Mercedes sheds new light on CLS

MERCEDES-BENZ has released teaser images of its facelifted CLS-Class four-door coupe, along with details of its new intelligent all-LED headlights ahead of its local debut early next year.

The official images of the front the CLS, and close ups of the headlights come just days before its international debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom next week.

Several spy photos of the updated CLS during testing have already surfaced, but these new images from Mercedes-Benz reveal more detail about the changes to the front of the car.

The pics show that the CLS will get the ‘diamond grille’ treatment, first used on the Mercedes-Benz A250 Sport, while the border of the grille itself now features rounder corners.

The front bumper has a more assertive look than the current model, with a thinner lower spoiler, while the dimensions of the lower air intake appear to have been tweaked – it’s less rectangular and looks deeper.

Sitting either side of the lower intake are larger air inlets and Mercedes has ditched the LED strips which ran horizontally through them in the outgoing CLS.

One of the most significant updates to the CLS, according to a statement from Mercedes-Benz, is the technology behind the car’s headlights.

The technology is already present in the S- and E-Class, as well as the upcoming C-Class and is being hailed by Benz as “a new chapter in lighting design”.

Housed in the restyled headlights are 24 LEDs which are individually controlled, while a camera on the windscreen detects oncoming cars which then adjusts the LEDs so as to not dazzle the approaching driver.

The camera can also spot a bend in the road and adjust the light to help the driver see around corners.

Mercedes says that the adaptive ability of the LEDs means that the four control units can adjust the light emission 100 times per second.

The CLS-Class has featured adaptive headlights since 2010, but the new technology allows a quicker response, thanks to Mercedes' Multibeam LED technology.

On top of the visual recognition through the camera, the headlight system uses navigation to adjust the headlights when entering roundabouts.

The new CLS will go on sale in Australia in the first quarter of 2015.

Mercedes-Benz is yet to confirm pricing, but it is unlikely that it will deviate much from the current line-up which starts at $114,900 for the 250 CDI Avantgarde 10 Edition and tops out with the CLS 63 AMG S Shooting Brake at $265,145.