Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe Review & Prices

Mercedes-Benz has decided to replace two old models with one new one, so out go the previous C-Class Coupe and E-Class Coupe, and in comes this singular CLE. It’s based on the same mechanical package as the current C-Class saloon and estate, but it’s sized-up to E-Class proportions to try and make sure previous E Coupe buyers don’t feel miffed. It’s like if Kate Moss put on a fat-suit so that fans of Sumo wrestling would like her more.  

Sadly, the fact that Mercedes reckons that one new model will do where it needed two previously is a reflection of the fact that low-slung slinky coupes like this new CLE don’t sell very well anymore. Maybe people can’t see them in showrooms behind the cluster of bulky SUVs?

Although based on the C-Class chassis, it’s actually slightly longer than the old E-Class Coupe, and the wheelbase — which defines how much room there will be in the cabin — is pretty much the same as the big old E’s too. 

It’s a 2+2 coupe, so the back seats are more occasional than fully practical, but the wheelbase is long enough that if the front-seat passenger is happy to budge up a little, then you can get three adults in quite comfortably. The boot is quite practical too, with 420 litres of luggage space. 

The CLE’s interior pretty obviously comes from the C-Class — you get the same 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and the same 11.9-inch touchscreen, which is now angled slightly towards the driver — but that’s less of a disappointment when you see how well its made, and how comfortable it is. There are some things we don’t like — such as the fiddly touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel — but for the most part this feels like the kind of cabin in which you can get instantly comfortable, and which makes long journeys seem shorter.

Just as a two-door coupe kinda feels like an old-fashioned idea these days, so the CLE is also a little old-school on the power front. There won’t be a fully-electric version, and it’s more than likely the last new Mercedes car we’ll be able to say that about, as after 2025 the company will stop investing in new petrol or diesel engines. 

From April, as well as a convertible version, you’ll be able to buy a plug-in hybrid CLE, with an electric range of more than 60 miles, but for now you get to choose between a basic 197bhp diesel 2.0-litre 220d; a 201hp 2.0-litre turbo petrol 200, which you can also have with four-wheel drive; a 254hp 2.0-litre turbo petrol 300 which only comes with four-wheel drive, or a range-topping 3.0-litre 375bhp straight-six turbo petrol 450, also only with four-wheel drive.

All of those engines are mild-hybrids, so there’s an ‘EQ’ electric motor, developing 22bhp and 205Nm of torque, which can chime in to give you a power boost for acceleration, or which can help the engine turn off earlier, and stay off longer, when you’re in stop-start traffic. It also allows for a little engine-off coasting at higher speeds, such as when you’re on a long motorway downhill slope. 

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