2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe: Comfort and quiet trump handling

The shrinking car market — mass market and luxury — means automakers are making tough choices.

Mercedes-Benz is the latest to acknowledge that there are just not as many buyers today to embrace its expansive lineup of sedans, coupes and convertibles.

Coupes, in general, appear endangered across the industry with automakers reviewing every expense as the costly transition to electric vehicles rolls on.

So the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe will become a single replacement for what was the venerable C- and E-Class coupes and convertibles.

A direct rival to the BMW 4 Series, Audi A5, Jaguar F-Type and Lexus RC, the CLE is 6.5 inches longer than the last C-Class coupe and 0.6 inches longer than the outgoing E-Class coupe.

Mercedes says its bigger footprint mostly benefits rear seat passengers, who will enjoy more head, shoulder and elbow room compared with the outgoing C-Class coupe.

The trunk also grows with 2.1 cubic feet of additional space, providing enough room for three golf bags, Mercedes says.

When it arrives in the U.S. early next year, two trim levels will be available — the CLE 300 4Matic and CLE 450 4Matic. A fabric-top convertible variant follows in the first half of 2024.

Two powertrains will be offered at launch in the U.S. — a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 255 hp, paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission, with all-wheel drive; and a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six making 375 hp, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission with awd. A 48-volt electrical system paired with an integrated starter-generator can add up to 23 hp for short periods.

The four-passenger coupe is built on Mercedes-Benz's MRA-2 platform. Production began this summer at the company's assembly plant in Bremen, Germany. Mercedes recently invited journalists to drive the CLE in Spain, and we've collected some early reviews.

"The CLE quickly made it obvious it prioritizes comfort and quietude over handling, though the latter is still more than clear. The suspension tuning largely follows that of the C-Class sedan, and we found that body motions were generally well controlled. There was plenty of grip, too, even on damp pavement. But when the pavement turned rough, the CLE always erred on the side of floaty comfort, and on some of the bigger bumps we felt the suspension coming to the end of its travel, both up and down. And we surely felt that extra width on those narrow Spanish roads, though that shouldn't be much of an issue back home in the U.S.

The steering was responsive, accurate, and nicely weighted, loading up slightly when we switched to Sport mode. When it came to feedback, though, it was as if the rack had taken a vow of silence. Bumper cars have more communicative steering than the CLE. This didn't make it any more difficult to drive, but it turns down the fun factor. You can certainly hustle in the CLE, but doing so is not as rewarding as it could be. Think executive express more than sports car, and you'll have the CLE's number.

The next day, we traveled back to Bilbao for our departure in a CLE450, but not before checking out the back seat. It's exactly what you'd expect, provided you were expecting a back seat where adults wouldn't mind riding to dinner, but asked to sit back there for a day-long road trip might well opt to drive their own car. That's the reason coupes have two doors, isn't it? To make it clear that guests are only welcome for short stints?"

— Aaron Gold, Motor Trend

"Fans of the pillarless E-class coupe will be saddened to learn that the CLE has a door pillar like the C-class coupe. But this doesn't harsh the vibe, as its flanks are smooth and flowing, with subtle fender creases that further elongate the shape. In fact, the 'cab backward' description of the fifth-gen C-class sedan is even more apparent here, as the CLE's extra body length makes the hood look considerably longer. All told, there's a hint of AMG GT coupe in the proportions, even though the CLE shares nothing with that high-performance two-seater.

Instead, the underpinnings consist of the same sort of multilink front and rear suspension layouts as the C-class. This gave the CLE poise and balance on a sinuous drive route along the coastal roads of northern Spain. Unfortunately, the C-class similarities don't end there, as it also displayed the same driving-simulator steering and brake feel that we bemoaned during our C300 road test. There's accuracy and predictability in abundance, but the driver feedback loop isn't adequately developed.

We'd like to say the suspension filtered out the rough stuff and took the edge off when the 20-inch Continental tires encountered unpleasant pavement, but we can't. It absolutely accomplished that, but the cars we tested had a Europe-spec calibration with adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering that we won't see. CLE300 base models in the United States will get passive dampers, while the CLE450 will come with position-sensitive passive dampers as part of a sport suspension setup. Theoretically, these should ride smoother than that sounds when you're driving straight because they will develop less damping when the shocks are near mid-stroke. Time will tell."

— Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver

"Mercedes claims the CLE450 can hit 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers an hour) in 4.4 seconds, a spry number that feels totally realistic. On the way to that speed, you'll notice a pleasant, turbine-like whir emanating from the exhaust, typical of an inline-six and appropriate for the Benz coupe's sporty-ish mission.
Cruising down Spain's impeccably maintained freeways, there's little to complain about with the CLE. Wind and road noise are well controlled, and the two-door dispatches expansion joints and minor imperfections with a solid, Autobahn-ready thump. Apocalyptically rough pavement sends some gritty noises through the rear suspension, so folks who live in the Snow Belt may want to consider the base CLE for its smaller wheels, thicker tire sidewalls, and softer suspension tune.
Speaking of tuning, the model I drove was a European-spec car that featured adaptive dampers, which we won't get in the U.S. Mercedes engineers told me that the car's Comfort drive mode would roughly match up with the compliance of the standard shocks and springs, while Sport would be close to the AMG suspenders that will be standard on the U.S.-spec CLE450 and optional on the 300. Toggling between the two settings made it clear that I would likely rather have the optional setup, as it offered decent ride smoothness even over Spanish cobblestones, while maintaining some handling verve on a twisty road.
For proof of those talents, I motored the CLE450 away from the highway and toward some tight, narrow seaside roads. Plunging up and down alongside sheer cliffs and rocky faces, the CLE would have to thread a narrow needle to avoid disaster. Luckily, we both made it through no worse for the wear, the sport mode livening up the throttle and providing crackling downshifts when braking for corners. The suspension is also well-tuned for such jaunts, providing neutral handling behavior that gradually transitions toward safe understeer — not even mid-corner downshifts could upset the CLE's demeanor."

— Brett T. Evans, motor1.com

"Despite a few poor material choices, the CLE's cabin is nice and comfortable, and super quiet, even at highway speeds. The Dolby Atmos stereo absolutely rips, and at night, you'll be able to impress your pals with vibrant ambient light displays. Seriously, it's like a WeHo nightclub in here.

Mercedes-Benz will sell the CLE with two powertrains in the U.S., both of which have 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, as well as all-wheel drive. On the base end, the CLE300 uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 — the same one you'll find in the new C300 sedan — making 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The aforementioned 48-volt integrated starter-generator can produce up to 23 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque for quick bursts of acceleration, but the best thing about this tech is that it makes the stop-start system significantly smoother.

The 2.0-liter engine isn't anything to write home about, but its power is perfectly adequate for this 4,000-plus-pound coupe. The inline-four doesn't sound particularly hearty — what four-banger does? — but it'll get the CLE300 up to speed just fine, and the low-end torque makes it easy to whip around slowpokes on the freeway.

Step up to the CLE450 and you'll get a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-6 engine, with 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, plus the same amount of electric boost from the mild-hybrid system. This is a really sweet powertrain, silky smooth with plenty of oomph. Matched with a nine-speed automatic transmission — something you'll also find in the CLE300 — the CLE450 is a serene machine. We've long been a fan of cars with Mercedes' 3.0-liter mild-hybrid engine, and the CLE450 is no different."

— Steven Ewing, Torque Report

"The CLE 450's adaptive dampers have standard Comfort and Sport settings, as well as a Sport+ setting that's accessed via the programmable Individual drive mode. Every CLE comes with a standard four-link front and five-link rear suspensions, and in the U.S. we get passive dampers. In both models, the ride height is lowered 0.6 inch versus the E-Class sedan, and the 450 model wears a sport tune for its springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and bushings.

With the European tune, the Comfort setting makes the suspension a little too soft. The body takes a beat to settle down in lane changes and out of corners, but that's rectified by the Sport setting, which makes the car feel tied down and quicker to react to inputs. Switching to Sport+ gives it even quicker reactions but firms up the ride so much that bumps and ruts become intrusive. Otherwise, the ride is supple, even with this car's optional 20-inch summer tires.

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.

So, grip is just decent, and the CLE coupe also lacks some of the performance equipment Mercedes offers. In addition to the rear-wheel steering, it lacks a limited-slip rear differential and active anti-roll bars. That doesn't mean it's not sporty. It just means it's more a grand tourer aimed for this type of coastal drive rather than a track car like an AMG CLE 63 would be.

The steering is typical Mercedes-with a light feel and quick reactions. The brakes have a predictable pedal and a confident feel. Mercedes hasn't detailed their size or the number of calipers front and rear, but they'll certainly fit with the grand tourer theme: fine for the street or a jaunt on a twisty road but not trackworthy."

— Kirk Hill, Motor Authority