► Current top-tier CLE 53 Coupe
► Straight-six, AWD, rear-wheel steer
► Looks as fast as it goes, and then some
We’re deep into the weird, newly electrified world of Affalterbach in 2024, and that means the CLE 53 is currently top of the tree when it comes to performance – with no CLE 63 on the horizon just yet.
Still, this car looks every bit the flagship. It’s a beast from the front, with the same slatted grille as the top AMGs, along with flared wheel arches and gloss black details. At the rear you’ll find a row of exhausts. Stealth is the first word that comes to mind, but on a car this brutish with matte paint – it’s something of a contradiction.
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But we’ll get it out the way now: the CLE 53 isn’t powered by a wicked-up four-pot like the C63 S E-Performance, nor a compact V6. The beating heart of the CLE 53 is a pure, old-fashioned six-cylinder petrol – albeit with a bit of electrical assistance. Rejoice!
At a glance
Pros: Sure-footed handling, performance packs a punch, comic book looks
Cons: Tyre noise, grippy but numb, where is the 63?
What’s new?
Well, it’s not entirely old-fashioned, because it still features 48v mild-hybrid tech, which can provide an overboost of power and torque, as well as the ability to coast with the engine off while you’re slowing down. It’s also eerily quiet on tickover.
That’s because there’s a big problem this car needs to overcome. Previous range topping AMG C- and E-Class Coupes (cars the CLE is tasked with replacing) were distinguished by an ebullient V8 soundtrack. The flagship AMG C63 coupe was bombastic, brutish and yet stylish with it. While the 53 isn’t a direct replacement for those, it’s hard to separate the new model from that heritage, especially if it doesn’t rumble and shake on start-up.
What are the specs?
To give it the full title, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe comes in two specs for the UK market: Premium (from £73,075) specification as standard or Night Edition Premium Plus (from £78,825). Both specs get 20-inch wheels (with the Night Edition design looking like it’ll be hilariously hard to clean), an AMG-tuned nine-speed automatic gearbox, and AMG Ride Control adaptive dampers.
Inside it’s largely C-Class, all screens and LED accent lighting, but with sportier seats and an AMG specific steering wheel. Night Edition Premium Plus cars get darker exterior trim, carbonfibre on the dash, and added niceties such as a Burmester stereo and head-up display.
You can also upgrade this spec with the Pro Performance Package (costing £7,500) giving you the AMG Dynamic Plus Package (Race drive programme, Race Start, Drift Mode, and AMG dynamic engine mounts), plus a lairier bodykit, figure hugging bucket seats, and a Performance steering wheel. Outside there’s a subtle bootlid spoiler and red-painted brake callipers.
What about the interior?
Mercedes says the CLE combines the best of the sporting character of the C-Class, with the prestige of the E-Class. In AMG guise the latter is turned up a notch, adding an extra special layer of extravagance, but there’s no escaping how distinctly C-Class the interior looks, with the 11.9-inch/12.3-inch display pairing.
The Pro Performance package cars certainly seem a lot stealthier than the standard CLE Coupe or Cabriolet inside, largely thanks to the extensive use of dark carbon fibre and suede, and the optional seats this adds look absolutely superb.
They are quite hard when you first sit down but offer a huge amount of support when driving quickly. I think they’d be best suited to slimmer frames, however, and there’s no way to move the bolsters in or out like in a BMW.
The driver’s screen offers a couple of different display modes that you don’t get in the standard car, not least one with a huge gear shift display in the centre of it, which is curiously (and annoyingly) absent in the standard car.
We’re also still big fans of the customisable buttons on the wheel that can be set to adjust things like the exhaust sound or traction control. The only slight issue was getting use to the fact they are touch sensitive, and if you brush past one or jab it by mistake, you have to cycle through all of the functions to get back to the one you want.
How does it drive?
Well, it’s certainly not slow – the 3.0-litre six-pot under the bonnet is a heavily reworked M256 like you get in the CLE 450, but now features 442bhp and 442lb ft of torque, thanks to redesigned combustion chambers, new piston rings, a new large single turbocharger.
