Nice Drives: 2025 Mercedes CLE450 4Matic Coupe

Mercedes brings another great coupe to the market

By Isaac Bouchard

Mercedes has a long history of producing desirable coupes — some even with four doors. The CLE is the latest in that lineage; it replaces multiple models with one that overlaps prior models from both the C- and E-classes. Its sleek shape is fully contemporary yet evokes decades of Benz two doors. From most viewing angles its tapering form is obvious; a bit of classic “coke bottle” is also visible in its waist and hips. Running the right wheels it looks classy yet muscular.

Inside, the CLE borrows more from the C-Class than the E, but still comes across as posh and techy. Like all current Mercedes offerings, there are a plethora of capacitive-touch surfaces. While these create a cleaner look, the way whole panels move when one is trying to activate features like the heated seats, or adjust the volume on the overly-busy steering wheel spokes, feels cheap.

Thankfully the menu logic to the infotainment is easy to learn and the graphics are attractive. Backlit, rocket exhaust-like vents and copious amounts of lighting strips make the Mercedes’ cockpit a dynamic place after dark. Seating comfort is excellent in front, though there is not a lot of lateral support for corner carving. The back seats are quite habitable, too, and the decently-sized trunk can be extended into the cabin, making this coupe a usable winter-sports machine.

The CLE, especially in six-cylinder 450 4Matic AWD form, has the urge and the stick for any mountain adventures one might conceive. The inline engine is silken and torquey, with a lovely (albeit faux) engine note enhancer feature. Traction is effectively limitless, all 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque reaching the pavement adroitly. 0-60mph takes only 4.1 seconds and the quarter mile a musclecar-beating 12.5. Fuel economy is quite decent, too.

The test CLE450 has 20-inch wheels, whose shallow sidewalls should, in theory, be really upset by the metro area’s awful roads. Yet the sophisticated, multilink suspension and adaptive dampers proffer a decent ride while still allowing for high cornering speeds. The steering has basically no feedback, though, so this coupe is more comfortable at 8/10ths pace than pushing the envelope. For that there is the CLE53, recently tested. For everyone else, especially those who want to mark themselves out as stylish, the CLE450 is a top tier statement, as well as a worthy inheritor of the Mercedes coupe heritage.

EPA Ratings: 23/33/26mpg

0-60mph:

Price as tested: $72,600

Rating: 4 Stars

Here is what Mercedes has to say.