Benz blends its E-Class and C-Class two-doors into a single family again—but this one’s more than the CLK ever was.
—in both coupe and forthcoming convertible body styles—but there’s far more E than C here. It’s not sized between the two; this car is actually slightly bigger than the outgoing E-Class coupe. But the new CLE takes some of the C’s sporty soul, as well as the current C’s interior.
I’m in a CLE 450 4Matic, which will be the top model when the CLE goes on sale in the first half of 2024, though it will certainly give way to one if not two. It’s a European model with rear-axle steering and adaptive dampers that we won’t get in the U.S., but its tuning foretells what American customers should expect.
Those tires are 245/35 front and 275/30 rear Continental EcoContact 6 Qs—summer tires for sure, but not exactly known for their grip. The 450 will come standard with 19-inch all-season or summer tires, and offer these 20s. The CLE 300 will get standard all-season 18s, and offer 19s as all-season or summer tires.
This is no AMG model, but power is close. Mercedes quotes a 0-62 mph time of 4.4 seconds, but the top speed is limited to 130 mph. The turbo-6 has great grunt from a stop, and keeps pouring on the power thanks to a chunky 1,800-5,000-rpm maximum torque band. It growls when pushed, but is otherwise docile and content to remain in the background. If this were an AMG model, it would snap and crackle on overrun, but it’s too civilized for that in a standard-series car.
Interior options include multicontour massaging and cooling front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, augmented reality for the navigation system, a head-up display, a surround-view camera system, and a flat-bottom steering wheel that comes standard in the 450 model.
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