Part 1: The First Encounter
It was a cold morning when we first saw the puppy. He was lying in a dark corner of the alley, huddled as if the world had abandoned him. His coat was matted and dirty, and his eyes, though full of fear, seemed to have a pleading look in them. The way he trembled told us just how frightened he was. His body was so thin that we could see every rib, and there were scars scattered across his little body, evidence of the hardship he had endured. He was only a puppy, but it seemed as though life had already been incredibly hard on him.
We had been walking home from a nearby store when we heard the faint sound of whimpering. At first, we thought it was another stray dog, but as we got closer, the pitiful sound grew louder. It was then that we saw him, curled up in the corner of the alley, barely able to move. He looked up at us with such deep sadness in his eyes that it broke our hearts. We didn’t know what had happened to him, but we knew we couldn’t just leave him there.
His fur was matted with dirt, and there were bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it. His ribs stuck out, clearly visible beneath his dull, patchy fur. He looked so weak, so fragile. We approached cautiously, not wanting to scare him. But as we got closer, he didn’t run or bark. He just watched us with those sad, pleading eyes.
“Poor little guy,” my friend whispered, crouching down slowly, trying not to startle him. We both knelt down at a distance, trying to give him some space. He looked up at us, his eyes wide with fear, but there was something else there too—something that told us he wanted help but didn’t know how to trust us. It was a look of desperation.
“I think we need to help him,” I said softly, feeling a lump form in my throat as I watched his trembling form.
But we had no idea where to start. We didn’t have a leash, and we didn’t know if he would even let us come close enough to help. Slowly, we reached out to him, our voices calm, gentle, reassuring. “It’s okay. We’re here to help you,” I whispered.
The puppy’s reaction was instinctive. He shrank back, his body cowering as if he had been hurt before. We could see the raw emotion in his eyes—the deep mistrust, the fear of being hurt again. My heart ached for him, and in that moment, I knew that this was just the beginning of a long journey for him.
We spent the next few minutes slowly gaining his trust, inching closer, talking to him in soft, soothing tones. Gradually, he began to relax, and after what felt like an eternity, I was able to gently touch his side. His fur was coarse and tangled, but there was a warmth beneath it. He flinched at first, but then, slowly, he began to lean into my hand, as if he finally realized that we weren’t here to hurt him.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I whispered. “We’ll get you out of here. You’re safe now.”
As we gently scooped him up, his tiny body felt so fragile in our arms. He didn’t resist, but he remained still, too weak to fight. It was almost as if he had given up hope, just waiting to be saved, or perhaps waiting to be loved.
The walk back to the car was slow. We tried to keep him comfortable, wrapping him in the soft towel we had with us. He seemed so fragile, so helpless, but he clung to us as if we were his only hope. His tiny body shook with fear, but there was something else—something that made me think that, just maybe, he knew he was going to be okay. That he was finally going to be safe.
We rushed him to the nearest vet, where he was examined immediately. The vet confirmed that he was underweight, malnourished, and likely had been living on the streets for weeks. The physical signs of neglect were heartbreaking—his skin was dry and irritated from poor care, and he was covered in fleas and ticks. But the vet also reassured us that he was not beyond saving. With the right care, he would recover.
But we’ll get it out the way now: the CLE 53 isn’t powered by a wicked-up four-pot like the C63 S E-Performance, nor a compact V6. The beating heart of the CLE 53 is a pure, old-fashioned six-cylinder petrol – albeit with a bit of electrical assistance. Rejoice!
At a glance
Pros: Sure-footed handling, performance packs a punch, comic book looks
Cons: Tyre noise, grippy but numb, where is the 63?
What’s new?
Well, it’s not entirely old-fashioned, because it still features 48v mild-hybrid tech, which can provide an overboost of power and torque, as well as the ability to coast with the engine off while you’re slowing down. It’s also eerily quiet on tickover.
That’s because there’s a big problem this car needs to overcome. Previous range topping AMG C- and E-Class Coupes (cars the CLE is tasked with replacing) were distinguished by an ebullient V8 soundtrack. The flagship AMG C63 coupe was bombastic, brutish and yet stylish with it. While the 53 isn’t a direct replacement for those, it’s hard to separate the new model from that heritage, especially if it doesn’t rumble and shake on start-up.
What are the specs?
To give it the full title, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe comes in two specs for the UK market: Premium (from £73,075) specification as standard or Night Edition Premium Plus (from £78,825). Both specs get 20-inch wheels (with the Night Edition design looking like it’ll be hilariously hard to clean), an AMG-tuned nine-speed automatic gearbox, and AMG Ride Control adaptive dampers.
Inside it’s largely C-Class, all screens and LED accent lighting, but with sportier seats and an AMG specific steering wheel. Night Edition Premium Plus cars get darker exterior trim, carbonfibre on the dash, and added niceties such as a Burmester stereo and head-up display.
You can also upgrade this spec with the Pro Performance Package (costing £7,500) giving you the AMG Dynamic Plus Package (Race drive programme, Race Start, Drift Mode, and AMG dynamic engine mounts), plus a lairier bodykit, figure hugging bucket seats, and a Performance steering wheel. Outside there’s a subtle bootlid spoiler and red-painted brake callipers.
What about the interior?
Mercedes says the CLE combines the best of the sporting character of the C-Class, with the prestige of the E-Class. In AMG guise the latter is turned up a notch, adding an extra special layer of extravagance, but there’s no escaping how distinctly C-Class the interior looks, with the 11.9-inch/12.3-inch display pairing.
The Pro Performance package cars certainly seem a lot stealthier than the standard CLE Coupe or Cabriolet inside, largely thanks to the extensive use of dark carbon fibre and suede, and the optional seats this adds look absolutely superb.
They are quite hard when you first sit down but offer a huge amount of support when driving quickly. I think they’d be best suited to slimmer frames, however, and there’s no way to move the bolsters in or out like in a BMW.
The driver’s screen offers a couple of different display modes that you don’t get in the standard car, not least one with a huge gear shift display in the centre of it, which is curiously (and annoyingly) absent in the standard car.
We’re also still big fans of the customisable buttons on the wheel that can be set to adjust things like the exhaust sound or traction control. The only slight issue was getting use to the fact they are touch sensitive, and if you brush past one or jab it by mistake, you have to cycle through all of the functions to get back to the one you want.
How does it drive?
Well, it’s certainly not slow – the 3.0-litre six-pot under the bonnet is a heavily reworked M256 like you get in the CLE 450, but now features 442bhp and 442lb ft of torque, thanks to redesigned combustion chambers, new piston rings, a new large single turbocharger.
This is boosted by an electric compressor to help fill the torque gap at low revs and increases boost pressure from 1.1 to 1.5 bar, so you get all the flexibility of a twin-turbocharger set up, and all the power of one big one. The 0-62mph sprint drops half a second to 4.2 seconds, and the CLE 53 tops out at an electronically limited 155mph.
The nine-speed automatic gearbox has a specific AMG tune for shorter shifting times and better responses from the steering mounted paddles. These are noticeably larger than those in the standard coupe, more tactile to use, and deliver the type of punchy, urgent shifts that you want in a car like this.
