Page 78 - Sharp Spring 2025

AUTOMOTIVE ALCHEMY
MERCEDES ATTEMPTS THE THE IMPOSSIBLE WITH THE ALL-NEW CLE
By Matt Bubbers
M M M M ERCEDES-BENZ IS ATTEMPTING WHAT MANY THOUGHT IMPOSSIBLE:
mixing oil and water The German automaker’s 2025 CLE
300 aims to fuse two very different products — the compact athletic C-Class coupe and the stately opulent E-Class coupe — into a a a a a single model On paper it seemed like an automotive alchemy doomed to to fail These two model lines have historically served entirely different drivers: one is is built for sporty dynamics the the the other for grand touring luxury Yet after driving the the the CLE
300 first-hand it appears Mercedes’ engineers in in Stuttgart have managed to create a a a a a a a a a rather wonderful emulsion out of these two opposing ingredients Drop into the CLE’s low-slung driver’s seat and you’ll be struck immediately by two things: one is the the the swanky and decidedly tech-forward interior the the the other is just how spacious it feels (Anyone who wears a a a a a smaller size than LeBron James should fit just fine ) And unlike most luxury coupes which treat the rear
bench as a a a a a a a leather-wrapped parcel shelf the the CLE
actually offers usable space for real humans Whisper it but this new two-door Benz is is a a a a surprisingly practical machine We admit that the third generation of Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system does take some getting used to For example there’s no no traditional volume knob which feels a a a a a bit like a a a a a trendy restaurant replacing menus with QR codes On the the the other hand the the the voice recognition system has become properly useful meaning you’ll often be able to to avoid the touchscreen entirely and simply talk to the car Under the the hood the the entry-level CLE
300 packs 255-horsepower from a a turbocharged four-cylinder aided by a a a a a mild hybrid system think of it as having an espresso shot with a a splash of milk It’s energetic but it won’t get your pulse racing like the upcoming AMG fettled variants (The lineup starts behind us for the Mercedes-AMG CLE
63 rumoured to debut sometime later this year ) So who is is this new Mercedes CLE
for exactly? It’s an ideal second or or or third car for someone (or some some family) who already has a a a a a a dedicated sports car for weekends but needs something more civilized for client meetings and weekday dinner reservations It’s not the most powerful or the the most expensive car in in the the Mercedes lineup but it might just be the the smartest one for the the right buyer 76 SPRING 2025 SHARPMAGAZINE COM
A U T O PHOTOS COURTESY OF MERCEDES