Priced at Rs 1.35 crore (ex-showroom), the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupé is the closest one can get to a two-door AMG before heading into GT territory in India
For India, the Mercedes-AMG GT range has been the way to go if one wanted an AMG coupe experience. Well, now the AMG coupé experience has become more accessible as the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé has been launched in India at Rs 1.35 crore (ex-showroom). Not only is this the most accessible AMG coupé in India, it’s also a hotter alternative to the Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet sold in India.
Being an AMG model, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupé is built to grab attention. Classic AMG tropes include a massive vertically-slatted front grille, big and chunky air-vents, an aggressive bumper, and some cuts and creases along the bonnet to accentuate its sporty personality. Move along to the side profile and the fenders are nicely flared up to give it some curvature, with AMG-styled alloy wheels, quad exhaust tips and a gloss-black treatment on the lower area of the bumper rounding off the sporty AMG exterior. It can be had in Sun Yellow, Obsidian Black, Spectral Blue, Patagonia Red Metallic, Alpine Grey Solid, and Opalite White Bright. Graphite Grey Magno and Spectral Blue Magno are chargeable paint options.
The sporty AMG theme continues inside with Alcantara, carbon-fibre and red stitching spread across the cabin, complemented by an Alcantara-finished AMG-performance steering wheel, with some rotary dials below all focused for when you want to play mad scientist with the CLE 53’s driving dynamics.
Just because it’s an AMG doesn’t mean there aren’t any luxury indulgences, as it includes an 11.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, a heads-up display, a Burmester audio system, powered seats with memory function, and multi-colour ambient lighting
Sure, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupé doesn’t get a V8 under the hood—we’ll have to wait for the 63 for that—but it’s no less of a firecracker. The setup is a 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and electrically-powered compressor and a potent motor generator to produce 449 hp and 560 Nm, or 600 Nm with overboost. A nine-speed automatic gearbox distributes that power to all four wheels via the 4MATIC+ drivetrain. That’s enough to launch this coupé from 0-100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds with a top speed of 250 km/h.
The fun bits don’t end there as you get rear-wheel steering, and a dedicated Drift mode and there’s the Comfort, Sport Sport+ and Individual drive modes that affect characteristics like the throttle response, suspension tuning as well as gearshift timing. The AMG Track Pace app, essentially your virtual race engineer as it offers live telemetry data.If that’s not enough, the AMG Driver’s Package bumps up the top speed to 270 km/h.
Yes, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupé’s only true rival in India is the BMW M4 Competition but the M340i can also keep it busy. Also, it’s not the most family-friendly or practical offering, but it offers enthusiast-friendly AMG thrills that the more sedate Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet doesn’t quite deliver.
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