Take the interior of the C-class, the dimensions of the E-class and tada: the new Mercedes CLE-class is born. It is a two-door coupe with rounded shapes that is intended as a competitor to, for example, the Audi A5 and BMW 4-series, and it replaces both the C and E-class Coupé in one move. The engines are familiar and you have probably seen the interior before. It's a bit 'two become one'. You know, like that Spice Girls song. Or was that not about this? Anyway, inside it's pretty much the same as the C-class.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing – both have seats that pamper your bum and hug your floaties, and the stuff that finishes the dash looks good. You just shouldn't touch it. Those shiny panels creak and are real collectors of dust and stains, and below hip level you come across masses of cheap plastics.
The screens in the Mercedes CLE coupe
This cabin is packed with visual appeal – especially with those oversized screens and adjustable mood lighting that makes you feel like you're in a Miami nightclub – but the devil is in the details. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster can be customized to your heart's content. The 11.6-inch touchscreen above the center console has the new MBUX infotainment system on board, highlighted by larger icons for the menus.
Complaints? The areas on the steering wheel that you can swipe over with your thumbs remain tricky to use, especially when you try to scroll through the menus with them. It is (as expected) quite tight in the back and it is difficult to climb to it, due to the sloping roofline of the CLE. There is also good news: the luggage compartment is larger than that of both the C-class Coupé and the E-class Coupé.
How does the mixture of C- and E-class coupes drive?
The Mercedes CLE is a comfortable cruiser that likes to eat up highway miles and is just as perfectly happy when it gets to drive around in the city. On a winding road it clearly starts to feel less comfortable. The steering is super light and numb, even in the most aggressive mode, and the brake pedal feels squishy. You really have to push hard if you want to get this large two-door to slow down.
In the Netherlands, the model range is currently limited to two versions: our test car, the 300 with four-wheel drive, and a CLE 200 with rear-wheel drive and 204 hp. In Belgium you can also get a diesel (the CLE 220 d) and the 200 can be equipped with four-wheel drive. Furthermore, there appears to be a PHEV on the way, there is a 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 380 hp of which we do not know if it is coming our way, and there is another AMG version in the pipeline, with the souped-up 2.0 -liter four-cylinder of the C 63. Let's hope it is a bit livelier.
The Mercedes CLE is okay
There's really nothing about the new CLE that's really remarkable or even worth mentioning (other than the visual downer that it does have a B-pillar), and it won't make your heart beat faster. It is an OK coupe that replaces two other OK coupes and otherwise does a pretty good job. And given the shrinking market share of the luxury two-door coupe, that is actually the only thing the Mercedes CLE coupe has to achieve.
Specifications of the Mercedes CLE 300 4Matic (2024)
Engine
1,999cc
four-cylinder turbo
258 hp @ 5,800 rpm
400 Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Drive
four wheels
9v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 6.2 s
top speed 250 km/h
Consumption (average)
7.1 l/100 km
161g/km CO2
Dimensions
4,850×1,861x
1,422 mm (lxwxh)
2,865 mm (wheelbase)
1,680 kg
66 l (petrol)
420 l (luggage)
Prices
€79,618 (NL)
€70,785 (B)
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