At the moment, it can feel all too easy to focus on what Mercedes isn’t doing for fast cars rather than what it is. You know the complaints: V8s missing from C-Classes and E-Classes, joy absent from the AMG EVs, too many weird SUVs and so on. But that’s to ignore some of the really good stuff that’s out there right now with a three-pointed star (or an AMG crest) on the bonnet. The A45 remains one of the maddest hot hatches of the 21st century, the G63 is still irrepressibly brilliant, and the CLE 53 is proving even better long-term company than expected. And our hopes were particularly high. Probably a 4.0-litre '63 version will follow in time (if we’re lucky) though it’s notable how seldom the thought crosses your mind once behind the wheel. The 53 is exactly what was hoped for in a reasonably senior AMG coupe: rapid, commanding, assured, charming and capable.
But it’s not the only way into a straight-six Mercedes coupe. As has happened at BMW for decades, there’s a 3.0-litre model that sits below the top dog, providing the same sort of soundtrack and a similar turn of speed for less money - without the overt status of a fully fledged flagship. Easy to see why it might appeal on paper; now’s the time to find out the reality. A CLE 450 uses the same mild hybrid turbo six as the 53, down 68hp and 44lb ft but with 65kg and, as tested, about £8,000 in its favour.
The first point of note is just what a treat it is to use a straight-six these days. It’s such a classy, cultured configuration, effortlessly smooth and a pleasure to listen to in all situations. Of course, pretty much every element is a tad augmented here, though the inherent goodness of an inline six would make every journey in either a privilege no matter which variant you chose.
Perhaps surprisingly for a comparison of a proper AMG offering against standard Benz - or maybe reflecting the nature of combustion power in 2024 - but there isn’t a great deal of difference between two flavours of the same powertrain. There’s a little more commotion to the 53, a louder growl and a bigger thump on upchanges, though fundamentally they feel pretty similar. Because they are: the AMG-badged one is treated to a new conventional turbo with additional boost (and an electric compressor to help it), plus new piston rings, but the engine code is the same for both - M 256M - and the characters are similar.
Which is to say very impressive. There's great pickup from low engine speeds, generous torque and a decent willingness to rev - but if you're the kind of shopper who expects a world of difference in return for their premium, you might be disappointed. The 53 is a tad keener to rev, and modestly more forceful at the business end of the rev range, although its on-paper performance advantage is relatively minor. The nine-speed auto is shared as well, and is broadly good bar some hesitancy at higher revs, but it’s another area where the 53 is made to feel more Mercedes than AMG. And that can’t entirely be hidden by upshift burps.
So if the engine - traditionally the hallmark of a good AMG - can't put the 53 into a different league to a normal CLE, what can? Well, as it turns out, every single other part of the package. Simply opening your eyes is a good start. Where the 450, even in a superior colour, can seem narrow, meek, and maybe a tad plain, the 53 positively smoulders in side-by-side comparison. The additional muscle isn’t just for show, either: it needs those rude arches to accommodate wider tracks, with a couple of inches added up front and almost three at the rear. And those wheels - heavens above, those wheels. Yes, they should be silver, and yes, cleaning them is odious, but tucked up in the arches with just the right amount of negative camber they’re a hundred times more arresting than the flat-faced rims (of the same diameter) on the 450. It sounds small and inconsequential, yet makes a real difference to perception.
The AMG version is full of those details, in fact, little improvements (as well as some larger ones) that add up to make a much more satisfying, engaging Mercedes Benz. The gearbox may be carried over, complete with the selector wand that eventually makes some sense, but manual control is from a pair of proper metallic paddles rather than the slightly apologetic switches in the 450. This encourages the driver to switch ratios more often, to engage with the car, especially with manual shifts selectable via the excellent steering wheel dials rather than fiddling with the screen.
In fact, while initially derided for making a busy wheel even more complex, the mode switches are a real boon for the 53. It makes adjustment wonderfully easy on the fly, for those moments when you want to change gears, or firm up the dampers, or introduce a little more noise. Because the standard car forces interaction with the touchscreen to do so (and offers up fewer options when it does), you’re less inclined to explore.
