The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was presented two years ago and at this time a coupe variant has not arrived. The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class was released a few months ago and a coupe version has not been presented either, so things were not looking good for the coupe format within the Mercedes-Benz range.
However, the star brand has decided to continue betting on two-door models, yes, with a car that is halfway between a C Coupé and an E Coupé. It is called the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé and will also be available as a convertible.
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé arrives with the DGT ECO label
Not too long ago, almost all cars had a variant with a coupe body, from the simplest urban and utility vehicles to large luxury sedans. But the SUVs arrived and this format lost popularity, to the point that we already gave it up as lost.
Coupés have completely disappeared from the small segments, leaving the Audi A5 Coupé, BMW 4 Series Coupé, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé and Ford Mustang alone.
In addition, it must be borne in mind that the Audi has been on sale for a long time, so its commercial cycle is coming to an end, while Mercedes renewed the C-Class in 2021 without a trace of a new coupé variant, in fact, it has continued to sell the C Coupé of the previous generation.
But everything has just changed, precisely because of Mercedes-Benz because, against all odds, it has presented a new coupe. It is called Mercedes-Benz CLE and arrives to position itself between two segments and take the place of the C Coupe and the E Coupe. The concept is similar to that of the extinct Mercedes-Benz CLK.
It is true that the presence of cars with a coupé body has been drastically reduced in the Mercedes catalog because there is no longer any trace of models such as the S Coupé, the C Sportcoupé/CLC, and even the Short G-Class with three doors, to which that we must add the C Coupé and E Coupé that now say goodbye.
But the fact that the brand of the star continues to bet on this format, even with a single model, is positive because it means that the coupes will continue to be alive, at least in the short term. In addition, we will have to see how Audi and BMW respond to the move by Mercedes, although the BMW 4 Series has grown so much that it could perfectly play in the same league as the new Mercedes-Benz CLE.
And it is that the Bavarian measures 4.77 meters long, while the CLE Coupé measures 4.85 meters long, that is, 16.4 centimeters more than the C-Class Coupé and 1.6 centimeters more than the E-Class Coupé. It measures 1.86 meters wide and 1.43 meters high, while its wheelbase is 2.86 meters.
According to data from Mercedes-Benz, it is wider in all interior dimensions than the C Coupé, but it loses some space in front of the E Coupé. As for the boot, the CLE Coupe has a 420-liter capacity, making it 60 liters larger than the C Coupe (360 liters), but 5 liters smaller than the E Coupe (425 liters).
If we talk about design, both outside and inside it is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, what's more, the driving position and the dashboard are identical to those of the C-Class, with a 12.3-inch screen for the digital panel and a central 11.9 inches.
Of course, the MBUX infotainment system has the same novelties as that of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, including the possibility of having TikTok, Zoom or Angry Birds, among other apps.
In the mechanical part, all the engines are electrified and are associated with a 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, at the moment with 48-volt light hybrid systems, which is why they have the DGT ECO label. Plug-in hybrid sets with the ZERO badge and Mercedes-AMG variants should arrive later.
The basic Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé is the CLE 220 d diesel with a 2.0 turbo four-cylinder engine. It has 200 CV, delivers a maximum torque of 440 Nm, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds, reaches a top speed of 238 km/h, and approves an average consumption of between 4.7 and 5.2 l/ 100 km. It is rear-wheel drive.
The gasoline access option is the CLE 200, which can be rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, always with a 2.0 turbo four-cylinder engine that develops 204 hp and a maximum torque of 320 Nm. Above is the CLE 300 4MATIC, with the same 2.0 four-cylinder block, but with 258 hp, 400 Nm of torque, and only with all-wheel drive.
The top of the range, for now, is the CLE 450 4MATIC, with a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine that develops 381 hp and delivers a maximum torque of 500 Nm, enough to take the CLE Coupé up to 250 km/h and get it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.
Beyond the new Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé, among the press photos two images have been cast showing the Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabrio, the convertible variant of this new model. At the moment, Mercedes has not confirmed with which engines it will sell it, but it should share a mechanical range with its coupe brother. We will soon know when the two CLEs will be available and what their price will be.
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