Skip advert
Advertisement
Long term tests

Mercedes CLS: Mercedes CLS 350 CGI

This month's big question for David Vivian and his Mercedes CLS is which suspension setting to use? Decisions, decisions...

Mercedes CLS 350 CGI

Since the first time I drove one, I’ve admired the air-suspension- equipped CLS’s three electronic damper settings: soft, medium and hard. So much easier than the M5’s massively configurable ‘if you’re not a computer systems analyst, better step away from the iDrive’ suite of suspension/traction permutations.

But now I’m getting restless. Soft seems, well, too soft. Medium is fine but an obvious compromise. So now I tend to leave it on hard and forget about it. Simpler still, of course. And the great thing is, the CLS still has a beautifully damped ride. And corners like a bastard. Result.

Running Costs

Date acquiredDecember 2006
Total mileage3547
Costs this month£0
Mileage this month887
MPG this month28.3mpg
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Tesla Model Y review – the cure for range anxiety?
Tesla Model Y
Reviews

Tesla Model Y review – the cure for range anxiety?

You’ll struggle to drive any distance without seeing a Tesla Model Y, but there is good reason for that
7 Aug 2026
The ultimate supercars of the 1990s – car pictures of the week
'90s supercars
Features

The ultimate supercars of the 1990s – car pictures of the week

Our Eras tests travel to the 1990s, where the genre evolves beyond all recognition compared to two decades earlier
8 Aug 2026
Lotus Elise (S3, 2010-2021) review – lithe, lightweight and extinct
Lotus Elise S3
In-depth reviews

Lotus Elise (S3, 2010-2021) review – lithe, lightweight and extinct

There was nothing like the Elise before it arrived in 1996 and surely, there will be nothing like it ever again
7 Aug 2026