Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe A Worthy Replacement

Personal coupes have been some of the best cars that Mercedes has built over the years. Who could forget the elegance of the W123 or the angular good looks of the W124 series cars? The latest Mercedes-Benz CLE aims to capture some of their magic and this time does it as a standalone model line, intended to replace both the modern C-Class and E-Class coupes.
 

With dimensions and powertrains aping the larger E but an interior drawn straight from the C-Class copybook, it straddles an interesting line, being bigger and more luxurious than an Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series but not quite so stratospheric as an 8 Series or a Lexus LC. We’ve driven the Mercedes CLE 300 and 450 petrol versions round Basque country and in diesel form in the UK to see if it’s a compromise too far or the best of both worlds.
 
The Mercedes-Benz CLE went on sale in November 2023, priced from £46,605 for the entry-level CLE 200 AMG Line.
 
What engines are available for the Mercedes CLE?
It’s quite a wide range of powertrains, even for the UK market. The range kicks off with the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder CLE 200 petrol, offering up 201bhp and 236 lb ft and good for 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds.
 
The CLE 300 ups this to 254bhp and 295lb ft from the same engine, and adds 4Matic four-wheel drive for 0-62 in 6.2 seconds. At the top of the range sits our preferred choice – the 3.0-litre, straight-six CLE 450, with 376bhp, 369lb ft, and a 4.4-second 0-62mph sprint.
 
There’s even a diesel – the 197bhp, 325lb ft CLE 220 d. Though marginally slower than the 200 petrol at 7.5 seconds to 62, it promises up to 60mpg – definitely achievable, if our experience of recent Merc diesels is anything to go by.
 

All of the pure combustion models benefit from Merc’s EQ Boost mild hybrid tech, providing a wodge of extra torque to smooth out the gaps in the engine’s power delivery. If you like your hybrids to be hot rather than lemon and herb, a CLE 300 e plug-in hybrid will join the range – though Merc hasn’t offered up any figures, we’d expect this to mirror the 300 e powertrain you get in the C- and E-Class with a 2.0-litre four-pot, 60+ miles of (claimed) EV range and a little over 300bhp on tap.
 
Okay, enough numbers. What are they like to drive?
The Mercedes CLE, at least before AMG’s had a chance to get its hands on it, is not a sports car. Though both engines we tried were undeniably rapid, that speed’s best deployed on a wide A-road or motorway rather than twisting through a B-road.
 
It’s not that it’s not capable – it is. The steering’s direct and accurate, and the four-wheel steering we had on both models we tested makes for a car that shrinks around you a little in tight bends as well as the illusion of a slightly more active back end.
 
It’s more that there’s no real payoff for sticking it into a corner. The helm never really weights up or feeds anything back, and the most powerful models being 4WD means there’s little opportunity for a bit of juvenile fun either.
 
Driven in a more relaxed manner, it’s excellent. The ride was a bit more floaty on the 300 than on the 450 – almost like air suspension, though the CLE is conventionally sprung. Regardless, it’s good at ironing out most larger bumps, with just a bit of patter over poor surfaces disturbing the refinement.
 

The CLE 220 d works harmoniously, too. The comfortable, comforting nature of the drive suits the diesel engine’s torquey power delivery. Although cars fuelled from the black pump are rapidly falling out of favour, there’s still a great deal to recommend this if you’re looking to cover huge distances in a relaxed, stress-free manner.
 
Wind and road noise are both very well contained. The 300 four-pot sounds a little strained when revved, the 220 diesel majors on quietness – the 450 sounds better, though both models pump in a degree of artificial noise if you flip them into Sport mode.
 
What’s it like inside?
We’re a bit disappointed the Mercedes CLE isn’t pillarless like its illustrious predecessors – this always makes a coupe feel special. There’s quite a bit to like in here, though, even though we’d have rather liked to have seen an implementation of the E-Class interior.
 
Instead, the dashboard is lifted from the C-Class in the main, so it’s dominated by a portrait-oriented 11.9-inch touchscreen that controls most of the major functions including the HVAC. Though physical controls would be preferable this is one of the better touchscreens around – it’s quite well-designed for fat fingers and the climate controls are permanently visible so you can make adjustments on the fly without having to dive into too many menus.
 
The 12.3-inch driver display is clear and legible, though the steering wheel with its four spokes of touch-sensitive controls remains unnecessarily complicated.
 

Further back, you get big, supportive and very comfortable front seats with tons of adjustment – there’s also a handy butler to pass you your seatbelt. The rear seats are unsurprisingly less capacious, but there’s still room for a six-footer to sit behind a driver of the same size, which is impressive. The 420-litre boot is a good space too, with room for a fair few suitcases or the obligatory set of golf clubs.
 
Interior quality isn’t up to the best, though. As is typical with Mercedes you get a lot of glossy plastic that collects fingerprints like a magnet, and while most touchpoints are high-quality there are areas of the dash that creak alarmingly when pressed. We’re also not fans of the touch-sensitive steering wheel controls for the cruise control – they are hugely frustrating to use, and can’t hold a candle to the more conventional stalk used in previous models.
 
Verdict
We reckon there’s rather more C- than E- here, making the CLE feel closer to the A5/4-Series class than to larger coupes. That makes it a tad too restrained for our tastes – big personal coupes are all about being ostentatious, after all – but it does make for a car that’s likely to be very easy to live with.
 
For our money, it’s the 450 petrol that’s worth plumping for, though the diesel isn’t too bad a choice for mile-misers. Just test out a 4 Series first, as it’s better to drive. The CLE, however, does feel like a good platform for AMG to work its magic on – something we’re looking forward to.
 
Relaxing rather than exciting, the CLE will find favour with exactly the same sort of buyers who purchased the old C- and E-Class coupes. Which is just what it’s meant to do.