Another beautifully crafted coupé from Mercedes-Benz, is there enough substance within the new CLE badge to successfully bridge the gap between its two since-discontinued siblings, the C-Class Coupé and E-Class Coupé?
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Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4Matic Coupé Fast Facts
- Price: R1 430 650
- Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged with 48V assistance
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Power: 190 kW @ 5 800 r/min
- Torque: 400 N.m @ 2 000 – 3 200 r/min
- Driven wheels: Four
- Fuel consumption: 7.0 L/100km
- CO2 emissions: 159 g/km
- 0-100 km/h: 6.2 seconds
- Top speed: 250 km/h
What are we driving?
Sharing a platform with the modern C-Class, the first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLE is available in South Africa in either CLE 200 or CLE 300 4Matic. A Cabriolet version will join this newly created product portfolio later in 2024.
Why is the Mercedes-Benz CLE significant?
A brand with a laudable reputation for creating two-door cars with sleek, alluring profiles (and even four-door cars with coupé lines ala the CLS), the new Mercedes-Benz CLE is designed to offer a customer the kind of luxury and comfort associated with the E-Class executive sedan in a more dynamically inclined offering that mimics the packaging of the modern C-Class. This newest member of the brand’s “Coupé-Luxury” family of vehicles replaces the now-discontinued C-Class Coupé and E-Class Coupé in this Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s broadly condensed modern product portfolio.
The new CLE Coupé is offered in South Africa with a choice between two 2.0-litre four-cylinder drivetrains, the CLE 200 and CLE 300. Each is paired with a 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission incorporating 48 V mild-hybrid technology for improved efficiency and on-the-move refinement. This electrical assistance is capable of adding up to 17 kW of added performance.
What’s new on the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe?
Featuring a 25mm stretch in wheelbase length compared with the modern C-Class sedan, together with a standard AMG Line exterior that includes 19-inch alloy wheels, the CLE Coupé boasts both an assured stance and a considered amount of interior space, notably with rear seat passenger comfort in mind. The car is sold as standard with an AMG Line exterior that introduces a 15 mm firmed and lowered suspension.
A new EASY-ENTRY function ensures easier access to the car’s two dedicated rear seats. Adding to the sense of occasion, the tug of a Nappa leather loop unlocks the front seat backrests and causes the cushion to move forward electrically.
The CLE Coupé boasts a 420-litre luggage space, 60 litres more than the C-Class sedan.
Designed to bridge the gap between luxury and driving engagement, the newest three-pointed star Coupé features custom-designed single-piece front seats with a heating function, a Nappa leather sports steering wheel with column-mounted transmission paddles and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display. Ambient lighting is also included. The showpiece of the cabin is a portrait-orientated 11.9-inch infotainment display mounted to favour the driver’s eye line and running the brand’s latest MBUX software that includes voice-activated functionality and smartphone mirroring technology. Standard on the sleek model is a wireless mobile phone charging dock.
What does the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé cost?
- Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 Coupé – R1 336 264
- Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4 Matic Coupé – R1 430 075
The CLE Coupé is sold with a 5-year/100 000 km service plan and maintenance plan.
What are the new Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé’s rivals?
The battle of the Teutons continues as the new Mercedes-Benz CLE finds itself competing against the modern BMW 4 Series Coupé and Audi A5 Coupé. With the absence of a 6-cylinder powertrain option, on pricing the flagship CLE 300 4Motion finds itself in the same WhatsApp group as the 285 kW/500 N.m BMW 440i xDrive (R1 499 607) and the 260 kW/500 N.m Audi S5 Quattro (R1 221 100).
What is the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé like to drive?
From a low-slung driving position, the Mercedes feels suitably refined and sophisticated, with a well-considered selection of materials featured throughout the cabin. As per its mandate, while the car’s interior layout mimics the one found in the C-Class, you are aware of the efforts made to lift perceived quality and the cosiness of this cabin to feel closer to that of the more expensive E-Class.
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Having driven the CLE 300 4 Motion at the local launch, I look forward to spending time behind the wheel of the “entry-level” CLE 200. While the flagship derivative feels suitably capable in terms of sure-footed dynamics accompanied by an acceptably alluring soundtrack, I suspect the lighter and cheaper 200 will offer a more compelling blend of everyday “occasion” with enough performance to suit this otherwise sophisticated package.
Verdict
An amalgamation of two niche yet key products within Mercedes-Benz’s product portfolio, within its sleek two-door profile the new CLE badge all but establishes a happy middle ground between the dynamic ability of the modern C-Class and the sense of occasion and comfort represented by an E-Class.
It’s the absence of a 6-cylinder powertrain in this line-up (despite how competent this brand’s modern 2.0-litre, four-cylinder units are), and relatively keen pricing, that I suspect leaves the CLE vulnerable to its more sonorous rivals in this segment.
