NEW Mercedes CLE 450 Coupe Review: The BEST New Coupe? | 4K

overseas, this is the Mercedes-Benz CLE and while the letters in its name may look familiar, it's actually a new addition to the Mercedes lineup and if you ask me, it's pretty interesting too, according to Mercedes, the CLE was shaped by desire C-Class Coupe customers wanted more space and E-Class Coupe customers wanted something sportier, so they got rid of both cars and created this to suit everyone. If you think of the L in CLE as a slash, then you're on the right track. Basically a c e

coupe

with Mercedes that merges the

best

parts of both cars into one.

It's available as a two-door

coupe

and a convertible, and there's definitely a lot of consolidation under here. The CLE is based on the same platform as you. Step up to the C-Class and E-Class, but size-wise, it has more compared to the E-Class and C-Class; it's actually the same width and 15 millimeters longer than the E-Class coupe with a wheelbase that falls somewhere in between. As far as two car design goes, it's a pretty attractive car, it's going to go head to head with the Audi A5 and the BMW 4 Series. Personally, I might prefer the look of the 4 Series, but I might be in the minority, let me know. in the comments below but you can't fault this car for its design, it's really striking, a long bonnet, big old bulges on top and then what Mercedes calls the shark nose and by that I mean it has This A-shaped grille that is slightly tilted back. like a shark's nose, no teeth on this one, but in this particular spec you get hundreds of these three pointed stars, the headlights are quite predatory in nature and their design is very shark like, if you look closely, It has these blue waves. that actually shows up when you stand up and look down at the lens, it also has two nodules instead of the single nodule that appears on the C Class, indicating that this is much more related to an E, it's fine on the side, a very distinctive looking car.

The first thing I notice is the wheels, they have these special 20-inch aerodynamic wheels. I'm not the biggest fan of these in terms of their design, but I understand why they're there. They reduce the amount of drag that this car creates and therefore the amount of CO2 that it emits and increases the fuel economy now down here you have these very distinctive creases in the front wheel arch and then that fades into a smooth door and then towards the rear another pronounced crease which really helps make those wheel arches look a little more pronounced and distinctive, it's not a pillarless coupe, there's a B pillar here, but it's still attractive and, Like all coupes, it has a little seat belt assist just to go through that belt every time you sit down.

I also like quite a greenhouse on this too with this distinctive little Kink up at the rear and the panoramic glass sunroof on top, now the rear is probably my favorite angle on this car by far, not because it's perfect, because there are pros and cons, let's start with the good things. Firstly these lights are beautiful, they are not the same as the ones on the E Class Saloon which has a distinctive star shaped design but this just suits the Sleek character or the CLE much more, unfortunately it doesn't have a bar of complete lights. on the back there is a break in the middle you just have this little lens that almost feels like they didn't have enough budget to make the two connect a bit like a cop maybe but it gets worse you have a fake diffuser towards below. here, which does absolutely nothing and then it gets even worse because you have a fake fence on the side, a little forgivable, but what I don't think is that these huge exhaust pipe casings are forgivable.

It has two individual exhaust pipes underneath, but no. going through these frameworks, what's the point of developing such an attractive and elaborate exhaust pipe casing and then not coming out with anything absolutely useless? The boot opens electrically and gives you 450 liters of space, which is actually about five liters more than You get into the E-Class saloon, the opening is quite small, it's not a hatchback, but there is enough space for three bags of clubs golf. Something I don't play golf, I don't know, but it's big. Let's see the inside. welcome to the interior of the new CLE, as you will see it has a lot in common with the interior of the C-Class.

Well, the E-Class is a little more premium, but Mercedes wanted a bit of a sporty vibe for the CLE and I think the interior of the C-Class fits the bill very well, it's an attractive cabin, it's available in a variety of finishes, this particular one comes with this slightly strange shiny plastic with a houndstooth style design, you've got some chrome and up here in The dashboard also has some leather with some contrast stitching. The seats are also very nice. They have been designed specifically for the CLE and they look tremendous. I like the way the headrests go back and forth in just a second, but the color.

It's one of my highlights. I love this tan color and it goes really well with the inserts in the doors and that contrasts really well with the chrome on the armrest and of course the Mr Naked stereo system which is an option on this car from the headrest now, If you get the optional Barmouth sound system, they actually come with a pair of speakers built into the headrest which, in theory, will improve the sound quality in this car because they are much closer to your ears. I have the optional one. Thermaster sound system in this car, but I can't hear or see any speakers in these headrests, so I'm going to have some very strong words with Mercedes to try to clarify exactly what's going on there as far as the in-car technology you have. an 11 inch screen for the driver a very large head up display, so big it's almost distracting but you can adjust it on and off and then a large 12 inch screen for your infotainment overall they look beautiful and work very well even You can customize the look and feel of the driver's screen, from sporty to classic, navigation to assist, and make it look and feel exactly how you like, and then this large infotainment screen is angled slightly towards the driver to make it easier to see.

Now, this is from the C-Class, but it actually has the E-Class software, in other words, it has additional functionality and a slightly different look. I'll show you what I mean by some of the menus being typical Mercedes. but when you go to the home menu it shows you this layer of Android that looks a little bit like what you have on a mobile phone and it makes it very easy to read and it looks really cool. The only drawback is that it doesn't look very consistent. in the different menus of this car, for example, in some of the menus it is typical Mercedes, but then in the main menu it looks like you have an Android or iOS device, which for me lacks a bit of consistency, but the The good thing is that there are a lot of features in this, so let me scroll through some of the apps here.

