ROARING FIFTIES (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The CLE coupe and cabriolet models get the Mercedes-AMG treatment in this relatively accessible 53 form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 77

The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ is a rare kind of performance sporting car. Not only can it sprint to 62mph in 4.2s to the accompaniment of an emotive soundtrack but it also has a relatively efficient mild hybrid engine and can properly seat four people. It all delivers a pretty special and rather different GT Coupe or Cabriolet experience. There's a sense of class, quality and style here that makes this car unique at its price point.

Backgroundword count: 137

It's been a long time since we've had a compact Mercedes coupe or cabriolet without a V8 that was a proper AMG-fettled serious driver's car but this, we're told, might be it, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+. It's not a full fat Afalterbach-fetted AMG model; for that in a CLE, you'll need the 585hp 63 variant. Instead, the engine here is an updated version of the straight six in the standard CLE 450. It's a big step forward though, from the C43 C-Class coupe that was this car's direct predecessor. Here, you sense that Mercedes' Afalterbach luxury division has got a lot more serious about developing a car of this size. From the 381hp you get in the CLE 450, there's a power hike to 449hp. Enough for performance that's almost BMW M4-like. Let's take a look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 186

This does at first glance seem like a serious kind of Mercedes-AMG model, though in reality, it's something of a halfway house between the standard CLE 450 and the manic Mercedes-AMG CLE 63. The twin turbo M 256M straight six 3.0-litre engine is an uprated version of the '450' unit, with 449hp (68hp more) and turbo boost increased from 0.4 bar to 1.5 bar; alongside an electrical compressor which, like the 22hp electric motor in the 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, is powered by this engine's 48V mild hybrid system. 62mph from rest is dispatched in just 4.2s. Like the '450', this '53' has 4MATIC 4WD; and AMG Ride Control, which brings AMG-tuned adaptive dampers. And there's 2.5-degrees of rear-wheel steering. Add the expensive optional Pro Performance Pack and you also get dynamic engine mounts, a more rear-biased 4WD setting, an extra 'RACE' drive mode and a rear wheel drive-only 'drift' mode for tail slides on circuits. On all variants, fat 265-section Michelin S5 tyres offer ample traction for times when you don't want to drift; and there's a quick-reacting steering rack with a variable ratio.

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