Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe Review & Prices

The Mercedes CLE Coupe isn’t quite a buy-one-get-two offer, but it kind of leans in that direction. It’s more a case of buy-one, get-half-of-another thrown in, because this singular CLE model replaces two previous cars — the C-Class Coupe and the E-Class Coupe.

Really, the CLE Coupe is closer to being a two-door C-Class — it shares the same chassis, engines, and interior as the C-Class saloon and estate — but it’s been sized-up to roughly the same dimensions, if not quite the same prettiness, as the old E-Class Coupe.

It’s good that Mercedes is still committed to making a two-door coupe, but really something of a shame that there’s no longer room in the market for two. Perhaps coupes are being overlooked, literally given that it can be hard to see low-slung cars from the seat of a Hummer…

The CLE’s C-Class-based chassis has been stretched a little so that overall, it’s actually slightly longer than the now-departed E-Class Coupe and has an identical wheelbase length. However, rear seat space is definitely not as good as it was in the old E-Class Coupe. It’s roomy enough for three adults if the person in the front passenger seat budges up a bit, but headroom in the back isn’t great and it feels darker and more enclosed than the old E.

That said, the boot — at 420 litres — is pretty useful, and there’s loads of space and a hugely adjustable driving position up front.

The dashboard is lifted more or less unchanged from the C-Class saloon, so you get the same 12.3-inch digital instrument display, and the same 11.9-inch touchscreen which lies back at a relaxed angle in the centre of the dashboard, and which is now turned slightly towards the driver.

The quality of the cabin is really impressive — proper old-school Mercedes stuff — but the awkward touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel get a big thumbs-down. In the grand old Merc tradition, though, this is a cabin that’s comfy enough to make long journeys just slide by.

Just as having a two-door coupe that’s in no way an SUV feels a little bit old-hat these days, so too does the CLE’s engine lineup, which actually kicks-off with a 197hp 220d diesel, supplemented by petrol engines of various outputs and a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive.

Although there’s no electric CLE — and in fact Mercedes says that it’s probably the last car it will launch that won’t have an all-electric option — all of the petrol and diesel engines come with mild hybrid assistance, which offers a little more power and some fuel economy savings.

To drive, the CLE is — unsurprisingly — rather like a C-Class, which is to say that it drives really well, but perhaps without the same level of fun as the BMW 4 Series.

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The CLE, as well as being something of an outlier in the SUV-heavy Mercedes lineup, is also an outlier in price, in that it’s actually very competitive. It is a little more expensive than an equivalent BMW 4 Series two-door coupe, but only by a small amount, and while the Audi A5 coupe has gone out of production now, before it went off sale it was a similar price to the CLE. A well-priced Mercedes? Wonders will never cease.

That said, the CLE gets almost hilariously expensive as soon as you start moving up the specification levels…

The CLE isn’t as sharp to drive as a BMW 4 Series, but it works really well on British roads

In town

The CLE’s standard-fit nine-speed automatic gearbox comes into its own around town, as it’s so smooth and discreet that you pretty much never notice it changing gear. While, obviously, the CLE is a sporty-ish coupe with firm-ish suspension, it’s also still very much a Mercedes, so the suspension is very smooth around town, and it’s a very relaxing car to drive. There’s nice, light steering and progressive brakes. It’s quiet around town too.

Visibility is okay — it’s good to the front, but a bit obscured out the back because of a shallow rear window and big rear pillars. However, the adjustable seat can be raised up very high, which helps.

The turning circle is actually quite tight, and while you won’t always get around a mini-roundabout in one go, the all-round camera system and sensors really help with low speed manoeuvres. Those low speed manoeuvres would be even easier if the CLE could be had with the optional rear-wheel steering that it gets in Europe, but for some reason we Brits can’t have it, unless you buy the pricey AMG version.

On the motorway

The CLE is a really comfy car in which to do a long journey, helped by adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping steering that work really well. It’s a very unflustered car, with only a little road noise and almost no wind noise at motorway speeds. There’s plenty of mid-range power, even in the basic engines, thanks to the EQ electric motor which fills-in power while the petrol bit waits for the turbo to spool up. It’s really quite muscular. As for economy, even the big 450 straight-six-cylinder petrol can easily average 35mpg, while the 220d diesel will put you well north of 50mpg.

On a twisty road

Mercedes coupes of old weren’t necessarily all that sporty to drive, but the CLE actually is. Put it into Sport mode and it weights up the suspension and pre-loads the throttle, which makes it feel more responsive. The engine sound is also augmented through the stereo. You can take control of the nine-speed gearbox with paddles.

The CLE handles really nicely, and although it’s slightly looser in feel than the more overtly sporty BMW 4 Series, that looseness works well with the give-and-take surfaces of a British B-road, so the CLE feels both agile and comfortable which is a good combination.

The suspension really is very good at soaking up bumps, while the steering is nice and accurate. 4MATIC four-wheel drive versions are a real bonus when the weather’s bad and the road surface is greasy.

