Mercedes-Benz AMG CLE 53 Review & Prices

The Mercedes CLE is a fantastic coupe, but it really missed having a performance model - until now. The CLE 53 is, so far, the fastest version of this slinky two-door, and while it’s not as hardcore as Mercedes-AMG’s full-fat ‘63’ models it’s still powerful, great to drive, and oh-so-desirable. It’s a bit like a nice dinner jacket and smart jeans - you’re still making an effort, but you don’t have to suffer in a stuffy collar and tie.

The CLE 53 occupies an interesting spot, being faster and more powerful than a BMW M440i but slower and less hardcore than a full-fat BMW M4. You could also compare it to the BMW M2, which has similar power and performance but is a physically much smaller and less luxurious car. Currently, Audi doesn’t build a sporty coupe, but you might consider the slinky S5 Saloon as an alternative.

You can easily distinguish the CLE 53 from its standard CLE sibling just by looking at it. The front end is marked out with a new front bumper and AMG’s signature ‘Panamerica’ grille, while the whole car is significantly wider thanks to fatter wheels and extended arches. There’s a large rear spoiler and a restyled bumper, too. The effect is great - the CLE 53 looks fantastic without being too over-the-top. You’ll stand out in traffic, but you won’t be embarrassed to turn up to a sombre occasion in it.

The heart of the CLE 53 is its 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engine. Unlike the ‘full-fat’ Mercedes-AMG models, this isn’t hand-built in the AMG factory in Affalterbach - instead, it’s a tuned and fettled version of the six-cylinder engine you get in the top version of the standard CLE. Regardless, it produces a whopping 449hp, sent to all four wheels, and so 0-62mph takes just 4.2 seconds - before going on to a top speed of 155mph.

To drive, the CLE 53 feels great. It’s not as beefed-up and steroidal as a BMW M4, which means it’s still comfortable enough to take on long journeys without getting a sore bum or an achy back. But when you get onto a good, twisty road, it comes alive - with fluid responses, sharp steering and enough communication with the driver to be quite good fun. It’s not as lairy or as responsive as a BMW M4, though, and you do feel the car’s substantial weight when you’re trying to change direction quickly.

Inside, the CLE 53 doesn’t get too many concessions to its performance heritage. There are supportive sports seats and, if you opt for the Night Edition model, lashings of carbonfibre trim. But interior quality is still a bit of a mixed bag, as it is with many recent Mercedes models - some of the plastics and trim pieces feel far too flimsy for a car that costs over £80,000.

At least it’s reasonably practical for a coupe. The big sports seats do limit access to the rear, but once back there a six-foot adult can just about squeeze in. The boot, meanwhile, is a generous 410 litres - not far shy of a BMW M4 Coupe’s and big enough for even heavy packers to manage a weekend away.

If you love the way the Mercedes CLE looks, and fancy something that gives you plenty of sporty character without being too hardcore to drive everyday - then this could be the car for you, provided you spec it carefully because the standard kit list is a bit mean.

If this tickles your fancy, find out how much you could save with our Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 deals. You can also browse used Mercedes models here, and remember that Carwow can even help if you want to sell your car online.

The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 kicks off at more than £75,000 for the more demure ‘Premium’ model - this has a less sporty look inside and out, and also isn’t available with the Pro Performance Pack. If you want that, you’ll have to spend over £81,000 for the Night Edition model - the pack is then a further £7,500. At the top of the tree sits the fully loaded Limited Edition.

That sits quite neatly between the £63,000 and £91,000 that BMW will charge you for a 440i or an M4, respectively, further bolstering the CLE’s Goldilocks credentials. It does seem very stingy that you need to pay an additional £1,700 if you want your CLE 53 with some pretty basic safety equipment, though, such as adaptive cruise control.

Strikes a great balance between performance and everyday usability - but you feel the CLE’s weight in the corners

In town

The CLE 53 is a low-slung, sporty coupe, so driving it in town isn’t as easy as your common-or-garden SUV. You sit lower to the ground with fairly narrow windows, so you can’t lord it over other traffic and your view out isn’t fantastic.

However, it’s not awful. The automatic gearbox is typically quite well-behaved and responsive around town, provided you have it in its ‘Comfort’ setting and not one of the sportier modes. The suspension also deals well with potholes and speed bumps - you feel them, but they’re not overwhelming. And Mercedes’ all-round camera system makes parking the CLE 53 very easy - as does the rear-wheel steering, which reduces the turning circle.

On the motorway

The Mercedes CLE 53 feels like a car designed for the autobahn - at 70mph on the M4 the engine is barely ticking over, which makes it great for long-distance cruising as it’s very quiet and even reasonably economical. There’s a bit of road noise from those wide tyres, but generally it’s quite relaxing.

It does feel a bit absurd that Mercedes doesn’t fit adaptive cruise control as standard, though - this comes as part of an optional pack. On a car costing over £75,000 this feels very stingy, when you consider the number of cars costing less than a third of that which offer this feature as standard.

