New Mercedes CLS 400 d Gets Active Exhaust Sound, Diesel Disguised as AMG

The CLS is not a sports car, but a luxury Mercedes model, available with air suspension and self-driving features. As such, it's also offered with some frugal diesel engines, which are among the most refined six-cylinder units of their kind.

There's the CLS 350 d, making 286 horsepower, which would be a match for the performance of an Audi A7 50 TDI. But Daimler also makes a twin-turbo inline-6, powering the CLS 400 d. The model makes 340 HP, comes standard with 4Matic and will hit 100 km/h in 5 seconds.

It doesn't sound particularly corrupt, as you'll see in the second video attached below our story. In fact, we can think of a few gasoline-powered luxury cars that can't compare. And once you're inside, Mercedes pipes fake noises through the speakers to enhance the experience.

But that's nothing an excellent active sound system can't fix. The technology has been around for a few years and is available on series cars too, like the SQ7. It consists of individual speaker-like membranes, usually installed next to the muffler tips.

But the real genius here is in the software development. Cete Automotive GmbH manages not only to match the revs of the engine and cover up anything that would give the diesel away but also created separate profiles for the driving modes, with higher mid-tones or low-range, depending on what you're looking for.

All configurations sound like a generic AMG engine, with the comfort setting being the most discreet of them all. There's even some fake pops and bangs when you lift off the gas.

This appears to be an Edition 1 model, so it's worth a pretty penny. We'd like to know your thoughts on this. Is the CLS 400 d classy or are you better off spending a bit more money on a V8-powered AMG like the E63 S?