With the official unveiling of the new generation Mercedes CLS, we wanted to revisit our original comparison that placed the BMW Gran Coupe Concept against the previous generation CLS.
The new Gran Coupe has been greenlighted for production and will join the BMW fleet in 2013. The 6 Series Gran Coupe joins an already well established and competitive premium segment where currently, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche have the reign.
BMW Gran Coupe will go head-to-head with the Audi Sportback Concept (the future Audi A7), the Mercedes Benz CLS and the controversial Porsche Panamera.
According to BMW, the Gran Coupe is an emotional concept. It is labeled as a 4-door coupe type of vehicle with a distinctive sporty character and emphasizes the new design language into a single product: a sleek, dynamic and “good looking” automobile.
Engine wise, the BMW Gran Coupe is rumored to be offered in a wide range of powerplants. As an entry-level model, the 635i powered by the 3.0 liter turbocharged unit with 306 hp. Next, the 650i using the same engine as the new 550i, a 4.4-liter V8 turbo with 407 hp.
The popular Mercedes Benz CLS introduced in 2004 went through a major redesign. The nose is reshaped with a larger grille, more sculpting to the front bumper, and bigger headlights. The grille has to grow to match up with the taller hood, raised to provide more space between sheetmetal and hard bits in accordance with stringent new European pedestrian-protection standards. Up front Mercedes-Benz opted for full LED headlamps.
More aggressive both front and rear, the CLS is considerably more styled than its predecessor as Mercedes-Benz continues to hone the modern four-door coupe segment it essentially invented.
Like the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, the 2012 CLS gets a more muscular, sharp corners look.
The second generation Mercedes-Benz CLS is expected to be available in four engine variants, split equally between petrol and diesel. The two petrol models could be the CLS350 CGI and the CLS550 CGI. The first will feature the new direct-injection 3.5 liter V6 engine with an output of 301 hp and 368 Nm (272 lb-ft) of torque, while the 550 CGI will feature a new 4.6 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that delivers 429 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque.
The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is expected to be revealed next year, while the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS will make its debut in October at Paris Motor Show.
Along with the photo comparison, we decided to include the usual poll, so feel free to objectively cast your vote.
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