2018 Mercedes-Benz CLS Already Spotted in German Traffic, Looks Polarizing

In less than a week from the official introduction of the third-generation CLS, an example of the four-door coupe was spotted in German traffic, as you'll get to see in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page - this is obviously a manufacturer vehicle.

While the second incarnation of the CLS wasn't as spectacular as the original, which can be credited with popularizing the four-door coup genre, the newcomer's posterior has proved to be a turnoff for many aficionados.

Perhaps the three-pointed start's efforts to set the 2018 CLS apart from the upcoming 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT Four-Door (the nameplate used here is provisional) are responsible for the styling cues found at the rear of the car.

Regardless, the world wide web has already had its way with the new CLS. For starters, the Merc was rendered as a Shooting Brake, despite the fact that the generation change has confined the S/B to the history books.

A wave of other renderings building on the 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS followed, which is how we met the Coupe, Cabriolet and the... pickup truck incarnations of the machine (gear heads from Down Under will call it an UTE).

Oh, and let's not forget the Mercedes-AMG rendering of the CLS. Nevertheless, you shouldn't call this a "63". And that's because we probably won't get such a model, given the cannibalization prevention plan mentioned above.

With or without the Mercedes-AMG badge, the range-topping CLS should be the expected "50" model. The model we're talking about is set to be animated by a meatier version of the CLS450 4Matic's mild-hybrid inline-six powertrain (the latter packs 367 internal combustion ponies plus 22 electric horses). We'll get to see the newcomer sometime next year.