2010 Mercedes-Benz CL Class - Styling Review

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It's a two-door with unparalleled road-covering capability, but the 2010 Benz CL-Class has a markedly anodyne style. Kelley Blue Book calls it "neither showy nor obviously exotic." The roofline's elegant but familiar; the CL's nose, a softly rounded collection of the usual Benz themes. Edmunds admires the CL's "sporty" appearance, highlighted by a roofline that "sweeps smoothly from windshield to rear window without the interruption of a B-pillar." Cars.com calls that roofline "one of the CL550's best attributes." Though the CL wore them first, the rear quarter lamps and panels resemble efforts far and wide, from Bentley to Acura. Cars.com says "in the world of high-dollar coupes, the CL550's styling is rather restrained," though "its long profile, low-slung stance and big three-pointed star on the grille say 'I'm expensive.'" It's sedate exterior styling, for sure, but the CL's less arresting shape also means its suave good looks are apt to wear well in any season, for many seasons. According to Edmunds, few details separate various CL coupes, other than the "unique exterior enhancements" and "20-inch wheels" on AMG models.

The understated exterior may be a disappointment to some, but the interior of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is sure to impress. It's simple and uncluttered-something straight out of the German edition of Architectural Digest. It takes a minimalist approach, with a monolithic center stack of controls paneled in behind a sheath of burled walnuts and thin lines of shiny dash switches. Kelley Blue Book says luxury "abounds door-to-door, floor-to-roof" in the CL-Class' "leather-trimmed aviation-style cockpit." Cars.com is impressed by the way that the "CL550's cabin manages to elegantly fuse modern technology with old-world sophistication," thanks to its "orange ambient lighting with classic burled walnut trim and a full-leather interior." ConsumerGuide mentions pragmatically, "most major controls are logically placed and easy to reach."