A coupé that nails the brief but misses the goosebumps
There are some cars that immediately set your pulse racing the moment you clap eyes on them. Big arches, swollen haunches, an AMG badge dangling from the boot lid. This is supposed to be one of those cars. The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+. It arrives as the spiritual successor to both the C-Class Coupé and the E-Class Coupé, a sort of two-door consolidation exercise dressed in the language of AMG.
On paper, it looks right with its wide stance, a nose full of anger, quad exhausts that hint at something unsociable lurking beneath. Mercedes will tell you that this is the place for the old C 63 and E 53 crowd to look, if they still want their AMGs with just two doors and a bit of muscle. And yet, there’s a catch. It’s not a V8. In fact, it’s not even a charismatic straight-six in the way we remember them. It’s a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine, nudged along by a mild-hybrid 48V system. The spec sheet reads 449bhp, 560Nm, a 0–100kmph time of 4.2 seconds, and a 250kmph top speed. All fine numbers, but this is AMG, where “fine” has never really been the brief.
AMG Without the Drama
The CLE 53 is not a bad car. In fact, it’s an objectively very good one. It looks sharp, drives with confidence, corners flat, and offers the kind of tech and comfort that makes long journeys effortless. For most buyers, it’ll be more than enough: a stylish, fast, premium coupe with a prestigious badge.
But for those of us who grew up believing AMG stood for something a little wilder, a little less restrained, the CLE 53 feels like it’s holding back. The engine lacks character, the soundtrack doesn’t inspire goosebumps, and the chassis, while talented, feels more dutiful than playful. It’s as if AMG has been told to tidy its room, put on a smart shirt, and behave at the dinner table.
Maybe that’s the point. Maybe in a world where noise and excess are frowned upon, the CLE 53 represents the new AMG: fast, polished, and careful not to offend. But for enthusiasts, it risks being remembered not for what it is, but for what it isn’t.
The irony is that if this car didn’t wear an AMG badge, we might be more forgiving. As a six-cylinder Mercedes coupé, it’s desirable, capable, and even a little special. But with those three letters on the boot, expectations soar. And when you put your foot down, you want fireworks. What you get here is a very well-executed light show.
Verdict
The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 is the coupe you’ll admire, respect, and possibly even want to own. But love? That might require AMG to dust off the V8 once more.
A Six That Tries Hard
The 3.0-litre turbo straight-six, codenamed M256, is where the debate really begins. It’s been fettled by Affalterbach with revised combustion chambers, new piston rings, optimised inlet and outlet channels, and a beefier turbo now running 1.5 bar of boost instead of the old 0.4. There’s also an integrated starter-generator that adds 23bhp and 205Nm in short bursts.
Numbers aside, how does it feel? In Comfort mode, lethargic. Throttle response is sticky, the engine note muted, and progress oddly reluctant for something with this badge. It feels as though the car is slightly embarrassed to wake up, like dragging a teenager out of bed at 6 am.
Flick the wheel dial to Sport, and things sharpen. Throttle response improves, the revs climb more willingly, and you sense the chassis has been waiting for this injection of energy. Push further into Sport+ and Race modes, and the CLE 53 starts to behave like it wants to carry the weight of its badge. Gearshifts quicken, the exhaust begins to clear its throat, and suddenly this two-door coupe is keen to play.
It’s quick, yes. 4.2 seconds to 100kmph is not hanging about, and mid-range torque is enough to energise the chassis. But it’s not explosive. The revs don’t zing to the limiter, the soundtrack doesn’t stir your insides, and there’s a sense of efficiency rather than ecstasy. An AMG should always carry a sense of theatre. Here, it sometimes feels like you’re watching the dress rehearsal.
Grip, Balance, and a Hint of Agility
Where the CLE 53 claws some redemption back is in its handling. For a car tipping the scales at nearly two tonnes, it’s far more agile than you’d expect. The steering is direct, if not alive with feedback, and the nose finds its way into corners with precision. Rear-wheel steering plays its part, pivoting the car neatly through tighter bends. At speed, the CLE 53 corners flat and composed, the 4Matic+ system shuffling torque so imperceptibly you’d swear it was telepathy.