Space is good up front, but tight in the rear and the boot isn’t brilliant in the plug-in hybrid

Mercedes makes the best centre console storage areas, because — as in this CLE — the lids are ‘butterflied’, opening in two halves so you can have one side open for a rummage around, while the other side stays shut for your passenger to rest their arm. The CLE’s armrest storage is useful, if a little shallow, but there are two handy USB sockets in there (and two more in the back).

Under a sprung lid up front, there are two adjustable cupholders and a slim storage area next to them, plus a wireless phone charging pad and two more USB sockets. The glovebox isn’t massive, but the door bins are huge and easily swallow a large bottle of water.

One issue, though, is that the doors are long and open wide, so if you’ve parked in a tight space, it can be a struggle to get out. Better lay off the Greggs… At least there’s a handy ‘seatbelt butler’ which pulls the belt forward for you as you sit in.

Space in the back seats

There are only two seats in the back of the CLE, so you’re limited straight away in how many passengers you can carry. Kneeroom is not great, unless those in the front budge up a bit, while headroom is only acceptable if the rear seat passengers are on the short side. Tall people will be nudging their heads against the rear glass.

There are some handy storage bins beside each rear seat, and a central console with two cupholders and small storage shelf, but all of these are made out of the nastiest, cheapest, sub-Dacia plastics you can imagine. The cupholders are also very shallow, so drinks bottles will fall out easily.

Boot space

With 420 litres of space, the CLE’s boot is really quite decent, and competitive with the BMW 4 Series. However, if you go for the plug-in hybrid version, the battery takes up so much space that the boot space drops to a barely-acceptable 290 litres. The shape of the boot opening isn’t great for loading up larger, bulkier objects, but there are some nice spring-loaded bag hooks, and the rear seats fold down, with a narrow through-load slot between the seats for long, slim items. Does anyone still take skis on holiday in their coupe anymore? Well, they can in the CLE.

The CLE’s screens are really good, but there are some annoyances

The CLE’s big central touchscreen is really good, with an excellent built-in navigation. While there are no physical buttons for the climate control, the digital ‘buttons’ are always on at the bottom of the screen so they’re easy enough to use.

There’s a bar underneath the screen which includes the (annoying) touch-sensitive volume control, and the fingerprint scanner for changing the saved settings, but it feels really loose and flimsy. Equally annoying are the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, which never seem to work when you touch them, but always seem to do something when you accidentally brush them with your hand when steering, which is infuriating.

The phone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto works really well, though. and expensive models come with a brilliant Burmester sound system, which actually has gorgeous metal speaker covers.

The forward-facing camera can also watch traffic lights for you, displaying a live image on the central touchscreen, so you don’t have to crane your neck at junctions.

The CLE, aside from the base model, also gets brilliant (in every sense) Matrix LED headlights with auto dipping, which are terrific at night on a country road.

The digital driver’s display is really crisp and clear, but the Sports instrument display on the screen is just awful, with a silly-looking rev counter. Bring back the old 1980s-style digital instruments, please. Meanwhile, the voice control assistant pipes up at odd and annoying moments even when you haven’t said the magic ‘Hey, Mercedes’ words.

Overall cabin quality really is excellent, and all of the bits that you regularly touch and use feel great, but there are some cheap plastics around the place, and the door-mounted seat controls (with adjustable lumbar support only accessible on the touchscreen!) are fiddly. Equally, while the CLE is reasonably roomy, it just lacks the classy cabin feel of the old E-Class Coupe.

The lowest emissions in the CLE lineup are, unsurprisingly, down to the plug-in hybrid which has emissions of just 12g/km of CO2. That puts it in an exceptionally low tax band, although you will have to pay the expensive car levy in years two-to-six. The next lowest is the CLE 220d diesel, at 125g/km, while the 200 petrol emits 145g/km. A CLE 300 has emissions of 162g/km, and it’s 175g/km for the 450. The AMG 53 CLE pushes north of 200g/km.

If you’re getting the CLE as a company car, then BIK rates are lowest for the plug-in hybrid, while the regular petrol and diesel versions cost quite a bit more per month, particularly the AMG versions.

The CLE’s fuel economy is really good, with even the big six-cylinder 450 model able to average 35mpg in daily driving, while the diesel will easily get better than 50mpg.

The CLE hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP for crash safety, but the C-Class it’s based on has been, and that scored a full five-stars, with a 93% rating for adult occupants, 89% for child occupants, 80% for vulnerable road user protection, and 82% for electronic safety systems. We’d expect the CLE’s NCAP score to be broadly similar.

As standard, you get automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping steering, blind spot monitoring, a central airbag between the front seats, and Mercedes’ ‘Pre-Safe’ collision warning and preparation system, so the CLE is very, very safe indeed. Some of the more advanced systems are optional, however, which seems a touch rich at this price.

Mercedes fits what it calls ‘increased anti-theft protections’ as standard, and the CLE can also use its parking cameras in a ‘sentry’ mode, which automatically records if someone bumps into your car while it’s parked.

The CLE is too new a car for us to have a decent handle on how reliable it is, but while Mercedes has an excellent reputation for build quality, that’s not always fully deserved. The previous C-Class, which shares a lot of tech and engines with this CLE, was problematic, especially in its electrical system.

Mercedes finished 26th out of 32 brands in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with 26% of owners reporting problems with their cars.