Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe review: pour one out for the Mercedes coupe as we know it

This is not some manic, frenetic supercar; it feels smooth, comfortable and quiet – Mercedes-Benz AG

All good things must come to an end. And it’s a fairly unanimous view that the idea of a big, comfortable, cruise-y Mercedes-Benz coupe with a creamy six-cylinder engine is a Good Thing. Which means it must follow, sadly, that such a concept cannot live forever.

This, the new CLE, could be its swansong. With demand for coupes at a low ebb, who can blame manufacturers for taking their R&D money away from cars like these, and devoting them instead to satiating the public’s surging demand for SUVs?

That’s not to say that, in future, there won’t be big, comfortable, cruise-y Mercedes-Benz coupes. But the chances are they’ll end up with a certain high-rise element to their stance – and they certainly won’t have a glorious six-pot engine beneath the bonnet.

Pros

• Smooth, comfortable driving experience
• Spacious interior
• Gutsy engine

Cons

• Set to be pricey
• Less roomy than the E-Class it replaces
• Not all that involving to drive

Old hands 

Trace the CLE’s lineage back, you can find its roots in Merc’s mid-size coupes of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Cars like the 230CE, 280CE and 300CE-24 – which were, effectively, two-door E-Classes – were slightly odd fishes in the Mercedes range, but sold well to a specific type of buyer: one who appreciated the finish and comfort of a Merc and sought the style of a two-door, but didn’t want the showiness of the big, brash S-Class coupe or the overtly aspirational SL.

The CLE’s lineage can be traced back to the mid-size coupes of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s – Mercedes-Benz AG

Later, Mercedes-Benz saw the need for a smaller car that could fit this brief, and after a slightly half-hearted effort in the form of the C-Class Sport Coupe of 2000 – which later became the short-lived CLC – the first proper two-door, three-box C-Class Coupe came along in 2012.

It is of this car that the CLE is primarily an evolution; its styling and interior owe much to the latest C-Class, though it has also been tasked with filling the void left behind by the old E-Class Coupe, which will not be replaced.

Size matters 

To that end, this new CLE is a bigger car than the C-Class, with 25mm more in the wheelbase in particular, and a consequent increase in internal space in every dimension. Buyers trading out of an E-Class will find the CLE feels narrower and its roof lower up front, while in the back there’s now much more shoulder and elbow room, but less in the way of leg room.

This is a car, then, that straddles the two size categories, making it slightly larger than both the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5, which would traditionally have been the C-Class Coupe’s chief rivals.

The CLE46s styling and interior owe much to the latest C-Class – Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Prices start at just under £47,000 for the CLE 200 AMG Line, or a touch over £49,000 for the CLE 220d. Both the CLE 300 and the CLE 450 4Matic start in a higher trim, from £55,745 and £66,265 respectively. Quite a bit more than an Audi A5 for BMW 4 Series, but given that the CLE is pitched as something a notch above those rivals in size and prestige, that’s hardly surprising.

If you’re familiar with the current C-Class, you’ll recognise the interior of the CLE as soon as you climb aboard, because it’s been shipped over wholesale. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though prior experience has told us quality and feel varies wildly depending on how much you want to spend on trim and tech.

Merc’s portrait touchscreen is still one of the better options on the market, with always-on climate controls that are relatively easy to use, and the system works quickly and relatively intuitively.

The view ahead is pretty good, and the controls are easy to use – Mercedes-Benz Group AG

And the CLE makes good on its promise of space; this is a genuine four-seater, with room even in the back for adults to travel in relative comfort. The 420-litre boot, meanwhile, is a good size, albeit not as big as the best in this class, and the rear seats fold down onto their bases so that you can load longer items through.

Up front, the seats are generously proportioned and comfortable. Settle into the driver’s seat and the view ahead is rather pleasant; visibility is generally pretty good thanks to large windows and slim pillars, and your view is framed by the twin humps on the bonnet, which remind you of the CLE’s sporting intent.

Smooth operator 

This is not, however, a sports car. Ease the CLE out on the road, and it feels smooth, comfortable and quiet, in the finest traditions of this type of Mercedes coupe. Indeed, you can barely hear the gentle hum of the 3.0-litre powerplant spinning away beneath the bonnet.

Lean on it, and that hum becomes a more purposeful growl, but the engine note always feels restrained. And ensconced in reams of leather, with wind and tyre noise almost non-existent and with the smooth-shifting, nine-speed auto box making even moderate acceleration feel seamless, that feels entirely appropriate.

