The new Mercedes CLE has been revealed, replacing both the C and E-Class Coupes. It gets handsome looks, a hi-tech interior and a range of mild-hybrid engines with rear- or four-wheel drive. Performance plug-in hybrid AMG models and a convertible will follow.
Update: Since this guide was published we have driven the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLE. Click here to read our full Mercedes-Benz CLE Review
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE: price, specs and release date
- Mercedes-Benz CLE styling and dimensions
- Mercedes-Benz CLE interior design and practicality
- Mercedes-Benz CLE engines and performance
- Mercedes-Benz CLE handling, drive and autonomy
- Mercedes-Benz CLE price and release date
Mercedes-Benz CLE styling and dimensions
The new CLE could serve as a blueprint for Merc’s famously conservative design language – it looks like a C-Class coupe whose shape has been tweaked and refined. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that it doesn’t have the achingly cool pillarless design that the old E-Class Coupe owners enjoyed.
The car’s dimensions have seen the most significant change, as it now has to plug the gap left by the C-Class and the larger E-Class coupe. As a result, it’s bigger than a C-Class Coupe in every way but also longer than the E-Class.
In terms of dimensions, the 2024 CLE is 4,850 mm long, 1,860mm wide and 1,428mm tall.
Mercedes-Benz CLE interior design and practicality
The CLE’s interior design resembles that found in the new C-Class, with a crystal-clear 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle backed up by a substantial 11.9-inch portrait-style infotainment screen that’s just as high-def and takes the place of conventional buttons.
Thruster-style air vents, pretty trims and glowing mood lighting make the Mercedes look incredibly premium, although, if the new C-Class is anything to go by, some areas of the cabin might feel even better than they look.
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On the upside, the CLE offers more interior space – in all measurable dimensions – than the old C-Class Coupe and even betters the outgoing E-Class in places like front seat legroom and back seat elbow room. You can expect the CLE to be relatively comfortable carrying four tall adults, and the generous 420-litre boot is 60 litres bigger than in the old C-Class.
Mercedes-Benz CLE engines and performance
The Mercedes CLE coupe will be available from launch with four engines, rear- or four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. All versions feature mild hybridisation with a 48V power supply that provides extra punch for short bursts of acceleration, and which means the car’s stop-start system works more efficiently.
Hybridised AMG models will likely follow, and you can expect the convertible to get the same range of engines as the coupe.
For now, only the coupe’s engine range is set in stone and kicks off with the CLE 200, with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that produces 201bhp to the rear wheels. It gets from 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds and has a top speed of 149mph. Four-wheel drive is optional and makes the car slightly slower in favour of all-weather grip.
The CLE 220d diesel makes up for a minor horsepower shortfall – it has 194bhp – by offering significantly more torque: 325 lb ft, up from the 236 lb ft in the basic petrol. That translates to a top speed of 148mph and 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds.
The 300 has the same engine as the 200, tuned to produce 255bhp; it gets from 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds and is limited to 155mph. Four-wheel drive is standard.
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Finally, there’s the six-cylinder, 3.0-litre petrol C450, which uses a variation of the engine fitted to the old AMG C43. It also has four-wheel drive as standard and combines creamy refinement with significant punch, hitting 0-62mph in just 4.4 seconds. It’s also limited to 155mph.
Mercedes-Benz CLE handling, drive and autonomy
The Mercedes CLE will balance neat handling and excellent long-range comfort. Convertible models will likely feature extra chassis bracing to stamp out body flex – making them feel solid and controlled on the road at the expense of a few extra kilos on the scales.
Coupe versions come with the option of three suspension setups. The standard Comfort suspension is 15mm lower than what you get in the new C-Class saloon to offer decent compliance over bumps while still keeping the body lean in check in bends and giving the car that all-important sport stance on the road.
More committed drivers will be better off with the optional Sport suspension, which also includes variable-ratio steering, for, according to Mercedes, “more direct handling and agility” and even less body roll than the standard setup.
Dynamic Body Control sits at the top of the CLE suspension tree. It includes adjustable dampers – allowing you to choose from cosseting or more controlled settings – and rear-wheel steering, which makes the car more manoeuvrable at slow speeds and more direct at higher speeds. Variable ratio steering is also included.
If you’d rather let the car handle the driving, you’ll want the Driving Assistance Package Plus, which buy’s a list of acronyms as long as your arm, and means the CLE can more or less drive itself on the motorway and in queues of traffic as long as you keep your hands on the steering wheel. As well as automatic emergency brakes that work in forward and reverse, this pack adds avoidance steering, which can steer you around an impending impact if there’s no room to stop.
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Mercedes-Benz CLE price and release date
Later this year, the Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe will hit showrooms carrying a price tag of around £45,000 – making it more expensive to buy than (albeit smaller) rivals such as the BMW 4 Series and the Audi A5 Coupe. The CLE convertible will compete with drop-top versions of the same competitors, but it’ll likely cost more than £50,000 thanks to the addition of its fancy roof.
