Few are likely to disagree that the Mercedes-Benz CLS is one gorgeous piece of automotive eye candy but with prices starting just north of the R800 000 mark, this coupé-inspired four-door sedan is only accessible to the very privileged.
Luckily the CLS will soon welcome a baby brother into the fold and it'll be based on the Style Coupé concept car that you see here. While we're not expecting it to be dirt cheap, the fact that it will be built on an extended version of the new A-Class platform means that the compact four-door coupe should at least work out cheaper than the C-Class.
The carmaker describes its design as “nonconformist, provocative and masculine” but of real interest is how they say it's “almost production standard”, meaning that (barring some of the more elaborate details) the final product - which is likely to be called the 'CLA' - will take a similar form to this.
ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
Same goes for the mechanicals. Though the concept shares its 155kW direct-injection, 2-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol engine with the new A-Class, the Style Coupé's power is sent to all four wheels via Merc's 4Matic all-wheel drive system that's also expected to be used in the forthcoming A-Class AMG.
However, as per the A-Class, the CLA will also be available in front-wheel drive form and offer the option of a less powerful 1.6-litre turbopetrol as well as a small turbodiesel.
Moving into the four-seat cabin, the Style Coupé concept uses a jazzed up version of the A-Class dashboard, so you can expect them to tone it back down for the production model, which is expected to break loose next year.