Starts at $56,500
2024 CLE Selector
FAST FACTS
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
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Sharing the C300 4MATIC sedan's 112.8-inch wheelbase and turbo four-cylinder AWD powertrain, the CLE 300 4MATIC is a nice coupe, but it starts nearly $10k higher than that C300 four-door.
No one would argue that the CLE 300 convertible isn't a nice car, but for almost $65k to start, don't you want more under the hood than the C-Class sedan's base engine? When you put the top down, you want to hear a symphony from the tailpipes, not a four-cylinder buzz. Or we do, at least.
Now here comes something special, at least in the context of Benz's current lineup: You can't get the sweet turbocharged inline-6 engine in the C-Class sedan, but you can get it in the CLE 450 coupe. To us, that's the whole point of a coupe. It's an indulgence, so you want there to be something special about it. The base CLE 300 coupe swings and misses on that count, sharing its four-cylinder engine with the C300 sedan, but the CLE 450 delivers.
Like many current Mercedes models, the CLE gives you a choice between the regular-strength 3.0-liter inline-6 (that's the CLE 450) and the extra-strength version, which comes in the AMG CLE 53. Will the 450 leave you wanting more? That's ultimately a question for your test drive, but in our opinion, the 450 is just right and the AMG is simply louder and more caffeinated.
An extravagance like a luxury convertible deserves a world-class engine that sounds great, which is why we'd give zero consideration to the base CLE 300 Cabriolet and go straight to this CLE 450. Benz's stellar turbocharged inline-6 really transforms the sound and feel of the car. This is a no-brainer upgrade.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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