2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE review

Mercedes-Benz has introduced a new coupe and convertible nameplate – CLE – in a market where both body styles continue to decline in popularity.

There’s a method to Mercedes’ madness, however.

The brand has been busy rolling out more and more electric vehicles (EVs), and that has meant it has needed to thin its combustion-powered lineup.

Coupes and convertibles are naturally easy targets for discontinuation in the 2020s, as these products are more niche than ever in an SUV-hungry market.

First, Mercedes-Benz dropped the SLC and S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, and it has subsequently dropped the coupe and convertible versions of the C-Class and E-Class.

The new-generation C-Class and E-Class are now offered here exclusively as sedans (Australians miss out on the wagons), but Mercedes-Benz isn’t walking away from the coupe and convertible market.

All two-door C- and E-Class models have now been replaced with the new CLE. It’s a new nameplate, but it’s not a new idea – this is effectively a revival of the old CLK.

The CLE is closer to the old E-Class two-doors in size. It’s also closer to the defunct E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet in price, though its styling is arguably closer to the C-Class – especially due to the presence of a B-pillar, with the CLE lacking the cool pillarless hardtop look of the old E-Class.

It’s attractive but inoffensive, blending in seamlessly with Mercedes-Benz’s other combustion-powered models and avoiding the blobby excesses of the brand’s EVs.

It arguably doesn’t look dramatically newer than the old C-Class and E-Class two-doors, though, but if the 4 Series’ buck-toothed schnoz is anathema to you then the CLE’s subtle lines should be right up your alley.

Mercedes-Benz is hoping to keep owners of both the C-Class and E-Class two-door ranges in the fold, while also continuing to offer a rival to two-door versions of the BMW 4 Series and the Audi A5.

The A5 mightn’t be a threat for much longer, though, with Audi still not having confirmed a replacement. With the Infiniti Q60 and Lexus RC long gone in Australia, there are essentially no other direct rivals for the CLE.

We got behind the wheel of the CLE 200 Coupe and CLE 300 Coupe to see how Mercedes-Benz’s new entrant stacks up. Unfortunately, we weren’t given the opportunity to drive the CLE 300 Cabriolet.

How much does the Mercedes-Benz CLE cost?

The cheapest CLE Coupe is over $10,000 more than an entry-level Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series coupe.

It’s roughly $10,000 less than the cheapest 2023 E-Class Coupe, but it’s more than $20,000 pricier than the entry-level C-Class Coupe. It’s also around $10,000 more than a C 200 Sedan.

To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLE lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What is the Mercedes-Benz CLE like on the inside?

Mercedes-Benz has been very consistent with its interior design language, to the point where it’s hard to tell models like the CLE, C-Class, GLC, EQE etc apart.

That means the CLE, like those other vehicles, has a sea of striated wood trim across the dashboard, a centre console awash with gloss black trim, glitzy multi-colour ambient lighting, and both a large portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen and a free-standing digital instrument cluster.

The interior design immediately gets your attention, but spend more time with it and you’ll find some disappointing details.

All that piano black trim is bound to attract scratches, smudges and dust, while the button to open the centre console bin feels flimsy and the giant centre console cover could be nicer, too.

The indicator stalk didn’t feel nicely damped, while Mercedes-Benz’s persistence with using what feels like an indicator stalk for a gear selector remains a personal frustration.

The CLE is far from the only $100k+ German luxury car to suffer from this, but the lower half of the doors is finished in hard plastic. More disappointingly, the sides of the centre console are finished in hard plastic too, as is the glove compartment lid.

That’s a shame, as there are a lot of nice details, too. The door trims overall are quite handsome, with a soft upper section; a leather-wrapped look to the centre; and some tactile, attractive metal-look trim around the window controls.

The attractive dashboard has a particularly soft top, and there’s also some metallic trim for contrast. A large sunroof bathes the cabin with light, while available beige, brown and (on the CLE 300 only) red upholstery colourways add some welcome contrast inside.

