Mercedes-Benz is a German luxury automaker that has a lot of cars in its lineup, and like many other automaker, Mercedes-Benz took the opportunity to shake up its lineup. The E-Class and C-Class of coupes are dead, and luxury car shoppers who want a new E300 might want to consider the new model that’s replacing those two discontinued cars.
Here’s a look at the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE and how it compares to the luxury cars that it replaces.
The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE replaces the E-Class and the C-Class
The Truth About Cars reported that Mercedes-Benz recently revealed the CLE as the car that’s replacing the E-Class and the C-Class. Overall, the CLE is still a coupe, so car shoppers who thought that the German luxury automaker was quitting on the segment can breathe a sigh of relief. Since it’s a Mercedes, it’s going to be loaded with luxury and power.
There are two engines available at launch, and the standard engine is a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that gets 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The other engine is a 3.0-liter turbo six-cylinder that gets 375 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mild hybrids as they both have a small electric motor that gets 23 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard, and the CLE is speed-limited to 130 mph.
On the inside, Mercedes-Benz gave the CLE a luxurious and high-tech interior. It comes with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster display as standard, and it also has an 11.9-inch touchscreen that comes with the German company’s latest infotainment software.
That software incorporates artificial intelligence in order to learn the driver’s preferences. And of course, there’s a ton of luxury features, including synthetic leather upholstery, heated seats, and an optional massage feature.
Is the Mercedes-Benz E300 discontinued?
Like many other Mercedes-Benz cars, the E300 had a lot of features too, but that wasn’t enough to save it or the C-Class from being killed off. And like most discontinued cars, these two models were killed off because of weak sales numbers. This shouldn’t be a surprise since SUVs have been beating sedans and coupes for a few years now.
As a result, many automakers decided to kill off their sedans, and this was the case for luxury automakers too. The E-Class and C-Class were similar to one another in the sense that they were both two-door luxury coupes that have struggled to sell. That’s why Mercedes-Benz ultimately killed the two off, but rather than abandoning the segment, the company chose to replace them with one car.
The CLE is also expected to be a “lower-volume alternative” to the E-Class and C-Class, according to The Truth About Cars. This may benefit Mercedes-Benz in another way since the automaker won’t have to dedicate as much manufacturing resources to the segment.
Here’s how the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE compares to the cars it’s replacing
Overall though, since the CLE is replacing the E-Class and the C-Class, they’re all fairly similar. For example, the CLE’s standard engine is the same standard engine that the last model years of the E-Class and C-Class come with. And while Mercedes-Benz said that parts of the CLE’s interior were designed specifically for it, the CLE’s interior still looks very similar to the C-Class’ interior.
On the outside, the CLE draws a lot of inspiration from how the E-Class looked, too. One area where there’s likely going to be similarities is their pricing. Mercedes-Benz hasn’t provided pricing details for the new coupe just yet. However, a $60,000 price tag makes a lot of sense as it’d slot the CLE between the E-Class and the C-Class.
