The Mercedes-Benz CLE is an exercise in streamlining and common sense.
The German prestige giant has spent recent decades filling its showrooms with endless model ranges; finding niches within niches and providing answers to questions nobody asked.
The CLE name may be new, but Benz has axed its C-Class and E-Class coupes to facilitate its birth. It’s a two-door middle ground if you will, available in Coupe and Cabriolet formats.
The result’s an aggressively elegant four-seater which feels as roomy and imposing as the retired E-Class Coupe, while the drive experience is classic Benz: smooth, refined, comfy and with just enough engagement for mountain road weekend escapes.
As most brands – Mercedes included – feed our market’s sugar rush for SUVs, there’s a refreshing old-world charm to the CLE’s look, feel and drive.
A “proper” car, it has a low centre of gravity, two spacious rear seats and a boot able to swallow three golf bags. After a full day’s country touring, I can happily report Benz has delivered exactly what the prestige grand tourer shopper expects. It’s an utter delight to pilot.
Shame, then, so few Aussies will pick a CLE over Benz’s strongest-selling GLC SUV costing roughly the same price.
The CLE’s not cheap. The cheapest model, a 200 Coupe with a 150kW/320Nm turbo petrol 2.0-litre, costs about $111,000 drive-away.
For all-wheel-drive and more guts, a 300 Coupe finds 190kW/400Nm from its 2.0-litre, and is in the traffic for about $133,000. The CLE 300 Cabrio with electric soft-top pushes things to about $147,000 drive-away.
Rivals are cheaper. The BMW 4 Series starts from a little more than $90,000 and the Audi A5 $100,000, on the road. But subjectively speaking, the uber-elegant Benz has them licked for style.
The cabin feels expensive. Front seats are superbly supportive, and the 200’s faux-leather trim has solid material quality, looking best in brown or beige as a no-cost option.
It’s $2900 to option real leather – it’s standard in the CLE 300 – and red’s added to the colour selection. This vibrant hue offers classic coupe nostalgia.
This blends with bang-up-to-date modernity; a customisable 12.3-inch driver display complementing a square 11.9-inch central infotainment screen.
There’s a stack of menus to navigate and most will feel a little overwhelmed by the giant head-up display and augmented reality navigation. There’s much to learn.
But it has spoil-yourself features. A panoramic sunroof, Nappa leather steering wheel, wireless phone charging, a Burmester 3D surround sound, 360-degree camera and heated memory seats.
At night the 64-colour ambient cabin lighting offers anything from a jungle green room to a pink palace to a seedy nightclub – there’s necessary X-factor here to attract younger shoppers.
If kids are involved, this two-door’s rear seats are accessed via a Nappa leather loop rather than cheap plastic handle. As a six-footer my head touched the ceiling (not a drama in the Cabrio), but leg room’s excellent.
As is the overall drive. On imperfect roads it’s a dash firm on standard 19-inch alloys and skinny rubber, but keep the Dynamic Select drive mode in Comfort and its suspension copes with most hits. Sport mode sharpens steering and response, but not in a manner to disrupt the drive serenity.
The CLE 200 cruises in ninth gear at a barely-there 1300rpm, so you really can’t hear the engine. It’s a delight on the highway, and radar cruise control and lane-keep systems are among the least invasive I’ve tested.
This 200’s mild-hybrid engine performance is the weak point. It’ll hit 100km/h in 7.4 seconds, but feels slower and – unless primed – lazy to respond.
The 300’s zestier power plant dops the sprint to 6.2 seconds, and is unquestionably the keener driver’s pick. It rides better than the 200, and all-wheel-drive makes corner-carving traction more enjoyable.
But all CLEs are at their best as long-distance cruisers, making the far cheaper but very well-equipped 200 the smart money choice for most.
Our test returned 8.2L/100km (200) and 10.9L/100km (300), while servicing’s a wallet-testing $6800 for five years.
VERDICT
Four stars
Serene to drive and elegant to behold, Mercedes proves it never lost the knack of delivering desirable two-doors, albeit for a chunky price.
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 and 300 VITALS
PRICE From about $111,000 drive-away
WARRANTY/SERVICE Five years/unlimited km, $6800 for five years/125,000km plan
SAFETY 10 airbags, auto emergency braking, 360-degree camera, lane-keep assist, brake assist, blind-spot monitor, adaptive cruise, traffic-sign recognition
POWER 2.0-litre four-cyl turbo petrol, 150kW/320Nm (200), 190kW/400Nm (300)
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ECONOMY 7.2L-7.7L/100km
SPARE Repair kit
LUGGAGE 420 litres (385 litres Cabrio)
