Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Review - Brutally Stylish

The two-door coupé segment in India is about as niche as it gets. Dominated by luxury and performance machines, it’s a space that appeals most to the young, or at least the young at heart. Personally, I’ve always believed that the coupé silhouette is one of the most beautiful forms in automotive design, and I’d very much like to have one as a daily driver. Realistically, I can’t afford the CLE 53 AMG, but I did get the chance to spend a day with it to see if the latest AMG is practical enough for everyday use, and, of course, to experience just how powerful and thrilling it really is.

Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Design - Bodybuilder in a Suit

A coupé’s first calling card is always its design – the sleek lines, muscular arches, and two-door profile give it an instantly sporty presence. The CLE nails this formula.

Up front, you get an aggressive face with the Panamericana grille, large air dams, and a sharp chin spoiler. Flared wheel arches paired with the lowered suspension allow the standard 20-inch wheels to sit perfectly flush, giving it a planted, aggressive stance. The sharply tapering roofline not only improves aerodynamics but also enhances its sporty appearance. At the rear, a subtle lip spoiler and the trademark quad-exhaust pipes complete the look.

I think that if you’re looking for a performance coupé that truly looks the part, the CLE delivers on all fronts. The only thing that I didn’t like about our test car was the matte black paint job – I think it obscured a lot of character lines on the body. Personally, I’d prefer the CLE in one of Mercedes’ brighter shades.

The interior of the CLE is familiar AMG territory, with Alcantara trim, snug sport seats, and the razzmatazz of Mercedes’ large multimedia touchscreen, along with a digital instrument cluster. Everything feels impeccably finished and genuinely premium. In terms of practicality, though, the CLE is effectively a two-seater. It does have rear seats, but they’re only suitable for small children.

Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Engine and Transmission - Flying Along

Design and quality aside, the real measure of any performance coupé is how it drives. Here, the CLE 53 shines. At its heart is a 3.0-litre inline-six engine, which, along with a turbo, delivers 443bhp and 560Nm of torque. All that power is channelled through AMG’s 9G nine-speed automatic, paired with an all-wheel-drive system – it proved to be extremely useful on the rain-soaked roads during our test.

Being an AMG, the drama starts the moment you fire up the engine, which wakes with a throaty growl from the sports exhaust, instantly setting the tone. Yet what surprised me most was the ride quality. Despite the 20-inch wheels and sports suspension, the CLE remained comfortable, whether crawling through city traffic or blasting down the expressway.

Performance, meanwhile, is relentless. With abundant torque and an integrated 48V EQ Boost mild-hybrid system – which aids at low revs in terms of both power and torque – the CLE feels quick everywhere, in every condition. The sprint from 0 to 100km/h takes just 4.2 seconds, making it a car that doesn’t just look like a sports coupé but also drives like one. The 9G transmission also deserves credit here – Mercedes has refined its shift quality and mapping significantly, and it’s pretty evident.

The only thing that had me grumbling a bit was that the steering feedback and feel in both Comfort and Sport modes – it’s always a bit lifeless, with an unnecessarily heavy feel just off-centre. Apart from that, the CLE’s performance and drive experience are hard to fault.

Sure, performance doesn’t come cheap, and neither does the CLE 53. At ₹1.35 crore (ex-showroom), it’s undeniably expensive. But for what it offers – a blend of style, luxury, and genuine AMG performance – it’s hard to find a better entry point into the coupé world in India. Just be prepared that if you drive a car like this, you won’t just attract admiring glances but also your fair share of tailgaters and selfie-hunters along the way.