Buying a Used Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 in the UAE
The CLS is the car that invented a body style. Mercedes-Benz put a coupé roofline on an E-Class saloon in 2004, called it a four-door coupé, and within a decade nearly every premium maker had one. Twenty years later the CLS is out of production and the used market is the only market there is.
The short answer: the CLS 350 is an E-Class underneath, with a 2.0-litre turbo four, rear-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic. It is quiet, long-legged and unusually good-looking for the money. What separates a good buy from a bad one here is not the mileage — it is the spec, the service record and what warranty is left.
What the C257 CLS actually is
The third-generation CLS, chassis code C257, ran from 2018 until August 2023. It shares its platform, engines and electronics with the W213 E-Class, which is good news: the mechanical parts are common, well understood and stocked everywhere in the UAE.
What it does not share is the body. The CLS is 5.0 metres long on a 2,938 mm wheelbase and only 1,435 mm tall, with frameless side windows and a roofline that falls in one line into the boot lid. That is roughly the height of a sports saloon on the footprint of a limousine.
| CLS 350 (C257) | |
|---|---|
| Engine | M264 2.0 L turbo four + 48V EQ Boost |
| Power / torque | 295 hp / 400 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 6.0 seconds |
| Transmission | 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive |
| Length / wheelbase / height | 5,000 mm / 2,938 mm / 1,435 mm |
| Seats | 5 |
| Production | 2018 – August 2023 |
One detail worth knowing if you are cross-shopping older CLSs: the first two generations seated four, with two sculpted rear buckets and no middle seat. The C257 introduced a three-place bench. If you need to put three people in the back, only the 2018-onwards car will do it.
The engine and the 48-volt system
The CLS 350 is a four-cylinder, and that puts some buyers off before they drive one. The engine is the M264: 2.0 litres, turbocharged, 295 hp and 400 Nm, paired with the nine-speed 9G-Tronic and driving the rear wheels. Nought to 100 km/h takes 6.0 seconds.
Bolted to it is EQ Boost, Mercedes' 48-volt mild-hybrid system. A single belt-driven electric machine does the work of both the alternator and the starter motor. Three things follow from that:
- Stop-start becomes invisible. The engine restarts through the belt machine rather than a conventional starter, so there is no shudder at the lights — which matters more than it sounds in a city with a lot of lights.
- The turbo gap gets filled. The electric machine adds torque instantly while the turbocharger is still building boost, so the car pulls away cleanly from low revs.
- It can coast with the engine off. On a lifted throttle at speed the engine can shut down entirely and the 48-volt system keeps everything else running.
What it is not is a hybrid in the sense most people mean. It never drives the car on electricity alone and there is nothing to plug in. Treat it as a refinement and consumption feature, not a powertrain.
What it is like to live with in Dubai
This is a long-distance car that happens to look like a coupé. On Sheikh Zayed Road or the E11 to Abu Dhabi it is quiet, stable and geared to sit at 120 km/h barely working. The 400 Nm arrives early enough that overtaking never needs a downshift you notice.
The compromises are the ones the shape implies, and you should know them before you buy rather than after:
- Rear headroom is the real limit. Anyone over about 185 cm will find the roofline close. Sit in the back before you commit.
- Rear visibility through that shallow screen is poor. The cameras do the work.
- Boot access is a saloon opening, not a hatch, despite the sloping tail.
- Low-speed ride on the larger AMG Line wheels is firmer over Dubai's expansion joints than the same car on smaller rims.
None of these is a fault. They are the price of the shape, and the shape is the reason to buy the car.
GCC spec versus an import
A GCC-specification car was built for this region: higher-capacity cooling and air-conditioning, extra sealing against dust, and a specification signed off for Gulf ambient temperatures. It is also the only kind of car that is normally eligible for local manufacturer warranty and dealer service plans.
An imported car — typically from the United States, Japan or Europe — can be entirely sound, and some are better equipped. But it will usually be harder to verify, harder to warranty locally, and worth noticeably less when you come to sell. In this market the spec badge is a resale asset, not a technicality.
Check it on the car, not in the advert: the specification appears on the manufacturer's data plate and on the dealer's service record. Ask to see both.
Eight things to check on a used CLS 350
- The service record, by name. In Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates the official Mercedes-Benz dealer is Gargash; in Abu Dhabi it is Emirates Motor Company. A complete dealer history is worth real money and is easy to verify with a phone call.
