Part 1: The Discovery
It was an ordinary afternoon when we decided to take a walk down the quieter streets of the neighborhood. The sun was setting, casting a warm golden hue over the sidewalks. It had been a long day, and we were looking for a bit of fresh air before heading home. As we walked, we noticed something unusual—an eerie silence that hung in the air. The streets were quiet, and everything seemed still. But then, out of nowhere, we heard it—a faint sound, almost like a cry for help.
At first, we couldn’t place it. It was muffled, desperate, as though something or someone was in trouble. We paused, looking around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. The sound seemed to echo from an alleyway nearby. Without thinking, we rushed toward the sound, our hearts racing with concern.
When we reached the alley, we saw him. A small, trembling puppy lay in the corner, barely able to move. His fur was matted with dirt, and his body was so thin that it was heartbreaking. His eyes were wide with fear, and there was a look of sheer panic in his gaze. The moment we made eye contact, he screamed—a high-pitched, desperate cry that tore through the stillness of the alley.
It was a scream that echoed deep within our hearts. The sound was raw, filled with pain and pleading. He was crying out for help. We immediately dropped to our knees, trying to comfort him, but he flinched, pulling away from us in fear. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and we could see the scars on his skin. It was clear that he had been through unimaginable suffering.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. “We’re here to help you.”
The puppy whimpered in response, but he didn’t try to run. It was as though he had given up, resigned to his fate. His cry was one of utter hopelessness, a cry that begged for mercy. We didn’t know what had happened to him, but we knew we couldn’t leave him like this.
Carefully, we reached out, trying to touch him gently. His fur was filthy, clumped with dirt and grime, and his skin was cold to the touch. He didn’t resist our touch this time, but his body remained stiff, as if he was too weak to move. We tried to reassure him, speaking softly, telling him he was safe now, but the trust that should have been there was absent. It would take time to rebuild that trust.
“We’ve got you,” my friend whispered, stroking the puppy’s back gently. “We won’t leave you here.”
We could see that he was malnourished, his ribs visible beneath the thin layer of fur. The deep exhaustion in his eyes suggested that he had been without food or water for a long time. And yet, despite all the fear and pain, he seemed to know, somewhere deep inside, that help had finally arrived.
Carefully, we scooped him up, cradling him against our chests. His small body felt fragile in our arms, his bones sharp and delicate, as though he had been neglected for too long. The moment we held him close, he stopped crying, his body still trembling. It was almost as if he was too exhausted to continue, or perhaps he felt safe for the first time in a long while.
The walk to the car was slow. We didn’t want to cause him more distress, so we kept our pace gentle. He rested in our arms, still shaking but not crying anymore. His head tucked against our shoulders, his breathing shallow. It was hard to tell if he was just too weak to move or if he was simply too broken to care. Either way, we didn’t want to leave him in such a state.
When we arrived at the car, we carefully placed him in the back seat, where we had a blanket waiting for him. He curled up on the blanket, looking up at us with those big, sad eyes, as though trying to understand what was happening. It was clear he had never known kindness before, and it broke our hearts.
“We’re going to take care of you,” I promised, my voice barely above a whisper.
His eyes followed me, filled with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. He was too weak to do anything but lie there, his tiny body exhausted from everything it had been through. But at least he was safe now.
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.
