The New CLE: Comfort Meets Luxury

My last test car, the Mercedes E-Class saloon, could carry three adults in the back seat. This week’s beauty cannot. You will not buy the CLE for its ability to carry rear passengers, but you will buy it for its looks and its luxuriousness.

Upmarket shift

Previously, I wrote about Mercedes going upmarket and no longer chasing sales numbers, preferring to focus on increasing quality (and price!). We no longer have separate E-Class and C-Class coupés; they have now been merged into one car, the CLE, reducing overall numbers of models available. Overall, size-wise, it fits neatly between the old pair of coupés, but it shares its wheelbase and its interior with the new C-Class, maybe making it more C- than E-Class.

Performance

Remember the last test of the new E-Class? Well, there are a lot of similarities. It shares the 2.0 litre engine with the 23bhp/200Nm hybrid engine, mated to the nine-speed gearbox. It shares its economy, and I achieved 4.5l/100k economy over 850kms. That’s over 60mpg. Being Mercedes, there’s a range of engines to choose from. Later in the year, we’ll have a range extending from the 197bhp diesel to the 3.0 litre petrol with 449bhp and four-wheel drive.

The car was quiet and if anything did not appear to be moving as quickly as the speedometer indicated. Not only does the hybrid engine assist with economy, it assists with acceleration, so that the CLE always appears to be in the right gear. Occasionally, there is a momentary hesitation when the stop/start has paused the engine and it needs that split second to wake up. Acceleration with kickdown is smooth and you don’t feel gaps in the power with the automatic changing as the hybrid is busy filling these in. One important point, it will not drive under hybrid power alone.

Tech

Similar to the E-Class, it has voice commands like Siri and Alexa. She (it is a female voice) will switch on the heated seats, adjust the air con, and open and close the windows. Physical buttons are also available for these functions. And it will mostly get the navigation correct (I’ve said enough about that subject).

On the steering wheel there is a button for active cruise control. Pressing it gave a message that I could have this facility if I paid a subscription. Which brings an interesting dilemma. The CLE has the hardware for adaptive cruise control fitted, and some manufacturers are going that way, putting all the options on the car, but you’ll need your credit card to unlock them.

From 2026, the New Car Assessment Programme will deduct points for cars that rely too heavily on touchscreens for certain critical functions and must have physical buttons or stalks for five critical tasks: Direction indicators; hazard lights; the horn; operating windscreen wipers; and activating the emergency call.

In general, the CLE feels very quiet and very comfortable. Road-holding is excellent. Pirelli tyres are standard, but I think they contribute to road noise. (That is, in the South. We drove through the North and found it significantly quieter on their tarmac roads. Lexus famously tested their cars in the South and it was said that if they could be made comfortable here, they should be comfortable anywhere. Maybe Pirelli needs to come here to test their tyres?)

The handling is neat and neutral. Mercedes are not BMW and prefers to concentrate on the “wafted along in luxury” end of the market. Yet I felt the CLE had a nice sporting feel to it. It was comfortable yet willing to accelerate to overtake and was very steady in corners. No doubt the shorter wheelbase helps handling yet doesn’t compromise comfort.

Being flexible is best for getting into the rear of the car, but once in you’re comfortable. I’m just over 5’9 and I was content. Taller people might not be so lucky. The rear seat is definitely made for two only. The doors are big and heavy, but you won’t know unless you’re parked on a slope. Rear visibility is hampered somewhat by the smaller rear windows.

Overall, I found myself liking the car more and more as the week progressed. It was comfortable, incredibly economical, and looked extremely well. Just don’t expect to get many in the back.