CLS 350 vs E-Class vs Audi A7
Around AED 250,000 in Dubai buys a large, fast, comfortable executive car from any of the German three. The interesting part is that the three obvious answers are not variations on a theme — they are three genuinely different propositions wearing similar prices.
The short answer: the E-Class is the sensible one, the A7 is the practical one, and the CLS is the one you buy because of how it looks. All three are defensible. What you should not do is buy the CLS expecting E-Class rear headroom, or the A7 expecting Mercedes resale.
The three, side by side
| CLS 350 | E-Class (E 300/350) | A7 Sportback 55 TFSI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Four-door coupé, saloon boot | Saloon | Liftback |
| Engine | 2.0 turbo four + 48V | 2.0 turbo four + 48V | 3.0 V6 turbo + 48V |
| Power | 295 hp | ~255–295 hp by variant | 340 hp |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive | Rear-wheel drive | quattro AWD |
| Rear headroom | Tightest | Best | Middle |
| Load access | Saloon aperture | Saloon aperture | Full-width tailgate |
| Still in production | No (ended 2023) | Yes | Yes |
| Resale in the UAE | Narrow but finite market | Strongest | Generally softest of the three |
Engine outputs vary by model year and variant, so check the individual car rather than the badge. The rows that do not change are the ones about shape: body style, load access and rear headroom are structural, and no amount of specification fixes them.
Mercedes-Benz CLS 350
The CLS is an E-Class underneath with a roof 60-odd millimetres lower and a completely different silhouette on top. Five metres long, 1,435 mm tall, frameless windows, and a tail that drops in one unbroken line.
What you gain: presence. This is the only one of the three that people look at. It is also mechanically identical to the E-Class in the ways that cost money to fix, so its running costs are E-Class running costs, and it is the only one whose supply is now fixed — nothing new is being built.
What you give up: rear headroom, rear visibility and boot aperture. It has a saloon boot lid despite looking like a hatch. If you have teenagers or regularly carry three in the back, this is the wrong car and no test drive around the block will reveal that — you have to sit in it.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
The E-Class is the default answer, and it is the default answer for good reasons. It has the most rear space, the easiest access, the widest dealer and independent workshop coverage in the UAE, and by a distance the deepest pool of buyers when you sell.
What you gain: practicality and liquidity. Every workshop knows it. Every parts counter stocks it. When you list it, someone is looking for it.
What you give up: distinction. There are a great many E-Classes in Dubai, which is precisely why the resale is strong and precisely why nobody will look twice. If that trade-off is invisible to you, buy the E-Class — it is the more sensible car and this guide is not going to pretend otherwise.
Audi A7 Sportback
The A7 answers the CLS with a genuine engineering advantage: it is a liftback. The rear screen lifts with the tailgate, giving a load opening the full width of the car. It looks like a four-door coupé and loads like an estate, which neither Mercedes does.
The 55 TFSI adds a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 — around 340 hp and 500 Nm, quattro all-wheel drive, and a 0–100 km/h time in the low five seconds. That is a step up in both cylinders and traction over the CLS 350's four-cylinder rear-drive layout.
What you gain: load space, all-wheel-drive traction, two more cylinders and the most screen-led cabin of the three.
What you give up: resale, generally. Audi's used market in this region tends to be softer than Mercedes' or BMW's. That is a cost if you are selling in three years, and a discount if you are the one buying — the same fact, read from either side of the deal.
Which one is for you
| If you... | Choose |
|---|---|
| Carry adults in the back regularly | E-Class |
| Plan to sell inside three years | E-Class |
| Load bulky things — prams, clubs, cases | A7 |
| Want the most engine for the money | A7 55 TFSI |
| Mostly drive alone or with one passenger | CLS |
| Want the car to look like nothing else | CLS |
| Want Mercedes running costs without Mercedes anonymity | CLS |
One thing that outranks all of it: the individual car beats the model choice. A well-documented, GCC-spec CLS with warranty still running is a better purchase than a cheaper E-Class with a thin history, and the reverse is equally true. Check the specific car before you argue about the badge — the Dubai used-Mercedes checklist is how, and the warranty and service contract guide covers the part most buyers skip.
Full details on the Mercedes in this comparison are in the CLS 350 buying guide, and everything currently listed is in the Drivaza buy and sell section.
Frequently asked questions
Is the CLS just an E-Class with a different roof?
Mechanically, largely yes — same platform, same engines, same gearbox, same electronics. The differences are the body, the seating position and the roofline, and they change the car more than that description suggests: the CLS is lower, longer-looking and tighter in the back, and it is the only one of the three that is no longer built.
Which has the most usable boot: CLS, E-Class or A7?
The A7, and it is not close. It is a liftback — the whole rear screen lifts with the tailgate, so you get an opening the width of the car. The CLS and the E-Class both have conventional saloon boot lids with a much smaller aperture, even though the CLS looks like a hatchback from the outside.
Is the Audi A7 all-wheel drive?
Yes, quattro all-wheel drive is standard on the A7 Sportback. The CLS 350 and most E-Class variants sold in the region are rear-wheel drive. In the UAE this matters far less than it would in a cold climate — it is mainly a traction and stability difference under hard acceleration, not a weather one.
Which is best for rear passengers?
The E-Class, comfortably. It is the tallest of the three at the rear and the easiest to get into. The A7 is next. The CLS is the tightest — its roofline is the whole point of the car and rear headroom is what pays for it. If you regularly carry adults in the back, sit in one before you buy.
Which holds its value best in the UAE?
The E-Class, as a rule: it is still in production, it sells in the highest volume, every workshop knows it and there is always a buyer. The CLS is a narrower market but a finite one, since production ended in 2023. Audi generally has a softer used market in the region than Mercedes or BMW, which is a real cost if you sell in three years and an equally real discount if you are the one buying.
Which should I actually buy?
If you carry people in the back or plan to sell within three years, the E-Class. If you load bulky things, the A7 and its liftback. If the car is largely for you and one passenger and you want it to look like nothing else on the road, the CLS — and buy the best-documented one you can find rather than the cheapest.