The Mercedes-Benz Performance Sedan That Created An Entirely New Segment

Not all coupes are created equal and have only two doors. In the 1990s, coupes were two-door models with fixed roofs and a sloping roofline that tapered off toward the rear. Think Toyota Celica, Volkswagen Corrado, Honda Prelude, and Alfa Romeo GTV. These coupes followed the formula of a conventional coupe.

However, in the early 2000s, Mercedes-Benz introduced a model that would kickstart an entirely new body style, which still exists today: the four-door coupe. Bucking the notion that coupes only had two doors, it was a significant moment for the hallowed German automaker and the entire automotive industry.

The World’s First Four-Door Coupe

The genesis of the four-door coupe segment, which is populated by models from the biggest marques in the automotive industry in the modern age, can be traced back to the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Production of the first-generation Mercedes-Benz CLS began in 2003 and continued until 2010, whereafter the second-generation CLS debuted and introduced the manufacturer’s 4MATIC system to the CLS-Class range.

However, before the production-ready Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class arrived, it was preluded by the Mercedes-Benz Vision CLS that envisioned a car with a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine, a seven-speed transmission, an electro-hydraulic brake system, excessive use of leather in the interior, oak veneer, and a glass roof. The road-going Mercedes CLS-Class debuted as a model that featured the roofline of a traditional coupe paired with a four-door chassis. It was based on the W211 E-Class platform, borrowing other important components like the engine and transmission from the E-Class.

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The AMG CLS 63 was Merc’s mid-size sedan that offered beguiling coupe styling in a practical four-door package and a sledgehammer punch from a V8.

Although sharing a lot with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (even its wheelbase measurements), the four-door coupe featured a handful of new technology which included its cornering lights, electro-hydraulic braking system (a feature previewed in the Vision CLS), a seven-speed transmission that had debuted in the E-Class that same year, and a turbodiesel engine. However, despite being based on the same platform, the CLS-Class was slightly longer, wider, had a lower ride height, and had a stiffer suspension system than the W211 E-Class. It was also less practical than the E-Class, a range home to several special AMG models.

The reason for this was its diminutive legroom, headroom, and boot space, all of which contributed to a less attractive offering to consumers, considering that it was also more costly than the E-Class. The CLS-Class debut offered three distinct derivatives: CLS 350, CLS 500, and CLS 55 AMG. Later, some models would be replaced and new models would join the fold. A while later, the CLS would be offered as a shooting brake, a model we’ve seen tuned and coaxed to 732 hp.

Performance-Crazed Pioneers

While it did lack everyday practicality compared to the model it shared a platform with, one aspect that distinguished the CLS-Class was the performance of every model, with the range populated by V6 and V8 engines. However, even in a range with commendable performance potential, the CLS 55 AMG was the most potent offering of the first batch of CLS-Class models.

It was a high-performance offshoot of the CLS-Class. However, while its stablemates enjoyed the efforts of V6 engines, the CLS 55 AMG recruited a heavily modified version of the powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine, which was bored out to 5.4 liters and endowed with a near complete overhaul of its engine internals and coaxed by a screw-type supercharger and outputting nearly 500 hp. Compared to models like the CLS 350, the CLS 55 AMG featured larger brake discs paired with eight-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear. It also had the same power as the Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, one of the most notable E-Class AMG generations. To accommodate the power from the supercharged V8, the CLS 55 AMG utilized a stronger driveshaft, heavy-duty rear suspension components, a stronger differential housing, and an impressive ESP.

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As a swoopier, less practical version of the E-Class on which it’s based, the CLS existed in an exclusive niche, and was squeezed out of the market.

As crazy as the muscle-bound four-door coupe was, it would be superseded in the model range and in performance by the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG, debuting in 2006 and would remain in every generation of the CLS-Class until 2018. It was the successor to the CLS 55 AMG, featuring the M156 V8 at its core that offered more power than the 5.4-liter unit in the CLS 55 AMG but did have less torque to accommodate the AMG Speedshfit Plus 7G-Tronic seven-speed transmission. Interestingly, this was also the first time a passenger car had used direct gasoline injection with spray-guided combustion points. Different modes of different driving styles were offered, with the Sport mode offering quicker shifts and even featuring a manual mode. Around this time, three new models were added to the CLS-Class range.

Mercedes-AMG’s Mightiest Four-Door Coupe

The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class was an important model for the German automaker. A few years after the debut of the four-door coupe, Volkswagen would be one of the first names in the newly established segment with the VW Passat CC in 2008, and more than a decade later, it would offer a slick liftback model with frameless side doors. A year later, we saw the introduction of the Porsche Panamera, a model that still lives on in the four-door coupe segment. It was accompanied by the arrival of the Audi A7 that same year. Some of the best names in the modern four-door coupe segment are BMW’s 4 Series Gran Coupe, Audi A7, BMW M8 Gran Coupe, and more.

Although production of the CLS-Class ended after the third generation production ended in 2023, the German automaker has, over the years, added more names to its list of four-door coupes. Like the CLS-CLass had some variety, so are the modern four-door coupe models in the Mercedes-Benz stables. The most notable four-door coupe in the Mercedes-AMG catalog and the entire segment is the extremely potent Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance.

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It is one of the most powerful models in the German automaker’s fleet, the most powerful production series models from Mercedes-AMG, and one of the most powerful four-door models available in 2025. At its core is a 4.0-liter BiTurbo V8, and while its distant relative from the early 2000s utilized a supercharger to eke out more power, the modern descendant relies on a capable electric drive system.

It was the first high-performance hybrid model from Mercedes-AMG and one that, like its forebearers, blends performance and comfort to separate itself from the competition further. Last year, it also had one of the highest top speeds of any AMG model available. Aside from the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance, the AMG GT range has a handful of other four-door coupe models that are offered at different price points with different performance levels. Although the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is no more, the four-door coupe segment is alive and well.

Sources: Mercedes-AMG