Mercedes AMG CLE53 4Matic review

The CLE53 is not shy about making an entrance. Coupe styling here is pure theatre with broad haunches, a swooping roofline and power bulges and scoops on the bonnet that look like they have been sketched by someone who spends their weekends watching Top Gun on repeat. The frameless doors swing open and those red seatbelts slither out, greeting you like a late-night text from someone you know is bad news but simply cannot resist.

The stance is just as dramatic. A 58mm wider front track and 75mm wider rear wheel arches mean this AMG looks hunkered down and ready to pounce. Add the Sun Yellow paint, rear lip spoiler, and functional diffuser and you have a street legal highlight reel of AMG. Staggered 20-inch alloys wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber complete the picture.

ALSO SEE: Mercedes E450 4Matic AMG Line review

Inside, it is equal parts cockpit and lounge. AMG’s performance steering wheel draped in carbon fibre inlays and microfibre grips feels serious, while the illuminated door sills and carbon trim add just enough sportiness to keep things purposeful. The seats themselves are Alcantara-lined, sculpted, and fitted with heating and ventilation. Yes, thank god for those! They aren’t the softest pews for Mumbai’s cratered roads, but slide them low enough and you feel like you are skimming the asphalt.
It is not so much sitting in the car as wearing it, so if you’re serious about your driving position being as close to the cockpit view in Gran Turismo, you’re in luck. The rear seats are set low and are definitely cramped for adults. It’s more like a two-seater with extra luggage space.

MBOS carries over from the C Class, but AMG sprinkles it with just enough special sauce to make it feel unique. The 11.9-inch central touchscreen is tilted six degrees toward the driver, subtle but effective in giving the cabin a cockpit-first vibe. MBUX is as polished as ever, with crisp graphics, simple menus, an app you’d be proud using in public and a voice assistant that well…is there.

 

 

 

 

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Customisation is everywhere. The 12.3-inch driver display can be toggled between Classic, Sporty, Supersport, or full Track Pace telemetry if you are the sort who times your apexes. AMG Dynamic Select lets you choose your drive modes, and if the factory presets are not enough, you can dive deep and set your own. From throttle sharpness to suspension stiffness, everything can be tweaked, saved, and summoned with steering-mounted dials, which feel fantastic by the way!

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The Burmester 3D surround sound system gets 17 speakers and 660W of power, plus Dolby Atmos baked in. Log into Apple Music via MBOS and you get proper spatial mixes. It sounds superb, detailed, clean, immersive, but in a smaller coupe cabin it does not have the same breadth or scale as the system in Mercedes’ larger sedans.

Wireless CarPlay, wireless charging, plenty of USB-C ports, and one of the slickest HUDs in the game round things out. The Augmented Reality navigation is the real party trick. It overlays arrows and directions onto a live feed of the road ahead, which makes navigating unfamiliar streets almost idiot proof. It only works with the built-in navigation though, and real-time traffic updates may not be as accurate as Google Maps. Bonus points for the automatic intersection camera view, at traffic lights it fires up front and side feeds so you see what the A pillars normally hide.

Safety tech is predictably extensive: centre airbag, blind spot assist, active park assist with PARKTRONIC, adaptive high beam headlights, and enough acronyms to fill the glossary of a pilot’s manual. In the city though, don’t forget to turn off the autonomous emergency brake assist if you like your BP to remain normal and the tailpipes intact. This being a CBU, reverts to the On position by default every time you restart the car.

The heart of this AMG is the 3.0-litre straight six, fortified with an electric booster compressor and a twin scroll turbo. It makes 450hp and 560Nm, numbers that might not scare supercars, but feel spot on for a car that still wants to be usable every day. The electric compressor kills lag, so power delivery is instant and linear. AMG’s Speedshift 9-speed gearbox handles the ratios with typical German thoroughness. Comfort mode keeps it smooth and polite, but flick it into Sport+ and it cracks off shifts like a whip. Add in the AMG performance exhaust, and you have a car that can switch from neighbour-friendly to who set off that car alarm with one prod of the right pedal.

Rear axle steering deserves a round of applause. At parking speeds, the car pivots tighter than its size suggests. At higher speeds, it virtually lengthens the wheelbase, keeping the car planted through sweeping bends. Coastal Road intersections, we’re looking at you! Grip from the Michelin Pilot Sports is immense with fully variable 4MATIC+ sending torque where it is needed, the CLE53 feels secure even when you are pushing closer to the limit.

 

 

 

 

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But this AMG is not all about restraint. Engage Drift Mode (yes, it has one) and it will light up the rears with the enthusiasm of a 90s DTM racer. On a private road or track, it is hilarious. On Mumbai’s clogged arteries? Less so, unless you are trying to meet your insurance agent prematurely. Ride quality is firm, especially in Sport+, where the adaptive dampers lock things down tight, but even on Mumbai’s less-than-perfect tarmac, the underbelly never scraped BMC’s easter eggs even once during testing. It is stiff, yes, but liveable. As a daily, it is not punishing, especially if you accept that the rear seats are essentially a parcel shelf with seatbelts.

The Mercedes AMG CLE53 sits at an interesting crossroads. It is not the full fat V8 bruiser AMG diehards pine for, but it is also not pretending to be soft. Instead, it is a beautifully balanced sports car for everyday that manages to look devastatingly good, go properly quick, and still behave itself when you need it to. It is exotic without being impractical, high tech without being soulless, and just rowdy enough to remind you that AMG still builds cars with character. Treat it like a 2-seater city sports car and it will reward you with all the bells and whistles, pun intended.