Quote:
Originally Posted by stein_325i
Because the CLS is my daily, and I have my Z4 for feel and theater and a connection to the road, I did not and am not looking for full fledged M/AMG cars for my daily driver.
My previous car was a G30 540i which I inherited and found it to be incredibly dull. Poor handling and body control, numb and rubbery steering, as well as many electrical gremlins throughout my ownership. When the 540i was totaled, I rented an M550i (M850 Gran Coupe was not a thing when I got the CLS and costs $20k more) and found that while the engine was great, it still shared many of the same issues with the 540i dynamically.
I decided to give MB a chance as I saw the E43 won a comparison test and was a bit in disbelief. By then the E43 was replaced with the 53. Shockingly, the CLS 53 despite not having an AMG engine (which I didn't care about) surprised me in being more dynamic than most MB's I had driven before, and the engine is a gem thanks to the electric supercharger which gives it a more unique and almost naturally aspirated feel thanks to torque fill, and the steering felt more natural than BMW's rack. The CLS is not a sports car, nor was I ever claiming it to be, but I was bored of BMW's and wanted something new and different from what I had before, the CLS worked for the balance of sport and luxury that I was looking for.
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E53 Coupe I drove was boring with sloppy handling, felt like a normal E-Class. I assumed the CLS would be similar but if you thought it drove better than an M550i, I will give you the benefit of doubt. I disregarded the CLS because it weighs more than the G30 M550i with a V8TT and reviewers seem to lambast it. Although if I were to get an inline 6 engine, going with a B58/S58 seems infinitely better (especially aftermarket).