No, you haven’t seen this Benz before
Mercedes is one of the few manufacturers that continues to believe in coupes. In evidence: The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE, a handsome two-door that goes on sale next year, to be followed closely by a CLE Cabriolet.
The CLE Coupe, at 191 inches long, 73.2 inches wide, and 56.2 inches high, is considerably larger than the C-Class Coupe it replaces, down to and including the trunk, which has a capacity of 14.8 cubic feet and can accommodate three golf bags. (An important stat for a car in this segment.) If those dimensions sound eerily familiar, you aren’t crazy: The CLE is almost the exact same size as the E-Class Coupe, which the CLE also replaces for 2024.
Benz’s 64-color ambient interior lighting system is standard in the CLE, as is a 12.3-inch digital driver display and 11.9-inch, S-Class-style center touchscreen. There’s an “avant garde” sport seat design, and a 17-speaker Dolby sound system. Nappa leather is an option, with MB-Tex upholstery standard.
You can choose between a four- or six-cylinder engine: The CLE 300 4Matic has a 2.0-liter, 255-hp four-pot, and the CLE 450 4Matic a 3.0-liter inline-six with 375 horses. Both are turbocharged, with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that can add up to 23 hp. Top speed on both cars is limited to 130 mph. The nine-speed automatic transmission routes power to all four wheels.
Outside, the styling showcases a long wheelbase, “ a well-positioned and strongly inclined A-pillar, a short front overhang and a slightly longer rear overhang, as well as pronounced shoulders and large wheel arches,” Mercedes says.
“True to the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity, the result is a powerful, dynamic design that embodies an emotional statement from every perspective.” The word “muscular” appears more than once in the press materials for the CLE. An AMG Line package, which adds a sportier aesthetic, is optional on the 300, standard on the 450. Suspension is multi-link front and rear. Wheels are 18, 19, or 20 inches in diameter.
Pricing information will be released closer to the CLE Coupe’s introduction, which will be early in 2024.
***
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.
The destruction of Mercedes Benz product continues. Not interested.
Should have been a hardtop like the old CLK. Huge B pillars are awful. Missed opportunity for something truly classic looking. They are making a convertible, so the structure is baked in.