Mercedes' newest coupe is silky
smooth and easy on the eyes

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(September 22, 2024) Perhaps the traditional two-door coupe is nearing the end of its existence. The obsolescence trend of the two-door automobile started when German automakers (I'm talking about BMW, Mercedes and Porsche) started marketing four-door models as coupes. That apocryphal and lukewarm fashion exists alongside an atonement reparation for coupe enthusiasts with the newly minted Mercedes' CLE-Class two-door, an amalgamation of the brand's two-door C- and E-Class that attempts to replace both Coupe lines in one hit.

The new CLE at first reminded us of the C-CLass inside and out yet unique enough to be a visual success. The hood employs huge blistered arches, aggressive styled air intakes and grille up front. We had conflicting opinions from passersby regarding the slightly droopy rear and its light bar seemingly borrowed from Mercedes' EQ electric models. 19" AMG wheels certainly won onlookers over. Disappointingly, the CLE is not a pillar-less coupe.

Inside is a truly first-class cabin relative to luxury material finishing and hi-tech flourishes. Switchgear is jewelry-like quality, especially engaging to the touch and hand-crafted functions. There's dual digital displays, a large one at the center stack, smaller behind the steering wheel that seem a bit dated compared to competitors and up market Mercedes' siblings. The steering wheel is a split three-spoke design and fully fitted with what seems too many capacitive switches. Still, it looks nice, flat-bottomed and stitched with supple hide.

Sumptuous seats, the essence of comfortable touring and overall occupant cosseting confirmed the principled character of Mercedes' motoring identity.

CLE comes in three trim offerings, our tested CLE 300, the CLE 450 and performance oriented AMG CLE 53. The powertrain in our test CLE comes via 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged mild-hybrid four cylinder delivered through a 9-speed automatic transmission and standard 4MATIC All-wheel drive.

We spent a week driving our CLE in and about Phoenix, Arizona and found power to be adequate but not more. It delivers smooth operation and power and the adaptive cruise worked as expected as well as the lane centering function. The CLE will change lanes autonomously with a flick of the turn-signal stalk, but the adaptive cruise alerts you if you take your hand off the wheel. Overall, the CLE 300 drove beautifully and we seldom wished for more power that moves the CLE 450 that delivers about 50 percent more horsepower.

Overall, coupe loyalists will be more than satisfied with the new CLE. Styling is eye-catching, there's first-class comfort in the posh interior, ample amounts of driver assist and operational hi-tech, and it drives wonderfully. However, two-door luxury coupes have limited and dwindling appeal to the automotive market in general, a trend that's likely to continue. Mercedes' says an available cabriolet convertible version has just been introduced.

VITAL STATS:

2025 Mercedes CLE 300 4MATIC
Base Price: $56,500
Price as Tested: $67,090
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Horsepower: 255
Seating: 4

Fab Features:
Stylish exterior design
Premium driving experience
Perky performance, agile handling