Mercedes-Benz CLE 450 4MATIC Hasn’t Completely Forgotten Its Roots

I am an unabashed fan of Mercedes-Benz coupes—a luxurious two-door GT just fits the classic Mercedes ethos so well. Yet I was more than a little skeptical of the new CLE coupe. The company has lost its way in recent years with the misfire of the EQ range, a string of disappointments from AMG, and an emphasis on tech over real substance. In a lot of ways that matter, the CLE450, thankfully, still feels like a Mercedes.
 

You’re probably wondering what a “CLE” is among MB’s bewilderingly vast lineup of cars. Essentially, it’s a replacement for both the old C- and E-Class coupes. It’s within a half-inch of the old E-Class coupe in every dimension, but it ditches that car’s pillarless design and borrows the vast majority of its interior from the new C-Class. Yet unlike the new C-Class sedan, it’s not limited to four-cylinder power—this CLE450 4Matic has a 3.0-liter straight-six under the hood.
 
Praise be. This ‘six is undoubtedly the best thing about the CLE. You get smooth, effortless power and torque—375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet—a subdued growl when you get on it, and near silence otherwise. (Though you do have to go into a menu and turn the active sound enhancement feature off, otherwise the speakers play an extremely uncouth, gruff engine note.)
 
Pros: Wonderful Straight-Six Engine, Handsome Design, Useful Driver-Assist Tech
 
Mercedes uses a 48-volt starter-generator motor attached to the crank, making the whole thing feel wonderfully responsive. Even in a high gear, get on the throttle and the e-motor delivers immediate torque while the gas engine builds up steam. The word I keep coming back to is “cultured,” and for an engine in a car like this, I can think of no higher praise.
 
This engine also gives the car real personality, which helps tie it back to its forebears. Drive a W124-generation E-Class and its straight-six does similar things. Obviously, there’s nowhere near as much power, yet that feeling of imperiousness is there as it is here. But the CLE450 feels damn quick, too. Mercedes says 0-60 mph takes 4.2 seconds. While that might not seem like much in today’s world of EVs, it’s rapid for a luxury coupe like this. And like any good old six-cylinder Mercedes, it feels even quicker when you’re already at speed.
 
The rest of the CLE’s driving experience is good, if not spectacular. It handles well, though I wouldn’t call it sporty by any means. It can be a little floaty and sometimes harsh surfaces unsettle the car. I also suspect it might feel better on its standard 19-inch wheels rather than these 20s, yet as it sits, this is still a very comfortable car. And an effortless one too, which is what you want from this sort of thing. A Mercedes coupe should be as good a daily driver as it is a long-distance cruiser, and it should handle well when called upon. The CLE ticks all of these boxes.
 

Cons: Chintzy Interior, Big screen, Doesn’t Feel Like A Step Forward
 
Unfortunately, the rest inspires conflicting feelings. The big central screen dominates the interior and while it works well—big screen means big icons, which means easy to use—it looks chintzy. The haptic buttons on the steering wheel feel cheap and are difficult to use, too, as is the single pad for mirror adjustments. The overall look of the interior is nice, if you don’t mind the big screen, yet a lot of the materials throughout feel cheap.
 
Then there’s the fact that things like lumbar adjustment are buried menus deep in the infotainment system. Put another way, a classic Mercedes owner probably wouldn’t feel very at home here.
 
Not all the tech is bad, though. The $1,950 Driver Assistance Package has a great auto lane-change system that works especially well on longer interstate slogs. Plus, the infotainment system is responsive and intuitive. It’s also a good-looking car, and quite head-turning in this Patagonia Red, a $1,750 option, though.
 
My big problem, though, is that—other than the updated driver-assist system—the CLE just doesn’t represent an improvement over the old E-Class coupe. It’s not just that the CLE ditches the E’s pillarless design, but that the old E450 used the same wonderful engine, drove just as well, and had a nicer interior.
 

With its $66,800 base price, the CLE 450 is actually cheaper than the old E450, which started at $70,800. But if I were in the market for a luxurious, six-cylinder Mercedes coupe, I’d have a very hard time not just seeking out a gently used E450 over the new CLE. This new car is, at best, a step sideways.
 
That’s kind of the story with Mercedes these days. The best we can hope for is a lateral move. Like every automaker out there, the company has to commit additional development resources to electrification, which can lead to the dilution of the core product. Yet others are managing the transition better.
 
The CLE is a good reminder that Mercedes hasn’t forgotten how to make cars that drive in a way that lives up to the star on the grille. It’s just hard to say that this is a better car than the old E-Class coupe in any meaningful way. It doesn’t make the CLE unworthy on its own, but it is reflective of larger problems at the world’s oldest, grandest automaker.