MERCEDES-BENZ CLE

Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?

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If the past decade of automotive history has proved anything, it's probably that no modern car, however commercially successful it may once have been, can be considered totally timeless. The Mercedes berlinetta coupé, however, has certainly always looked like a timeless design classic.

The celebrated line of two-door icons from the firm encompasses the original 1950s 'gullwing' sports cars; various larger 'Ponton' and 'Fintail' models following shortly thereafter; the imposing, square SEC models of the 1980s; the revered W124-generation coupés of the 1990s; and even the popular CLK Kompressors of the noughties. And it's the popularity of the CLK that Mercedes is hoping to rekindle with its latest two-door gambit.

The firm has, for sizeable chunks of recent time, sold as many as three coupé model lines in parallel, not counting its AMG-only models and dedicated convertibles, but now the CLE becomes the only one. The S-Class Coupé died with the C217-gen model in 2020. Meanwhile, the old C-Class and E-Class Coupé models now find a common successor in this CLE, which splits the difference between those cars with its outright size. For those who like such geekery, this car becomes Mercedes model codename 'C236' as a coupé, and 'A236' as a cabriolet.

It entered production in October 2023, the first right-hand-drive models reaching the UK in spring 2024. It was offered with a choice of four- and six-cylinder petrol engines initially, as well as in turbo six-cylinder AMG 53 form, and can now also be had with the same choice of powerplants as a four-seater cabriolet, if you prefer. The final piece of the puzzle is our test subject, the CLE 300e: the coupé-only, technically progressive, fleet-friendly plug-in hybrid version, which braves the scrutiny of our timing gear in AMG Line Premium Plus model trim.