Pricey, but a real head-turner

MERCEDES are anxious to
attract young people to their cars, but I don’t think you’ll see many young
professionals driving the CLS 350 CDi.

Judging by the reaction I got from both young and old
last week I’m sure many young people would love to drive one, but the price
could be a deterrent.

This classy looking car attracted huge interest from
fellow motorists and envious pedestrians alike. The CLS has a coupe look, but I
think it was the front grille with the Mercedes logo embedded in the middle
that attracted most people, and maybe the LED lights which were really cute,
also caught their eye.

Inside the seats were so bright you would need
sunglasses to deflect the glare and remember that it was November, imagine what
it would be like in the summer? Naturally those cream leather seats would be
difficult to keep clean if you were carrying children with mucky shoes.

When I picked up the car it took me a while to figure
out where the gear lever was. It was an automatic, but still I needed to find
the lever to choose drive, reverse and park.

Eventually I found it to the right of the steering
wheel and it was similar in size to an indicator lever. The indicator lever is
to the left of the steering wheel and above it is a slightly smaller lever for
selecting cruise control.

The top of the range model I drove also had the
facility to heat the front seats, which was appreciated as we have had a few
cold mornings lately. The classy looking interior is complete with an old style
clock located in the middle of the dash.

There is room for only two people in the rear as the
centre section is taken up by a console to hold drinks etc. The front seat
passengers are really spoiled, especially with the overhead lighting.

You would probably be able to get a job in stage
lighting after a week experimenting with the various lighting options.

There are reversing sensors and you also get a

‘bleep’
if somebody walks in front of you if you are stuck in traffic.

On the road this is a truly smooth operator and you
could arrive at your destination really relaxed, if the Dublin traffic wasn’t
so bad! You won’t be left floundering at the traffic lights as the 2.9 cc
engine with 261 brake horse power can get you from zero to 100km/h in just over
six seconds.

Despite all that power I found the diesel engine to be
very frugal. And I liked the line in the glossy brochure that came with the
car; it said:

‘increases testosterone levels, but reduces C02 emissions.’

Only one small complaint and that was from my wife.
She found the car very low to get into and kept worrying about hitting her head
off the roof.

At the recent Irish Car of the Year awards a man in
the know told me that there is still plenty of money in the country. He said
that Irish people have savings of around

?¬90 billion.

But are they all saving for the rainy day or to buy a
Mercedes CLS 350 where prices start at

?¬71,700. The automatic version which I
drove with lots of goodies will cost you

?¬89,000.

Naturally the boot is massive, room they tell us for
four golf bags, and at that price you certainly deserve the full-size spare
wheel.