Yahoo Autos 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 450 Coupe First Drive Review: A satisfying blend of C and E
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a time when many cars are discontinued in order to make way for electric replacements, Mercedes is taking a different path with the C-Class and E-Class coupes and convertibles. Rather, it is merging those two paths into one, and keeping it powered by internal combustion. The new CLE Class replaces both the C and E Coupes, streamlining the lineup with a car that blends the best of both predecessors. As such, there’s a lot of familiarity despite this being an all-new model.
The CLE is on the big side, even bigger in some ways than the E-Class. It’s 0.6 inches longer than the E-Class Coupe, but with a 0.3-inch decrease in wheelbase. The body is 0.1 inches wider than the E, with a 0.3-inch rear track advantage, and 0.1 inches lower in height. It’s long and low-slung, but substantial, an appropriately shapely silhouette for a sporty luxury coupe. Its grille, décor, character lines and lighting all tie it neatly into the family DNA. Our CLE 450 tester came in a Manufaktur Graphite Grey Magno paint that accentuated the CLE’s athletic exterior.
Inside, we were welcomed by Mercedes’ Multicountour seats in red leather, facing a fairly familiar dash setup. There’s a pair of screens — infotainment and driver display — in this case flanked by metal weave trim (it looks like carbon fiber, but brighter). Sinking into the seats, the driving position is low and long, allowing for good extension of the legs, while the wheel telescopes to meet the driver. We felt wrapped up by the CLE’s cockpit, putting us in the mood to drive. Visibility isn’t bad, despite the high beltline, but placing the corners of the vehicle requires some guesswork on the road, and a whole lotta caution in a crowded parking lot.
The second row of seating is accessed with a strong tug of the “Nappa loop” — a hitch of leather extending from the front seat shoulder — which allows you to lean the seatback forward while the whole chair slides forward automatically to allow ingress. There are two individual seats in the rear, each as sporty, if not as adjustable, as the front chairs. It’s comfy, except for the lack of headroom. Mercedes puts CLE Coupe headroom right between that of the cars it replaces — 0.4 inches more than the C-Class Coupe, but 0.4 inches less than the E. At 6 feet tall, my legs, hips and shoulders were all settled and secure with plenty of space, but the back of my head rested against the headliner, eliciting an initial tinge of claustrophobia. My tall, almost-9-year-old son had no complaints back there, however, and he jumped at every opportunity to take a ride.
While the CLE 300 uses a mild-hybrid 2.0-liter turbo-four good for 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque going to all four wheels, the CLE 450 comes with a mild-hybrid, turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, providing a hearty 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Up to 23 of that horsepower and 151 pound-feet come from the 48-volt mild-hybrid system’s integrated electric starter/generator, which also serves to recharge the battery through regenerative braking. The result is a 0-60 sprint of 4.2 seconds.
And though it’s quick, everything happens smoothly. The extra help from the mild-hybrid system eliminates turbo lag, and the entire run up the rev ladder is quite linear. That linearity applies to the nine-speed automatic transmission as well, which does a good job of providing a seamless transition between gears. That said, we wouldn’t mind a little more urgency from the transmission when tickling the paddles in manual mode — it doesn’t provide the gratifying feedback we look for when selecting our own gears. No mind, just leave it in automatic, let it sort the gears itself, and focus on the rest of the drive.