A breath of fresh air from Stuttgart

The Irish launch of the impressive new CLS was overshadowed by the announcement the next day of a complete recall of the range, part of a 1.3 million vehicle recall made last week. The problems centre on potential electrical faults, though Mercedes has been quick to point out that none of them pose any safety risks.

Up to 3,000 cars are being recalled here, with letters going to owners in the coming weeks. Problems relate to alternators, batteries and the Sensotronic brake system on some cars. Most affected is the E-Class.

The biggest recall in the marque's history, it has put a damper on the arrival of a fetching addition to the range aimed at those with healthy bank balances, a taste for sports cars, but a need to accommodate the family. It's yet another developing niche, but one that's likely to strike a cord with several Irish motorists.

Indeed, according to Matt Fagan, outgoing managing director of Mercedes Ireland, the first Irish order came in within hours of the Vision CLS concept being unveiled at Frankfurt in September 2003. That was even before Mercedes had confirmed the car would go into production.

Since then, over 200 CLSs - the Irish quota so far - have been booked for Irish owners while another 400 are keenly awaiting the chance to buy.

A four-door coupé, the car comes in at about the same size as the S-Class, but with far more sporting appeal. Back seats have legroom for two adults, even if headroom is slightly restricted by the sloping roof and rear window. A headroom issue arises when entering and exiting the rear - you have to stoop to get under the rear c-pillar.

One makes such compromises for styling, however, and the end result is certainly more roomy in the back than competitors such as the BMW 6-Series. The rest of the interior is true Mercedes - with the regulation dash and controls from the rest of the range.

Externally, it's a sleek and entirely stylish coupé. The engine range starts with the 3.5-litre CLS 350, offering 272bhp. There's also a 306bhp CLS 500 and 476bhp CLS 55 AMG. Unlike other coupés in its class, a diesel version will also be on offer, with the V6 320 Cdi model arriving here in August.

It's also well priced for its class: the CLS 350 starts at €84,610, the CLS 500 at €103,635 and the CLS 55 AMG at €145,670. Both the 350 and 500 are better priced than equivalent 6-Series models. In the affluent Mercedes customer base, these sort of prices are not regarded as expensive, according to Fagan.

Claimed to reflect the new Mercedes design lines, the CLS is a breath of fresh air for a company that has suffered of late from reliability issues, mainly electrical.

Problems at corporate level and a record recall may undermine confidence in the brand, but it shouldn't slow praise for end products, such as the CLS. It would be a pity if electrical issues were to harm the reputation of a welcome arrival.