On Pune’s smoother highway stretches, it feels planted and utterly confident. It’s one of those cars that makes cross-country progress seem laughably easy. But when the road opens into a series of flowing bends, you start to notice what’s missing. There’s grip, there’s poise, but there isn’t much personality. It’s like dancing with a partner who knows all the steps but never once looks you in the eye.
Push it harder on a tighter course, and it wakes up. Here, the CLE feels alert, almost sprightly, diving into corners with more enthusiasm than its weight suggests. The chassis is capable, the balance impressive, and if you really provoke it, there’s even a Drift Mode to play at hooliganism. The brakes — large cast-iron discs with four-piston callipers offer consistent bite and confidence lap after lap. But again, it’s all very competent rather than charismatic.
Civilised Muscle
Despite the AMG pretensions, the CLE 53 remains a Mercedes at heart. Which means refinement and comfort are never far away. In its softer settings, the suspension absorbs Pune’s patchwork tarmac with ease, and long drives are met with little more than a muted hum from the tyres. The cabin is well-insulated, and the Burmester audio system turns the coupe into a rolling concert hall.
It’s an easy car to live with. Cruise control, driver assists, and a spacious enough rear bench make it usable daily, something you couldn’t say about old AMG coupés that happily traded civility for drama. But therein lies the rub: the CLE 53 is almost too polite for its own good.
Cabin and Controls
Step inside and the CLE 53 reminds you exactly why Mercedes interiors set benchmarks. The cabin is dominated by the portrait-style 11.9-inch infotainment screen angled slightly towards the driver, running the latest MBUX software with crisp graphics and more functionality than you will probably ever need. Ahead of you sits a 12.3-inch digital driver display, configurable to everything from minimalist gauges to full AMG track telemetry, though in classic Mercedes fashion some of the layouts verge on the unintelligible.
The AMG sports seats deserve a special mention. They are supportive enough to hold you tight through switchbacks yet still comfortable on long stints. Materials feel properly upmarket with leather, brushed metal, and optional carbon fibre trim. The flat-bottomed AMG steering wheel with twin rotary mode selectors makes it clear this is not just any E-Class coupe with two fewer doors. Ambient lighting, Burmester audio, and a sprinkling of AMG logos round out an environment that feels both indulgent and purposeful.
Rear seats exist, though as ever in this segment they are best reserved for short trips or small passengers. Boot space is usable, but do not expect estate-car practicality.
The cabin is sophisticated, tech-rich, and every bit as stylish as the exterior promises. It is arguably the most convincing part of the CLE 53 package.
Technology & Features
Mercedes does not skimp on the toys. The infotainment system is slick, responsive, and packed with customisation. The ambient lighting feels like a nightclub on wheels, if you want it to. The digital dials can be tailored into AMG-specific layouts, some of which look like the inside of a fighter jet. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, the head-up display crisp, and the driver assistance suite extensive.
What’s more, the variable all-wheel drive system can be tuned to send more power rearwards, and there’s even that Drift Mode for your weekend bravado. It all sounds great on paper, but in practice, the car never quite encourages you to explore these features. It feels like AMG has programmed in fun, rather than engineered it in from the start.
A Familiar Face With Extra Muscle
Let’s start with the obvious. The CLE itself is new; it merges two old lineages into one coupé, but it wears a face we already know. The wide Panamericana grille is framed by angry LED eyes, the bonnet creased like it’s permanently frowning. The proportions are coupe-correct: long bonnet, short rear deck, fast roofline.
Where the 53 earns its AMG stripes is in the detailing. The arches are swollen to fit Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres, the stance is 58mm wider at the front than the standard CLE, and there’s a subtle gurney lip on the boot. At night under Pune’s street lamps, the whole thing has the presence of a car you’d move aside for, even if you weren’t sure what it was. It’s tasteful aggression, though, more smartly tailored villain than shouty bodybuilder.
Slip inside and it’s familiar Mercedes business. Digital real estate dominates: a large vertical touchscreen, a customisable instrument cluster, and all the backlit ambient theatre Stuttgart has perfected. The optional AMG performance seats grip tightly, their quilted leather bolsters both inviting and mildly intimidating. The flat-bottomed steering wheel wears rotary dials for mode changes, and carbon fibre is scattered liberally across the cabin. It feels expensive and considered, but also busy in a way that makes you long for a physical button or two.