On a twisty road

Driving modes are at your fingertips in the CLE 53 thanks to two ‘satellite’ controls on the steering wheel - twist the right one to cycle between Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual driving modes, while the other can be used to quickly toggle settings such as the exhaust valve (affectionately known as the ‘LOUD’ button), the firmness of the suspension or act as a shortcut to the AMG driver displays in the central infotainment screen.

Even in Comfort mode the CLE 53 is very satisfying to drive, especially if you hit a nice series of flowing bends. However, put it into Sport mode and everything firms up, so it feels distinctly more eager to chew up a back road.

The engine isn’t as raucous as you might like but it still makes a satisfying snarl when you rev it. The gearbox, which slushes ratios together smoothly around town, becomes rifle-quick in Sport mode.

If there’s a criticism it’s that the CLE doesn’t communicate with the driver as much as the BMW M4 does - the steering feels remote, even though it’s super-quick and accurate. You can also feel the CLE’s weight if you’re changing direction quickly - the lighter BMW M4 does feel more agile.

The four-wheel drive system also isn’t quite as playful as the BMW’s. Even if you put your foot down on the exit of a corner, you’ll only provoke a small wiggle from the back end. Great for safety, but not as much fun if you’re feeling a bit juvenile.

Comfortable for two, a squeeze for four, but a decent boot as a chaser

The CLE 53’s front seats are superb. Whether you go for the Premium model or the Night Edition with its more supportive, sportier bucket seats, you get loads of adjustment for drivers of all sizes and you sit nice and low to the ground. The doors are long and wide, which is great for access but not so good if you’re trying to squeeze in a tight parking space.

You get Merc’s trademark ‘seatbelt butler’ - an automated arm which hands the belt to you - which is a nice touch, and storage for smaller items is good too. There’s a shallow storage compartment under the armrest, big door bins, and a central cubby that conceals a wireless phone charger tucked well out of the way plus two large cupholders.

Space in the back seats

Accessing the CLE’s rear seats takes a little athleticism, but that’s a critique you can level at any of its coupe alternatives. Once back there, a six-foot adult can just about squeeze behind a driver of a similar size, but longer than 20 minutes and they’ll want to get out. Smaller adults or children will be okay, but headroom is limited and the view out isn’t great.

Better to use these for spare luggage space - or child seats, as both have ISOFIX mounting points.

Boot space

The CLE 53’s boot is a decent 410 litres in capacity, just marginally smaller than the standard CLE Coupe’s and around 30 litres down on the BMW M4. That’s still plenty of room for a weekend getaway or a weekly shop, but it’s quite a shallow space and the rear seats only leave a narrow slow when folded, so don’t expect to be doing many tip runs.

Looks great and the infotainment works well, but material quality is seriously poor in places

The CLE 53’s interior is a bit like a stainless steel and cubic zirconia ring - it looks the part from afar but doesn’t stand up too well to scrutiny, plus you get the feeling that it won’t age too well. Considering the price of the car, some materials - like the scratchy, cheap headliner or the rock-solid plastics in the rear - are unacceptably bad, while the dashboard creaks when you press it. It isn’t a patch on the BMW M4’s fantastically well-wrought cabin.

The bones are all there, though, and functionally it’s quite good. It’s a shame you don’t get any physical climate controls, but as recompense Mercedes leaves them live on the infotainment touchscreen at all times, which is great for quick access. The screen in question is 11.9-inches across and looks great, responding quickly to your touch. Some of the menus can feel a bit like a maze, purely because there are so many functions, but you’ll soon learn where the key ones are.

Claimed fuel economy for the CLE 53 is just 29.4mpg, but on long motorway journeys we averaged above 30mpg with ease. That means you’ll see over 400 miles to a tank, giving the CLE good grand-tourer chops.

Of course, make use of Sport mode and the car’s 449hp and you’ll soon see the figure drop, but running costs should be pretty good on the day-to-day grind.

High emissions and a lack of hybrid tech do mean that you won’t want to run the CLE 53 as a company car, but that’s true of any alternative. The first-year road tax is also pretty beefy.

The Mercedes CLE hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, but that probably shouldn’t worry you too much - every one of the brand’s cars tested since 2002, bar the van-based Citan and Viano, have scored the full five-star rating.

The CLE is heavily based on the five-star C-Class, and that scored a particularly impressive 93% rating for adult occupant protection, and 89% for child occupants.

As standard you get loads of safety kit, including all the EU-mandated beeps and alerts. You can switch off the more annoying speed limit alert simply by holding ‘mute’ on the steering wheel - a nice touch.

The CLE 53 is a specialist car which is likely to be driven hard, so it’s difficult to rate its reliability definitively. But Mercedes came second out of 31 manufacturers in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, so the signs are good. The CLE 53 isn’t a proper hand-built AMG, so there are less likely to be discrepancies in how it’s screwed together, too.