Mercedes-AMG CLE Coupé

FIRST DRIVE We get behind the wheel of new CLE that aims to offer both comfort and a scincillating driving experience

- John Mcllroy

MERCEDES' performance division, AMG, has a pretty decent record when it comes to its 'cooking' models - versions that sit between the regular range and the full-fat, ultra-hot variants that have made the brand so famous.

There's the AMG A 35, for example. Or, going back a few years, the AMG C 43, which offered hushed six-cylinder refinement when you wanted a quiet cruise, and a proper howl when you didn't.

Even so, AMG is still trying to find its feet in the electrified era, and the firm has been playing with both hybrid and four-cylinder power of late, so it's interesting to see how it plans to arrange its wider line-up to match. And here's a good challenge, in the form of the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53.

There's a 63 to come, of course, on a model that replaces both the C-Class Coupé and the E-Class Coupé. That car is widely tipped to be switching from four-cylinder hybrid power (as per the current C63) back to the tried-and-test format of a V8. But for now, the 53 sits atop the line-up, equipped with a twin-turbocharged straight-six motor.