There’s a large gloss black door concealing much of the centre console, under which there’s a USB-C outlet. Behind this is a centre console bin that’s quite shallow but has an additional two USB-C outlets.

The technology in this car is slick, as expected from a Mercedes-Benz in 2024. The infotainment system has attractive graphics, quick response times and a generally intuitive menu structure, while the digital instrument cluster offers multiple different views and is legible and easy on the eyes.

There’s wireless smartphone mirroring, and Android Auto worked well without the use of a cable.

You can step into the back by pulling a strap, with the power-adjustable front seats moving to allow you access.

Once you’re back there, you’ll find there’s a decent amount of space. I’m 180cm tall and I could sit upright without feeling too hemmed in, though my hair was brushing the roof somewhat.

Mercedes-Benz claims there’s more rear elbow and shoulder room back here than in the old C-Class and E-Class coupes, as well as almost identical legroom to the old E.

The front seatbacks are scooped out to allow room for your knees, and I was able to sit comfortably with plenty of knee-, leg- and toe-room behind my own seating position up front.

There are air vents back here plus cupholders between the two seats, though that’s it in terms of amenities.

Mercedes-Benz did continue the use of soft-touch trim back here, so it doesn’t feel like a penalty box by any respect. The boot is decently roomy, with 420L of cargo capacity.

To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLE lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What’s under the bonnet?

For now there are just two engines available in the local CLE range, though Mercedes-AMG has revealed a high-performance, six-cylinder CLE 53. A flagship CLE 63 is also expected.

The CLE 200’s 150kW/320Nm outputs best both the C 200 (150kW/300Nm) and E 200 (145kW/320Nm).

Meanwhile, the CLE 300’s 190kW/400Nm outputs see it out-punch the C 300 (190kW/370Nm) but fall short of the E 350 (220kW/400Nm).

To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLE lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

How does the Mercedes-Benz CLE drive?

We drove both the CLE 200 and CLE 300 coupes, and naturally the latter feels more powerful.

It’s rapid enough, and it shuffles through its nine gears without fuss. Sport mode will hold gears a touch longer, and you also have paddle shifters if you want to take manual control.

Regardless of the drive mode you’re in, the CLE helpfully displays what gear you’re in. In most driving, you won’t feel the extra grip from the all-wheel drive system though.

The CLE 200 does feel slower, and you have to rev it a bit harder particularly on steeper grades. It would noticeably shuffle back a couple of gears in mountain driving, whereas the CLE 300 felt more responsive.

Still, there’s only a 1.2-second difference in 0-100km/h times, and the CLE 300 doesn’t feel $21,000 more powerful – nor does it feel like a rocket ship itself.

Regardless of variant, the CLE’s engine note itself is far from sporty. If you told someone that was, say, a Toyota engine, they’d probably believe you.

Mercedes-Benz ought to talk to Alfa Romeo about how to make a good-sounding four-cylinder engine – the CLE’s note is utterly forgettable, even when you toggle the ‘Sport’ sound.

There’s no difference in suspension tune between the CLE 200 and CLE 300, and that means a firm ride.

There are no adaptive dampers available in either variant here, so there’s no way to soften the ride. The good news is the CLE doesn’t crash over bumps, and it irons out the craggiest of roads.

The bad news is it feels persistently firm, and you will feel every dip and rise and surface change. It can also feel a bit fidgety if it has to handle multiple bumps and surface changes in quick succession.

Those coming out of an E-Class Coupe and expecting the CLE to be somewhat of a cruiser may be disappointed.

The cabin is impressively hushed, with wind noise kept to a minimum and the engine not making much of a racket. There’s plenty of roar from the run-flat tyres on coarse-chip surfaces, however.

It’s easy to find a comfortable seating position in the CLE, and visibility is decent for a coupe. However, the steering wheel looks and feels enormous, if pleasantly tactile due to its leather wrapping.

