Mercedes-AMG has revealed the new CLE 53 Coupé as an indirect replacement for the discontinued E53 Coupé.
Set for UK sale early in 2024, the hot new two-door builds on the standard CLE with significantly more power, more sporting exterior styling and an upgraded interior.
Power comes from AMG’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine, supported by an integrated starter-generator (ISG) to make it a mild hybrid.
It develops 442bhp and 413lb ft of torque, with the ISG delivering an additional 23bhp and 151lb ft for brief periods under acceleration.
Drive is sent to both axles through a nine-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox.
The official 0-62mph time is put at 4.2sec – some 0.2sec faster than that claimed for the E53 Coupé.
The top speed is limited to 155mph but can be increased to 168mph with an optional Driver’s Package.
AMG quotes combined fuel consumption of between 29.1 and 30.4mpg and CO2 emissions of between 220 and 212g/km.
CLE 53 hardware
Among the visual changes is the adoption of a new front bumper with AMG’s signature Panamericana grille, and the standard LED headlamps can be enhanced with AMG’s Digital Light functions as an option.
Further back, there are AMG-specific door mirrors, wider door sills, a restyled rear bumper and a deck spoiler. The standard AMG wheels measure 19in in diameter, with 20in items available as an option.
The optional AMG Optics package brings additional styling changes, including flicks on the bumpers, a larger rear spoiler and a decorative diffuser board between the tailpipes.
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This looks terrible. Is it me? Or did the whole German car industry age overnight? Profits at Mercedes and BMW are up? - and yet - I can’t shake this sense that for the first time in my lifetime there is an existential threat to the German hegemony. A sense that an era is entering the first stages of a decline. 10 years ago, you bought the Golf, of the 5 series, or an A3. Now? Do any of those cars feel significant in the way they once did? Does a BMW 3 series still resonate with the untouchable air it once had? Does the I3 shift the needle? Or do you buy a polestar 3. Does an Audi A3 matter anymore? Did the music change, and the German industry missed it? I can’t help feeling we are undergoing a profound shift in the way we value products and old rules have changed. Tesla recently opened their Gigafactory in Berlin as Volkswagen announced 11 billion cuts and laid of staff (unheard of in the german model.) This, contrasting with French profits The existential crisis for all car manufacturers as hardware (the car) becomes software. The phone becomes a piece of glass. The software is the product. Perhaps this is too strong, but currently Volkswagen remind me of Blackberry. They suddenly seem just another car company.
Germany has always marketed its brands on a commitment to engineering excellence (claims not always backed up by the JD power reliability survey but, marketing is marketing). Our perception of engineering seems different now. Rightly or wrongly, we see this as an age where machines do much of the designing and building of themselves. National identity, heritage, tradition, how can these traits be expressed within such products when the brands persona is linked to the old way of doing things. You are no longer the innovator, you’re the follower. Business is tech now. Everything is tech. The Germans don’t have tech like the Americans and Chinese. BYD’s share price is higher than Telas’s and the company continue to post quarterly profits. The recent Tokyo motor show seemed a generational mission statement. Every Japanese manufacturer showcased a raft of fresh innovative product for every section of the market as well as its continued work with hydrogen. In amongst this, BMW showcased the X2. It looked two generations out of date. Imagine, a Korean car company, buying one of the great German auto manufacturers, I know, I know crazy talk. I know nothing, the only thing I know about cars is buy a Toyota.
This looks terrible. Is it me? Or did the whole German car industry age overnight? Profits at Mercedes and BMW are up? - and yet - I can’t shake this sense that for the first time in my lifetime there is an existential threat to the German hegemony. A sense that an era is entering the first stages of a decline. 10 years ago, you bought the Golf, of the 5 series, or an A3. Now? Do any of those cars feel significant in the way they once did? Does a BMW 3 series still resonate with the untouchable air it once had? Does the I3 shift the needle? Or do you buy a polestar 3. Does an Audi Q3 matter anymore? Did the music change, and the German industry missed it? I can’t help feeling we are undergoing a profound shift in the way we value products and old rules have changed. Tesla recently opened their Gigafactory in Berlin as Volkswagen announced 11 billion cuts and laid off staff (unheard of in the german model.) This, contrasting with French profits. The existential crisis for all car manufacturers and manufacturing in general, hardware (the car) becomes software. The phone becomes a piece of glass. The software is the product. Perhaps this is too strong, but currently Volkswagen remind me of Blackberry. They suddenly seem just another car company.
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