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.

ModelLata modeloweZbudowanoPodwozieSilnikSkrzynia biegówRazem
CLS 3002012–201802.2012–2018218276 —
CLS 3502011–201401.2011–08.2014218276 —
CLS 450 4MATIC2015–201809.2014–2018218276 —
CLS 550 4MATIC2012–201404.2011–08.2014218278 —
CLS 550 4MATIC2015–201809.2014–2018218278 —
CLS 63 AMG2011–201303.2011–03.2013218157 —
CLS 63 AMG2014–201804.2013–2018218157 —
CLS 63 AMG 4MATIC2014–201806.2013–2018218157 —
CLS 63 AMG S 4MATIC2014–201806.2013–2018218157 —
C218 side profile
Studio profile of the C218 — the proportions that defined this chassis.

Year by year.

From the original four-door coupé to the MULTIBEAM LED facelift — the material changes that separate early and late C218s.

  1. 2012
    • The second-generation CLS reached the US as the CLS 550 and CLS 63 AMG; both used new direct-injection biturbo V8s, and 4MATIC became available on the CLS 550.
    • LED High Performance headlamps were offered, making the C218 the first production car with all regular lighting functions performed by LEDs.
  2. 2014
    • The CLS 63 AMG adopted standard 4MATIC in the US; the new S-Model combined 577 hp with 590 lb-ft and an electronically controlled rear differential.
  3. 2015
    • The facelift brought a diamond-pattern grille, reshaped bumpers and optional MULTIBEAM LED headlamps with 24 individually controlled high-performance LEDs per lamp.
    • A freestanding 8-inch media display, new steering wheel and updated assistance systems revised the cabin; non-AMG models adopted 9G-TRONIC where specified.
  4. 2018
    • C218 production ended after the 2018 model year, succeeded by the C257 CLS.
C218 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the C218.