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2012 Mercedes-benz CLS-class

Mercedes has released official pictures of the next-gen Mercedes-benz CLS-class, due in 2011 as a 2012 model. Due to the second-gen CLS, it is a four-door coupe that started a segment.

2012 Mercedes-benz CLS-class’s exterior remains instantly recognizable as the CLS profileis clearly Germanic, with flared rear wheel arches and squared-off corners. The headlights, which are now completely made up of LEDs, morph from the previous generation’s amoeba-shaped units to a blocky design. It is designed with a separately formed grille, larger air inlets, and no fewer than 71 LEDs in the all-new full-LED headlights.

The interior is also significantly upgraded, notably ditching dash-mounted COMAND controls for the more intuitive console-mounted knob. It gets a wraparound dashboard, The gearshift moves from the center console to the column, like on the S-class and other Benzes, making the cockpit more spacious. An unusual and charming feature from the first CLS, the matte-finish wood on the dash, will no longer be available. It’s replaced by optional high-gloss wood, piano black lacquer, or carbon fiber (seen in the accompanying pics). Overall, the interior still appears stylish and avant-garde—especially compared to an E-class—but based on the pictures, the intimate and warm atmosphere from the previous generation does not carry through.

2012 Mercedes-benz CLS-class will powered by an V-6 gas and diesel engines, the North American CLS will be 4.7-liter V-8 engine only. The standard car will still be called the CLS550, but the old car’s 382-hp, 5.5-liter engine is replaced with Benz’s new twin-turbo, 4.6-liter V-8, which churns up 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. There will, of course, be an AMG version of the new CLS. It, too, will retain the first generation’s nomenclature—CLS63—but it receives the new corporate AMG engine. Another twin-turbo V-8, the AMG mill displaces 5.5 liters and cranks out as much as 563 hp and 664 lb-ft in the new S63 AMG.

For 2010, the big-boy CLS63 ran $98,825, while the CLS550 clocked in at $73,275. When it goes on sale in mid-2011 as a 2012 model, the 429-hp CLS550 might be the most expensive.