Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off the new CLE, a two-door coupe that shares genetics with both the C-Class and E-Class.
The CLE boasts a sportier design than its four-door siblings with a long wheelbase, sleek roofline, and a short front overhang with a slightly longer rear overhang giving a hunched forward look.
The sleek Merc is heading to European dealerships first towards November of this year, and it will mosey on over to South African showrooms within the second quarter of 2024, the company confirmed to TopAuto.
Sometime next year, the new CLE will also debut as a soft-top Cabriolet catering to the “open-air connoisseurs,” said the luxurious manufacturer.
The athletic Mercedes
The CLE boasts a more athletic appearance than the C and E-Class by virtue of its “shark nose” front section incorporating a low-slung bonnet with two “power domes”, flat LED headlights in a model-unique design, and a three-dimensional grille with a star pattern.
The sides are characterised by smooth, stretched lines and stylish alloys with low-profile tyres, and at the rear, the Mercedes gives off a muscular appearance with its two-part LED light clusters and wide hips.
At 4,850mm long, 1,860mm wide, and 1,428mm high, the new model is the “largest coupe in the mid-size segment” offering significantly more space than the two-door C-Class, with the rear-seat passengers benefiting the most thanks to 10mm more headroom, 19mm more shoulder and elbow room, and 72mm more knee room.
The CLE’s cabin, as expected from Mercedes-Benz, is packed with features, too, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, an 11.9-inch infotainment screen oriented towards the driver, 64-colour dynamic ambient lighting, and sports seats.
It also brings along driver attention assist, active brake assist, active lane-keeping assist, speed limit assist, and the parking package with a reversing camera.
Driving the newcomer is a range of four- and six-cylinder, turbocharged petrol or diesel powerplants, each featuring 48-volt, mild-hybrid technologies.
These 48-volt systems provide fuel-saving abilities such as coasting and brake energy recuperation, as well as 17kW and 200Nm of electrical assistance when pulling away.
The specifications of the CLE’s drivetrains are as follows:
Model | Power | 0-100km/h | Top speed | Fuel cons. |
---|---|---|---|---|
CLE 220d | 145kW/440Nm | 7.5 seconds | 238km/h | 4.7-5.2l/100km |
CLE 200 | 150kW/320Nm | 7.4 seconds | 240km/h | 6.4-7.1l/100km |
CLE 200 4Matic | 150kW/320Nm | 7.5 seconds | 236km/h | 6.7-7.5l/100km |
CLE 300 4Matic | 190kW/400Nm | 6.2 seconds | 250km/h | 7.0-7.6l/100km |
CLE 450 4Matic | 280kW/500Nm | 4.4 seconds | 250km/h | 7.8-8.6l/100km |
Each CLE is equipped with a nine-speed automatic transmission, and the two entry-level models turn the rear wheels only whereas the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is included in the top-spec variants.
As an option, the Mercedes can additionally be equipped with rear-wheel steering that reduces the turning circle by 50cm at low speeds and provides more stability when turning at high speeds, as well as adaptive dampers.
The company also noted that a plug-in-hybrid CLE is in the works that will offer a “practical” all-electric driving range that can realistically support daily commuting. The expected introduction date of this model has not been provided.
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