The CLE450 feels crisp, balanced and well-mannered through bends – Mercedes-Benz AG

Toe the throttle down to its stop and you gain access to a deep well of torque, available from low down the rev range, thanks to the mild hybrid assistance and twin-scroll turbo, right through to the red line.

You can certainly wring it out should you choose to – but I wouldn’t bother. This is not some manic, frenetic supercar; indeed, the way it delivers all that power is entirely in-keeping.

Handling? Oh yes, it’ll do that. Through bends the CLE450 feels crisp, balanced and well-mannered, with tonnes of traction and very little in the way of a tendency to push on ahead or to step its tail out. It drives, in short, just as you’d expect a big, well-executed four-wheel-drive coupe would.

For all that, though, between the relatively light steering and slightly reluctant turn-in you just get the sense that the CLE would rather you stopped fooling around and behaved. It’ll do it, in other words, but its heart isn’t in this sort of behaviour.

The CLE Coupe’s heart lies on a big, sweeping stretch of wide tarmac with good sight lines – Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Where its heart is, in fact, is out on a big, sweeping stretch of wide tarmac with good sight lines, or even on a long continental motorway. The CLE is a true grand tourer in every fibre of its being, in other words; a car in which to smear away the miles with a good audiobook on the stereo and plenty of power underfoot, ready for when it’s needed.

Verdict

The CLE pays lip service to the idea of sportiness, but it doesn’t try to ape its firmer-riding, more honed-feeling rivals. Instead it treads its own path, and it’s one that works very well indeed.

It’s a modern take on the archetypal Mercedes coupe, and all the better for it. In much the same way as those two-door Mercs of old, the CLE feels as though it would be most at home with its nose pointed south, whisking you to a table by the Med for dinner in understated style.

It’s hard to shake the idea that you’re paying quite a bit for what is, in essence, a fluffed-up C-Class. But regardless of its provenance, the CLE slots into the role its forebears filled very nicely indeed. If this is indeed to be the swansong of the six-pot, two-door Mercedes, then it’s a fitting one.

The facts 

On test: Mercedes-Benz CLE450 AMG Line Premium Plus Coupe

Body style: Two-door coupe (also available as a two-door convertible)

On sale: November 2023

How much? TBC (est £60-65,000)

How fast? 155mph, 0-62mph in 4.4sec

How economical? 36.2mpg (WLTP Combined)

Engine & gearbox: 2,999cc six-cylinder petrol engine, nine-speed automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive

Electric powertrain: 48V integrated starter-generator with dedicated battery

Electric range: 0 miles

Maximum power/torque: 376bhp/369lb ft

CO2 emissions: 176g/km (WLTP Combined)

VED: £1,040 first year, £560 next five years, then £170

Warranty: 3 years / unlimited miles

Spare wheel as standard: TBC

The rivals 

BMW M440i xDrive Coupe

368bhp, 36.7mpg, £58,330 on the road

As an all-rounder the BMW M440i is a better bet than the Merc, but not as comfortable

On paper, this top-spec 4 Series might look very similar to the CLE450, but in character it is remarkably different. More taut, more racy, and with handling and driver involvement placed as clear priorities – yet it can also do the smooth cruiser thing pretty well, albeit not quite as convincingly as the CLE. As an all-rounder it’s a better bet. But if comfort is all, you’ll prefer the Merc.

Audi A5 45 TFSI Black Edition

261bhp, 38.2mpg, £52,425 on the road

Audi’s 45 TFSI goes toe-to-toe with the Mercedes CLE300

Audi has ditched the S5 version of its mid-sized coupe, which means there’s no real rival to the 450 version of the CLE; this 45 TFSI goes toe-to-toe with the CLE300 instead, and makes a very decent fist of it, with smart styling and a high-quality cockpit. But as a range-topper it lacks the unctuousness of the six-pot CLE.

Peugeot 508 PSE

355bhp, 158.5mpg, £53,975 on the road

The PSE does a good job of matching the Merc’s comfort, style and effortless pace

A Peugeot hatchback as a rival for a Mercedes coupe? Poppycock. Except… well, the 508’s svelte profile means it’s every bit as eye-catching as the CLE, and those extra doors add practicality. It’s a plug-in hybrid, too, so if you’re a company car driver or can charge it up at home, it’ll be far cheaper to run. And the PSE does a surprisingly good job of matching the Merc’s combination of comfort, style and effortless pace. Don’t write it off.

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