Mercedes CLS facelift previewed ahead of Goodwood launch

The facelifted Mercedes-Benz CLS has been previewed in a series of official pictures ahead of its official international debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next week.

Along with its official pictures of the model, Mercedes has confirmed it will be using new Multibeam LED headlights for the first time. Features including a dazzle-free main beam, headlights which turn to illuminate a corner before it's reached, and a system which connects to the car's navigation software to illuminate roundabouts.

Prototypes of the new four-door CLS coupe have been spotted virtually undisguised, including one prototype with the new, more aggressive front and rear bumpers which suggest it is an AMG variant. Elements set to be included on the upgraded standard car include a revised front grille and headlights. A new steering wheel with metallic accents alongside a slightly larger central infotainment screen is likely. The model is expected to use the latest version of Mercedes' Comand infotainment software, and could well feature the same touch-pad controller seen on the recent international C-class.

Engine options are set to carry over from the current CLS of international markets, meaning outputs ranging from 201bhp in the entry-level 250 CDI to 549bhp in the top-spec CLS63 AMG version. Some engines could also be offered with Mercedes' new nine-speed 9G Tronic transmission.

As for the new multi-beam LED headlamp technology that is debuting on this new CLS - High-resolution precision LED modules, each with 24 individually controlled high-performance LEDs, automatically illuminate the road with a precision-controlled distribution of exceptionally bright light – without dazzling other road users.

A camera positioned behind the windscreen delivers the information with which four units control the ideal light pattern 100 times per second. The anticipatory camera-based active light function on bends and the new navigation-based light function for roundabouts are also unique. The new tech gives the international CLS yet another first, given that in 2010 it got dynamic all-LED high-performance headlamps featuring adaptive light functions – a world first in a production automobile. Mercedes says these headlamps expand the Intelligent Light System's previous functionality (Adaptive Highbeam Assist, country mode, motorway mode, fog lamps, active light function, cornering light function, LED daytime driving lamps) with a number of outstanding, innovative lighting features.

"The first LED headlamps with all the adaptive functions of the Intelligent Light System have been available to our customers since 2010 in the CLS," says Prof Dr Thomas Weber, nember of the Daimler Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. "With multi-beam LED technology the headlamps now are able to react even more quickly, more precisely and individually to changing traffic conditions. On top of this, there are expanded functions of which a driver will become directly aware, such as anticipatory camera-based curve recognition with the active light function."