The steering itself is lacking in feedback. Comfort mode makes the steering quite light, while Sport dials in more weight. However, it doesn’t bring any extra road feel, and through the twisties it didn’t feel all that fluid.

That’s a shame, as the CLE can tackle winding roads with great confidence. Body roll is virtually non-existent with the CLE staying flat in the corners. Grip in the CLE 300 in particular is excellent, with the chassis feeling lovely and balanced.

The CLE feels just a tad disjointed overall, though. The ride is firm and sporty and the handling is poised, but the engines are average and the steering a bit vacant.

Perhaps the option of a more comfort-focused suspension tune or adaptive dampers would allow the CLE to better serve as a grand tourer.

Being able to adjust ride softness would be ideal because, as it stands, the Individual drive mode only allows you to adjust the settings for throttle response, steering, electronic stability program, and the sound.

The standard lane-keep assist is more of a warning system with a last-second intervention, even on its most aggressive setting, and as standard the CLE doesn’t include any lane-centring smarts.

We didn’t drive any CLEs with the optional Plus Package, which includes the Driving Assistant Package Plus that brings a more sophisticated lane-keep system.

To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLE lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

What do you get?

There are two CLE Coupe variants, and a singular CLE Cabriolet variant.

Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 highlights:

• Sports suspension
• AMG Line exterior and interior package
• Night Package with black trim elements
• Digital Light package with adaptive LED headlights
• Semi-automatic parking assist
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 11.9-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Augmented reality satellite navigation
• Wireless phone charger
• Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos
• Head-up display
• 64-colour ambient lighting
• Artico leatherette upholstery
• Heated front seats
• Automatic seatbelt feeder
• Easy-Entry function for rear-seat passengers with Nappa leather loop

CLE 300 Coupe adds:

CLE 300 Cabriolet adds:

• Fabric acoustic soft top (opens and closes in 20 seconds at up to 60km/h)
• ‘Airscarf’ headroom heating
• ‘Aircap’ wind deflector system
• Tilting infotainment touchscreen

The optional Plus Package costs $4900 and includes:

• Driving Assistance Package Plus
• Ventilated front seats
• Multicontour front seats
• Memory Parking Assistant
• Air-Balance Package
• Guard 360° Vehicle Protection Plus

Metallic paint is a no-cost option, though you’ll need to fork out $1700 for Manufaktur Patagonia Red and Opalite White finishes and $2900 for Manufaktur Alpine Grey solid paint.

Is the Mercedes-Benz CLE safe?

The Mercedes-Benz CLE has yet to be tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane-keep assist
• Surround-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition

The optional Plus Package includes Mercedes-Benz’s Driving Assistant Package Plus. This is the name for an expanded suite of active safety technology, and includes:

• Active speed limit assist
• Front cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit warning
• Evasive steering assist
• Cyclist, pedestrian and vehicle detection

The more sophisticated adaptive cruise control system in the Plus Package also includes:

• Extended automatic restart function on motorways
• Route-based speed adaptation with end of traffic jam function
• Active Stop-and-Go Assist
• Active Steering Assist with hands-off warning

How much does the Mercedes-Benz CLE cost to run?

The Mercedes-Benz CLE range is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Considering you can buy a five-year service plan on a BMW 4 Series for $2225 and on an Audi A5 for $3360, it’s clear the CLE isn’t cheap to service.

To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLE lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

CarExpert’s Take on the Mercedes-Benz CLE

In a world where the cheapest C-Class in Australia now costs around $90,000, the $100k+ price point of this CLE shouldn’t be all that shocking. It also has most of the size and performance of the two-door E-Class it replaces.

The CLE hits all the high notes of modern Mercedes-Benz. The infotainment is sophisticated, the look refined, and the cabin presentation glitzy (if far from perfect). It also has quite a habitable back seat.

For over $100k, though, the CLE doesn’t really excite. Performance is average, and it doesn’t offset this with a smooth ride.

If Mercedes-Benz wants people to keep buying coupes, the CLE needs to make more of an impact.

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