YouTube Artist Gives 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLS "More Presence" With Mild Redesign

Looking to give the CLS "more presence," the YouTuber removes many of the coupe's frowning front fascia angles. He creates a better balance between the front fascia and the bumper by redesigning the big grille and the headlamps with lines pointing toward the center rather than upward.

It feels as if it sends the CLS back in time a few years, but the redesign indeed adds a bit of class to the four-door coupe. "TheSketchMonkey" also fixes the big sloping angle of the front hood.

More importantly, he adds a shoulder line to break the featureless area from the lower window trim to the side skirts. The character line adds some tension to the design, but it also reminds me of the first-generation CLS, arguably the coolest looking version of the four-door coupe.

Rear-end updates are similar to those applied to the front fascia. The artist reduces the rear decklid slope, widens the angular taillights, and deletes the bumper vents. These changes seem minor when discussed separately, but put them all together, and the CLS's rear end becomes wider and sexier.

It's an interesting take on a four-door coupe that might not be around for long. Word has it, Mercedes-Benz is sharpening the ax for the CLS and the lack of significant mid-cycle upgrades reinforces the rumors.

Introduced in 2018, the third-generation CLS will be around for another two to three years, which means the nameplate could disappear altogether in 2023. Or it could be replaced by an all-electric EQ model. But I guess we'll have to wait and find out.