Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 4-Door Coupé (C218) · CLS

C218

Four-door coupé that created its own segment.

Production
2011–2018
Body
Coupé
Chassis
C218
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 4-Door Coupé (C218) (C218)

Four doors, coupé lines, and a name that invented a category — the C218 CLS was Mercedes-Benz's answer to buyers who wanted the drama of a two-door with the practicality of a saloon, and it created an entire segment in the process.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the first-generation CLS on the C218 chassis in 2004, sharing the W211 E-Class platform but wearing a low, frameless four-door body with a plunging roofline that influenced automotive design for a decade. V6 and V8 engines powered a car that prioritised style over rear headroom; the CLS 55 AMG and CLS 63 AMG proved the format could deliver genuine supercar pace. Inside, the four-seat layout and high-quality materials positioned the CLS above the E-Class in the hierarchy.

Produced from 2004 to 2010, the C218 CLS established the four-door coupé as a permanent Mercedes-Benz body style and spawned imitators from virtually every premium manufacturer that followed.

C218 interior
Cabin details of the C218, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

9 model designations across 2011–2018 — engines, chassis codes and production figures for the C218.

ModeloAños-modeloChasisMotorTransmisiónTotal
CLS 3002012–2018218276
CLS 3502011–2014218276
CLS 450 4MATIC2015–2018218276
CLS 550 4MATIC2012–2014218278
CLS 550 4MATIC2015–2018218278
CLS 63 AMG2011–2013218157
CLS 63 AMG2014–2018218157
CLS 63 AMG 4MATIC2014–2018218157
CLS 63 AMG S 4MATIC2014–2018218157
C218 side profile
Studio profile of the C218 — the proportions that defined this chassis.
C218 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the C218.