You have Pocket Casts Tick Tock video streaming. You have Zoom built into Angry Birds. Actually, I don't see a video conferencing camera in this car, there is one in the E class, but Mercedes tells me that you will have the option of a video camera so you can do teleconferences in your GLC in your whatever it's called in your CLE and there is many more I could talk about the interior of anything, including the rear, which is more spacious than before thanks to the extra wheelbase that provides more legroom and headroom than a normal C Coupe, but I'm sure You get the idea, so let's drive it.

We all want our Coupes to be interesting and the CLE is definitely there, it comes with a range of engines, there's an inline four-cylinder diesel if you prefer, plenty of two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and then there's the big dog with the 2.9-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine that makes 380 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque and is pretty quick, you know, 0 to 62 in 4.4 seconds and 155 miles per hour at full speed, so it will be on par with an entry-level Porsche. Now it is a very efficient engine and part of the reason is that it uses an integrated starter generator, basically a small electric motor that can add an additional 200 newton meters of torque, not on top of the 500 that the engine already produces, but it does fill those spaces where the engine isn't doing much to speak of, so when you accelerate, turbo lag is kept to a minimum.

The gearbox is the familiar 9-speed, nine-speed Mercedes automatic. It's quite enough, isn't it now? Most of them are practically dedicated to efficiency. If you drive enthusiastically, you'll mostly use ones, twos, threes and fours, and that's where you might want to take advantage of the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. It's not the fastest or most responsive gearbox in the world, but it's just about sensitive enough for you to enjoy flicking the box up and down with the paddles around these twisty corners - if you don't bother, of course. you can leave it on automatic and it will sort everything out for you with a minimum of fuss.

Let's say now before we talk about what it's like to drive this car quickly, let's talk about what it's like on a daily basis, it's very comfortable. I love the seats in this car, they look good, they feel good, they're heated, they're cooled, they also have a massage function with a bunch of different programs and they have a seat kinematics program which basically means they adjust your back and your butt in minutes while driving, meaning you'll never be sitting in the same position during a long trip. You are constantly moving your body to help blood flow.

There are three suspension options in the CLE, which is lowered 15 millimeters compared to the sedans. There's the Comfort suspension that does what it says on the tin. The optional sports suspension that stiffens things up and offers more direct steering and then there's a third option, dynamic body control which is essentially an adaptive suspension that can adjust the damping at each wheel individually to give you the

best

of both worlds on demand. . When you buy that suspension, you also get rear-wheel steering, which is a small change to this car, so not only does it make it feel a little more responsive going into corners, but it also reduces the turning circle on approximately 50 centimeters.

This car has a better turning circle than the E-Class and C-Class Coupes, which means that in the city it is very maneuverable and that makes it a really good daily vehicle for anyone who lives in a city. A big part of the driving experience is technology, much of which I mentioned above. One of the most interesting new additions is a Routines feature. where you can tell the car to do certain things under certain conditions, like open the windows and sunroof below a specific speed or play a particular type of music if you're driving fast, it also has autonomous driving features like lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control and an update to the hey Mercedes voice recognition system that doesn't require you to say the keyword hey Mercedes although I haven't had much luck with that I'm cold I'm hot How's the weather?

Navigate home Hello I just want to also check out that Burmester sound system I had to use with Mercedes. I called them and said, look, I can't see any speakers in these headrests. They say it's okay, you can't see them. They are hidden, but the problem is that I. I can't hear any sound coming out of these headrests, nor was I told they will work if you play Dolby Atmos enabled music, so I turned on Apple Music. I put on some Dolby Atmos music. I still can't hear any sound from these speakers. "Don't get me wrong, the sound system is amazing anyway, one of the best you'll hear in a car.

It's the kind of sound system you want to drive around just to hear, but I'm a little disappointed that you can do it". I don't hear anything coming from the headrests. I'm going to take advantage of the doubt in this case, maybe it's just this particular car, but next time have the speakers work and turn on when you're not playing with the technology. It's comforting to know that the CLE performs quite well when driven hard. I say quite well because it is not the most complicated car to drive, it is more of a GT than a sports car and I say this because in the corners it does not inspire as much confidence as I do.

I would like part of the reason for this, I would say, to be these Continental Eco contact tires that don't give you the most grip in the corners. I've found quite a bit of understeer whenever you push hard, especially when it's a little wet. underfoot and so it doesn't inspire complete confidence when cornering the all-wheel drive system doesn't make it feel particularly dynamic I would say good, the driving position is good, there is decent steering feel and there is plenty of traction off the line. HeThe problem is that virtually any halfway decent hot hatch will leave you for dead.

Is it good value for money? Prices will start from £50,000 for the entry-level cars and go up to around £70,000 for the top-of-the-line Cle 450 and BMW 430i. The reference is available for around £43-£58,000, so what's my verdict on the CLE overall? I think it's pretty good, actually I mean it doesn't vibrate or sputter with driver input, it's not a sports car, it's definitely more of a GT with a good change of pace, particularly on 450 guys, Mercedes knows that its customers C-Class wanted something a little more spacious and luxurious and their E-Class customers wanted something a little more sporty and they have delivered exactly that to both those demographics and the Can't really fault it.

I think it's a very well executed car and overall I'm very glad it exists. Thanks for watching, guys. Don't forget that AutoTrader gives away an electric car every month. This month's prize is a new Tesla Model Y and we also have a bonus price. This is an electric bike with rally motors. It could be yours. Enter now. Details are below.