Review 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ brings big coupe pleasure
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLE 53 Coupe takes your breath away on the tight mountain roads of Tenerife, Spain. It's too big to feel safe on skinny roads with short run-off areas, including steep drop-offs and close-in barriers. Nevertheless, it is too powerful to run behind a Toyota flatbed pickup or Citroën C3 tobogganing on island time.
The AMG 53 Coupe is the most extreme model so far in the new CLE lineup, which combines elements of the current C and E-Class coupes and convertibles (cabriolets); it is the widest in a lineup that includes the CLE 300 and CLE 450 coupes and drops, the and most powerful, it is the model that offers the best performance. While it can be driven on the track, it is still a grand tourer, and the most extreme and track-legal model is the AMG CLE 63 S E Performance plug-in hybrid.
The CLE 53 coupe combines elements of a compact and a mid-size car, but it is a true mid-size, and for its performance suspension, it must be wider than the already considerably larger CLE 450. The wheelbase is 0.1 inch longer, 0.6 inch longer than the current E-Class Coupe. The fenders would be 2.3 inches wider in the front and 3.0 inches wider in the rear than the CLE 450 coupe, giving it a sturdier stance, and it would have 2.2 inches wider track in the front and 2.4 inches in the rear and staggered-sized 265/35 front and 295/30 rear tires on 19-inch or 20-inch wheels with room to fit.
My tester's optional Michelin Pilot Sport S5 summer tires provide excellent grip to help position the car precisely at the moment it can dirt out the slopk. The S5, Michelin's latest generation performance tire, is much stickier than the Continental EcoContact 6Q summer tire we experienced on the CLE 450 4Matic Cabriolet earlier in the day and squawks much less in high-speed corners.
The AMG-tuned steering also helps. It's a heavier, quicker version of the steering familiar from current Mercedes models, quicker and sort of lighter, but stiffer in Sport mode, and the road feel is there.
AMG also puts more chassis technology into the AMG 53 than in other CLE models: adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering are standard, which the CLE 300 and CLE 450 lack. Rear-wheel steering turns 2.5 degrees in opposite directions to the front tires up to 62 mph, and beyond that it turns with the rear. Chassis rigidity has also been improved with a strut tower brace, shear plates under the engine, and stiffened suspension mountings.
While I can't go full throttle on these tight roads, I can tell that the CLE 53 turns faster than other CLEs, stays flatter in corners, and responds more quickly to my steering, accelerating, and braking inputs on winding roads. The dashboard performance screen shows that rear-wheel steering only slightly reduces the turning radius, allowing rear-wheel steering to 0.2 to 0.3 degrees in 40 mph corners and 0.7 degrees in steeper corners at 20 to 25 mph. Full steering at 2.5 degrees per hour would be limited to the parking lot speed range. Handling is well balanced in tight corners and is fun to push despite drop-offs and approaching guardrails.
Strong brakes help here as well, with four-piston calipers on 14.6-inch ventilated front rotors and single-piston calipers on 14.2-inch internally ventilated rear discs that smell so much like what you would smell on a CLE450. It never gets hot and does everything I have to throw at it on uphills and downhills.
AMG says the CLE 53 is tuned for the performance and agility of the C-Class and the comfort and elegance of the E-Class. The adjustable adaptive dampers have three settings that vary depending on the driving mode selected, and Mercedes says they offer a wider spread of softness and performance than the previous E-Class coupe. In the twisty, I use the Sport and Sport+ settings, and on the long straights, I return to the Comfort mode.
A dial on the right side of the steering wheel allows the driver to change modes. You can also use the Indivisual mode to personalize settings for dampers, engine, transmission, sound, and AMG dynamics. A dial on the left side of the steering wheel can also be used to individually adjust various control systems. For everyday driving, I could conceivably set the engine setting to Sport and the damper setting to Comfort, but for now, I use this mode to determine the car's character.
The AMG Dynamics system controls the stability control and all-wheel drive system. Its settings include Basic, Advanced, Pro, and Master, which vary depending on the driving mode. The Sport and Sport+ modes give the driver more freedom to spin the tires and kick the tail, and in either mode, the intervention of the stability control is not felt, despite a rapid start. In the sportier mode, more power can also be sent to the rear wheels for a fully variable all-wheel drive system that AMG calls 4Matic+.
Selecting the Dynamic Plus package adds a driving mode called Race, a launch control feature called Race Start, a drift mode, red brake calipers, and active engine mounts that when cornering body rigidity is further improved.
What is missing is also worth noting. A circuit car would have added a limited-slip rear differential to help hook up when exiting corners and larger brakes with more calipers for sustained performance on the track. Without such elements or high-tension tuning, this car will not be chased for track time like the CLE63, but will remain comfortable enough for daily driving.
The AMG CLE 53 shares its engine with the CLE 450, but here it has been AMG-ized. It is a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder with an electric turbocharger that fills boost pressure until the exhaust gas turbo spools up. With a maximum output of 443 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, the overboost function can increase the output to 443 lb-ft in 10-second bursts. A 48-volt starter generator in the transmission can add an additional 23 hp and 151 lb-ft at low speeds to assist with launch. Power flows through a 9-speed automatic transmission with torque converter (not a wet clutch like the AMG 63 model).
The engine is particularly talkative in Sport+ mode, snapping and crackling on the overrun and producing a subtle burp with a smooth growl between gears. Power builds up quickly and strongly, making it easy to outrun the Toyota's pickup. But it doesn't have the sudden, unrelenting power of the AMG V-8 engine, and 0-60 mph acceleration, at 4.2 seconds, isn't much quicker than the CLE 450. In race start mode, the time is reduced to 4.0 seconds.
Transmission shifting is smooth in the comfort setting. When overtaking islanders or charging out of one corner into the next, the Sport+ usually selects the appropriate gear to extract the most power. However, the transmission can get confused when the corners are quick and continuous, and the downshifts can be so abrupt that the car can lose its balance.
The AMG CLE 53 feels a little more special inside than the standard line models, combining the dashboard of the C-Class with the space of the last E-Class coupe. It's a luxurious, high-tech cabin with sporty extras such as standard sport seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and an AMG-specific performance display with a 12.3-inch digital meter cluster and 11.9-inch center touchscreen.
The digital display features a supersport theme on the instrument cluster and a touchscreen with front and rear steering angles, damper movement, tire temperature, brake and accelerator percentages, G-force, real-time horsepower and torque, IWC watch timer and other performance indicators.
Leather seats are standard, and the sport seats offer excellent lateral support and plenty of room for my overly wide back. Nappa leather is optional, as are more form-fitting AMG performance seats with suede inserts, a suede steering wheel, carbon fiber trim, and red seatbelts. With or without options, everything is of high quality and well-assembled.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLE 53 Coupe will be available this summer. Pricing will be announced closer to launch, but is expected to be at least $10,000 more than the $66,800 CLE 450 4Matic Coupe. For that price, buyers will get a serious sporty car that is powerful, spooky looking, and not too high-tension or too track-focused. If you can get behind the wheel of this car, be sure to find a wide, twisty road like the one in Tenerife and unleash the fun by quickly putting the ramp in your rearview mirror.
Motor Authority was able to bring you this experience report, with travel and lodging expenses covered by Mercedes-Benz.
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