- Remaining manufacturer warranty, and whether it transfers to a second owner. Ask for the exact expiry date and confirm it with the dealer — not with the seller.
- Any prepaid service contract. These are sold separately from warranty, they are worth thousands, and they do not always transfer automatically. Our guide to UAE warranties and service contracts explains how to check both properly.
- Tyre date codes. The four-digit DOT code on the sidewall gives the week and year of manufacture. Gulf heat ages rubber faster than mileage does; tyres over four years old want replacing whatever the tread says.
- Panel gaps and paint depth down both flanks. The CLS has long, unbroken sides, which makes previous repair work unusually easy to spot in raking light.
- Every screen and every seat motor. The twin 12.3-inch displays, the ambient lighting, the memory seats and the panoramic roof are the expensive things to fix. Cycle all of them.
- Air suspension, if fitted. Let the car sit for an hour and check it has not settled unevenly. Not every CLS has it — confirm which system the car in front of you actually has.
- Fines, Salik balance and any finance registered against the car. None of these transfer cleanly, and an outstanding loan will stop the transfer dead.
What one is worth in 2026
Dealer listings for 2022–2023 CLS 350s in Dubai in September 2026 mostly sit between roughly AED 280,000 and AED 330,000. Mileage moves that number less than people expect. What moves it are three things: GCC specification, a complete dealer history, and how much warranty and service cover is left to run.
That last one is routinely underpriced. A car with three years of manufacturer warranty and a paid service contract still on it has had a five-figure liability removed from the next owner's ownership — and it is frequently advertised at the same money as a car with neither.
If you are weighing this against the obvious alternatives, the CLS versus E-Class versus Audi A7 comparison puts the three side by side. And if you want the wider picture on why there will never be a new one, we wrote about the end of the CLS separately.
A note on how we list cars
Drivaza does not own the cars advertised in its buy and sell section. We see a car before its advert goes live and check that it matches its photos and description, then introduce serious buyers to the owner. We are not the seller, we do not warrant the vehicle, and we always recommend an independent inspection before money changes hands.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mercedes CLS 350 a four-cylinder?
Yes. In the C257 CLS 350 the engine is the M264, a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four producing 295 hp and 400 Nm, assisted by a 48-volt EQ Boost starter-generator. It reaches 100 km/h in about 6.0 seconds. People expecting six cylinders in a car this size are often surprised, but the 400 Nm arrives low and the car is geared long, so it does not feel short of engine on Sheikh Zayed Road.
How many people does a CLS 350 seat?
Five. The third-generation CLS (C257, 2018–2023) replaced the four-seat rear layout of the earlier cars with a three-place bench, so the middle seat is usable. Headroom in the back is the real constraint, not seat count — the roofline is 1,435 mm tall and drops away sharply behind the rear doors.
What does 48V EQ Boost actually do?
It replaces the alternator and starter with one belt-driven electric machine running on a 48-volt system. In practice it does three things: it restarts the engine almost imperceptibly at traffic lights, it fills the momentary gap in torque when the turbo is still spooling, and it lets the engine switch off while coasting. It is not a hybrid you plug in and it does not drive the car on its own.
Is a GCC-spec CLS better than an imported one?
For a car that will live in the Gulf, yes. GCC cars are built with higher-capacity cooling and air-conditioning and extra dust sealing, and — more importantly for a buyer — only a GCC car is normally eligible for the local manufacturer warranty and dealer service plans. An imported car can be perfectly sound, but it is worth materially less at resale here and its history is harder to verify.
What should a CLS 350 cost in the UAE in 2026?
For a 2022–2023 car with under 50,000 km, dealer listings in Dubai in September 2026 generally sit between roughly AED 280,000 and AED 330,000, with condition, mileage and remaining warranty driving most of the spread. Private sales run below that. Always check what the specific car still carries in warranty and service cover before comparing two prices — it is often worth more than the mileage difference.
How much is servicing a CLS 350 in Dubai?
A routine A- or B-service at the official dealer is the smaller cost; the ones that hurt are the scheduled items — brake fluid, spark plugs, air and cabin filters, transmission service — that land together at set intervals. This is exactly why a prepaid service contract that still has years to run is worth checking for. A car with cover to 2028 has already had those bills paid by somebody else.