As a rolling automotive work of art, the 2009 Mercedes Benz CLS 550 is hard to top.

With a new grill, taillights and exhaust tips for this year, the CLS is drop-dead gorgeous. Mercedes calls it a four-door coupe, but any car with four-doors is a sedan to me.

If the exterior takes your breath away, wait until you open the door. With beautiful polished wood and butter-soft leather, the luxury continues.

The comfortable front seats are heated and cooled. While some controls like the door-mounted seat adjusters are excellent, the audio and climate switchgear in the Mercedes is too complicated and is not intuitive. Back seat legroom is a bit tight.

If the rear head restraints block the view, hit a button and they're gone.

The trunk pops open at the touch of a button, even though it's not a power lid. Trunk space is very good.

Making it all go is a 382 horsepower V8 that is just a terrific engine.

One thing that makes the CLS 550 look so slick is its low roof line. If you're a taller driver, however, getting in is a bit of a chore.
On the road the CLS 550's computerized air suspension makes for a luxurious and quiet ride, but also sharp handling. Fuel economy averaged about 18 miles per gallon.

Our pre-production test car did not have a sticker price, but you can expect to pay about $80,000 to arrive in such a beautiful machine.

- Dennis Buterbaugh, abc27 Consumer Reporter

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