One of the 53 options when scrolling through the dinky screens is for the ESP, which features a Sport setting denied to the 450. In the regular CLE, you’re either with the assists or without them, which always feels like quite a big leap. And ESP Sport is superb in the AMG, the promise of ‘more rear-focused’ driving behaviour absolutely delivered on. Perhaps not in quite such exuberant fashion as an xDrive M car, though with an undeniable fun factor denied to the 450. Where all-wheel drive exists in that car to minimise fuss, it’s in the 53 to maximise entertainment. Plus there’s an AMG Pack Pro Performance Package with Drift Mode if required, though surely only real scallywags need apply there.
All CLEs come as standard 15mm lower than a C-Class and with Agility Control sports suspension. The 450 makes good use of it, too, with a level of precision that belies a pretty chubby kerbweight. There’ll be no complaints from any seat about how it goes down a road, let's put it that way. By the same token, however, there isn’t likely to be any rousing praise or adulation either. The cooking model is fine, but nothing more.
The 53, on the other hand, with AMG Ride Control ‘developed in Affalterbach… for more agility, more neutral cornering behaviour and higher traction’, is very clever indeed, ensuring that the heavier car rides and handles with noticeably greater aplomb. Imperfections that would flummox the 450 are shrugged off nonchalantly by the broad shoulders of the AMG, with precious little penalty in terms of comfort either. Doesn’t matter if it’s a B-road yump or the pitter-patter of urban streets, the 53 is much more confidently in control of its mass than the 450. As well as keener and more exciting.
And when you go a bit quicker to take advantage of it, that's when all that AMG goodness really starts to shine through. Because it sits wider and lower and benefits from the standard steering rear axle, the 53 scythes through direction changes in a way that it's simply beyond the 450 to replicate; all while communicating through the steering wheel with better, chunkier clarity. The brake pedal is firmer and more reassuring, too, all that engineering effort reaping rewards when it’s most needed. Because while the 450 is more than good enough, little about the experience compels you to search for that bit extra; the AMG encourages you on, putting all the tools at the driver’s disposal to have a properly gratifying drive - every single drive.
In many ways, this simply confirms the 450's place in the world. It is probably everything a coupe between the C- and E-Class saloons should be: fast, plush, refined, adept. And with a really lovely straight six powering it. What elevates the 53 above it, however, is retaining those attributes while dolloping generous scoops of driver appeal and style on top. Always the general aim with a performance flagship, of course, but the CLE carries it off with some panache. All too often a top-rung model might jeopardise everyday usability for the sake of track tenths, or not deliver enough of an upgrade for the premium - but not only is the AMG fairy dust tangible in every control surface or bump absorbed, it actually comes at a reasonable cost as well when you consider the price of a 450.
A lesser specced 53 could be had for the same sort of money as the 450 seen here, which is £73,535 as tested; the £5,750 walk up from 53 AMG Premium (£73,075) to 53 AMG Night Edition Premium Plus (£78,825, as our long-termer is) brings tech that could probably be done without; the black accents and the option to get a Pro Performance Package that doesn’t feel essential. What does feel essential is making sure that a 3.0-litre CLE is the full-blooded AMG; the way this 53 looks, drives and, most importantly, makes you feel when compared to standard really is worth every penny. And it’s this good with a six - just imagine what the CLE will be like with eight cylinders onboard.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 MERCEDES-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+
Engine: 2,999cc six-cylinder, turbocharged hybrid
Transmission: nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 449@5,800rpm-6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 413@2,200rpm-5,000rpm (443 with overboost)
0-62mph: 4.2 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (168mph optional)
Weight: 2,000kg (kerbweight)
MPG: 29.4
CO2: 220-212g/km
Price: from £73,075 (Night Edition Premium Plus from £78,825; price as tested £81,445 comprising Manufaktur Opalite Bright White paint for £925, Driving Assistance Package Plus for £1,695)
SPECIFICATION | 2024 MERCEDES CLE 450
Engine: 2,999cc six-cylinder, turbocharged hybrid
Transmission: nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 381@5,800rpm-6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@2,000rpm-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.4 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,945kg (kerbweight)
MPG: 35.3
CO2: 175-181g/km
Price: from £66,320 (for AMG Line; this Premier Edition from £72,820,or £73,535 as tested with Spectral Blue metallic paint for £715)
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