI

You're probably right NSL , but many here have thought it was a coupe for the shape and design .

NSL

Indeed, and you are all right as well, since Mercedes-Benz has made the statement that they inspired its design after the shape of a coupe; and we can all clearly see that.

ALI

I gotta be honest though , some of them I had to tell that it's called a coupe . I cheated !!

siko

CLS = coupe-inspired sedan



... that's as far as I'll go with the words "coupe" and "CLS" in the same sentence.

MoSs AMG

I think that's what ALI is trying to explain .

Curb Zone