Geneva Preview: 2012 Brabus CLS adds dose of sport, economy

Brabus has released its tuning package for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS range ahead of its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show. As with all things Brabus, the package for the CLS leaves no stone unturned, from an aero and appearance package to the suspension and, finally, the engine.

Outside, the car gets a revised front bumper with bigger air intakes, new LED daytime running lights and a front splitter. There's also a set of gilled fenders sporting the Brabus logo and side skirts that give the car the appearance of an even lower stance and helpful entry lights so you don't bash a shin at night.

Keeping things stuck to the ground is a Bilstein suspension supporting your choice of six styles of Brabus rollers, ranging from 8.5x17s to monster 10.5x20-inch trash-can lids. In a bid for the eco vote, Brabus has focused its tuning efforts on the Mercedes-Benz BlueEfficiency diesel engines. The CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency gets a 31-horsepower bump and an astonishing 413 pound feet of torque.

On the higher-spec CLS 350 CDI, the engine mods are dual-mode. In eco mode, the car gets pushed to 509 lb-ft from 457, while horsepower stays the same. Hit the sport mode button, and you're looking at climbing to 309 hp from 261. That translates into a 5.9-second 0-60 sprint and the inevitable 155 mile per hour top speed. Want more? See the complete press release after the break and be sure to peruse our high-res image gallery below.

New Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Autocar has just outed some spy shots of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class as it was being tested. The upcoming vehicle, which has a codename of W222, isn’t due officially until 2013, and the pictures still show a heavily covered-up vehicle to hide the car’s exterior from the public eye.

While not much gets past the extensive camouflage of the upcoming S-Class, there’s definitely some amazing curves lurking behind all that cladding. That’s because the new S-Class is supposedly going to take some design inspiration off the F700 concept showcased at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The car will be powered by a new range of V6 and V8 petrol engines from the MoVe line, along with some diesels—including the smallest S-Class engine, the 2.2-liter four-cylinder used by the S250 CDI that goes for 201 brake horsepower.

It is said that the upcoming S-Class will not be using any cabin designs from current models, although it may take some interior cues from the last Geneva Motor Show concept, the F800 Style. There should be extensive use of wood and aluminum with heavily contoured design architecture.

Of course, no S-Class is complete without a full line of the latest technology Merc can cram inside a vehicle. A couple of front-facing video cameras included in the rear-view mirror console is one of the features expected to be among the tech specs of the next S-Class. There’s also a next-gen damping system called Magic Ride Control, which is said to be able to reduce movements of the car body by half. It will also include pedestrian detection and a low-speed cruise control system.