This is boosted by an electric compressor to help fill the torque gap at low revs and increases boost pressure from 1.1 to 1.5 bar, so you get all the flexibility of a twin-turbocharger set up, and all the power of one big one. The 0-62mph sprint drops half a second to 4.2 seconds, and the CLE 53 tops out at an electronically limited 155mph.
The nine-speed automatic gearbox has a specific AMG tune for shorter shifting times and better responses from the steering mounted paddles. These are noticeably larger than those in the standard coupe, more tactile to use, and deliver the type of punchy, urgent shifts that you want in a car like this.
Inside the cabin there’s plenty of engine noise in the sportier modes – it’s more evocative than the similarly powered CLE 450, with a pleasing (if not slightly synthetic) burble and bass at low to mid revs. It’s less muscular towards the redline though, which sort of eggs you on to keep it in the mid-range and let it purr and surge rather than thrash it all the way up.
It’s quick, but not alarmingly quick in the way that the older 63 models tended to be. Instead, the CLE 53 gathers pace in a suitably confident way, pulling hard all the way through the rev counter’s sweep. All cars get 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, which gives confidence-inspiring grip and ensures all driving the CLE 53 is very much ‘point-and-shoot.’ So far, so user-friendly. We tested a model with the optional Pro Performance pack in Europe, but tested a model without in the UK.
You can liven things up with the AMG Driving Dynamics modes, by pushing more torque to the rear wheels. This adds another dimension of adjustability – in fact the character of the car can be suitably shifted, through Basic, Advanced and Pro settings.
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Power shifts rearwards as you make your way past ESP Sport mode, and the attitude of the car changes completely, feeling much more neutral and able to push itself out of a corner from the rear, rather than scrabbling from the front.
AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension is aimed at bringing a wider range of comfort and performance and, even on the UK’s roads, it’s still a reasonable balance. Yes, it’s firmer than a standard CLE, but not uncomfortably so – even if there’s a marked increase in tyre noise here. In Sport+ mode is it really very firm indeed, which matches well to the more direct responses from the engine and gearbox, but is probably best reserved for only the smoothest roads (or race circuits).
Dialling it back a touch seems best; the CLE 53 felt more agile with the suspension in the relatively pliant Sport mode. Here it’s more able to soak up bumps mid-corner or under braking, and had a small amount of body roll, but not so much that it needed settling between bends.
The CLE 53’s flowing lines seem to keep going, but its considerable length is shrunken somewhat by rear-wheel steering. Operating at an angle of up to 2.5 degrees, this helps the rear of the car follow the front in slow corners, and aids stability when moving quickly. It takes some getting used to, and although useful in normal driving can be a little disconcerting when pushing on. Still, it’s better tuned here than in the all-electric EQE and EQS.
Few modern cars offer much in the way of feedback through the steering wheel and the CLE 53 is no different – but the rack is at least linear with predictably weighted steering. When combined with the rear-wheel-steering, you get a car that’s performant agile and responsive – but not particularly informative. That can often leave you in a No Man’s Land when you want to really want to lean on the car.
Before you buy
As with all AMG cars if you buy a CLE 53 you get a free driving experience at Mercedes-Benz World, with a chance to send huge low-speed drifts on the wet skid circle and get expert guidance from a Driving Specialist on the handling circuit. I’ve actually taken part in one of these events and it was a lot of fun, even if it’s not a reason to buy the car by itself.
Verdict
It’s possible to spend almost £90,000 on a CLE 53, which is frankly a lot of money, for what always used to be the second tier of AMG performance. But even without knowing whether a CLE 63 is coming, or even what engine it’ll feature if it does, this car wouldn’t feel out of place as the range topper.
The cars it replaces were great big bruisers that challenged you to extract as much power from them as you dared. But the CLE 53 is far more user-friendly, and feels sharper and more agile to boot. Driving it feels inherently more refined than you’d expect given its Black Series looks – and that’s even with the benefit of a (relatively) large and uncomplicated engine.
The CLE 53 looks great, and will certainly deliver the performance you’d hope of a car with the 53 badge. As for those truly ‘Affalterbach’ moments? We’re hoping the 63 will bring those.
Specs below are for the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe AMG Night Edition Premium Plus Performance Pro package