Part 1: The Lonely Cry of a Forgotten Puppy
It was the middle of the night when the little puppy first began to cry. His cries were soft at first, barely audible to anyone who might be nearby. But as the hours passed, his voice grew louder, filled with desperation and pain. He had been abandoned—left behind in a dark alley, alone in the cold, with no one to comfort him.
The puppy, named Leo, had no understanding of why he was left there. He had always been with his mother before, cuddling in the warmth of her fur, feeling safe and loved. But one day, everything changed. He woke up to an empty world, the familiar warmth of his mother’s body no longer by his side. He cried out, but there was no answer.
For days, Leo wandered the alley, his small body growing weaker with each passing moment. His cries echoed through the night, but no one came to his rescue. People walked by without a second glance, oblivious to the helpless puppy crying for help. The city seemed cold and indifferent, the streets unforgiving and harsh.
Leo’s cries were filled with confusion. Why was he alone? Why hadn’t his mother come back? He had no idea what had happened. All he knew was that his world had fallen apart, and he was left in the dark, cold streets, hungry and scared.
As the days went on, Leo’s energy began to dwindle. He could no longer summon the strength to cry as loudly as before. His tiny body was exhausted, his once bright eyes now dull and tired. His fur was dirty, matted with the filth of the streets. His stomach growled in hunger, but there was nothing to eat. His paws, sore and tender from walking endlessly on the cold ground, could barely carry him anymore.
Still, he cried, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear him. But no one came. The streets were filled with people going about their lives, and yet, they passed him by without a second glance. To them, Leo was just another stray, another unwanted creature. His cries were nothing more than a faint sound lost in the noise of the city.
Leo began to lose hope. The days blurred into one another, each one the same as the last. He would wake up in the cold morning, hungry and tired, and cry out for help. But no one came. By nightfall, he would curl up in a small corner of the alley, his tiny body shivering from the cold. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on.
It was heartbreaking to witness his desperation. His tiny body, so fragile and innocent, seemed to have given up on the world. Every time his cries echoed through the alley, they carried with them a sense of abandonment. Nobody wanted him. Nobody cared.
But even as the days passed, Leo’s spirit remained. He may have been alone and forgotten, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. There was still a small flicker of hope deep inside him. Perhaps, just perhaps, someone would come to his rescue. Someone would hear his cries and see him for what he was—a helpless, innocent creature, longing for love and care.
Inside the cabin there’s plenty of engine noise in the sportier modes – it’s more evocative than the similarly powered CLE 450, with a pleasing (if not slightly synthetic) burble and bass at low to mid revs. It’s less muscular towards the redline though, which sort of eggs you on to keep it in the mid-range and let it purr and surge rather than thrash it all the way up.
It’s quick, but not alarmingly quick in the way that the older 63 models tended to be. Instead, the CLE 53 gathers pace in a suitably confident way, pulling hard all the way through the rev counter’s sweep. All cars get 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, which gives confidence-inspiring grip and ensures all driving the CLE 53 is very much ‘point-and-shoot.’ So far, so user-friendly. We tested a model with the optional Pro Performance pack in Europe, but tested a model without in the UK.
You can liven things up with the AMG Driving Dynamics modes, by pushing more torque to the rear wheels. This adds another dimension of adjustability – in fact the character of the car can be suitably shifted, through Basic, Advanced and Pro settings.https://www.threads.net/@khurtizz/post/C_kz0goqTkr/embed/
Power shifts rearwards as you make your way past ESP Sport mode, and the attitude of the car changes completely, feeling much more neutral and able to push itself out of a corner from the rear, rather than scrabbling from the front.
AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension is aimed at bringing a wider range of comfort and performance and, even on the UK’s roads, it’s still a reasonable balance. Yes, it’s firmer than a standard CLE, but not uncomfortably so – even if there’s a marked increase in tyre noise here. In Sport+ mode is it really very firm indeed, which matches well to the more direct responses from the engine and gearbox, but is probably best reserved for only the smoothest roads (or race circuits).
Dialling it back a touch seems best; the CLE 53 felt more agile with the suspension in the relatively pliant Sport mode. Here it’s more able to soak up bumps mid-corner or under braking, and had a small amount of body roll, but not so much that it needed settling between bends.
The CLE 53’s flowing lines seem to keep going, but its considerable length is shrunken somewhat by rear-wheel steering. Operating at an angle of up to 2.5 degrees, this helps the rear of the car follow the front in slow corners, and aids stability when moving quickly. It takes some getting used to, and although useful in normal driving can be a little disconcerting when pushing on. Still, it’s better tuned here than in the all-electric EQE and EQS.
Few modern cars offer much in the way of feedback through the steering wheel and the CLE 53 is no different – but the rack is at least linear with predictably weighted steering. When combined with the rear-wheel-steering, you get a car that’s performant agile and responsive – but not particularly informative. That can often leave you in a No Man’s Land when you want to really want to lean on the car.
Before you buy
As with all AMG cars if you buy a CLE 53 you get a free driving experience at Mercedes-Benz World, with a chance to send huge low-speed drifts on the wet skid circle and get expert guidance from a Driving Specialist on the handling circuit. I’ve actually taken part in one of these events and it was a lot of fun, even if it’s not a reason to buy the car by itself.
Verdict
It’s possible to spend almost £90,000 on a CLE 53, which is frankly a lot of money, for what always used to be the second tier of AMG performance. But even without knowing whether a CLE 63 is coming, or even what engine it’ll feature if it does, this car wouldn’t feel out of place as the range topper.
The cars it replaces were great big bruisers that challenged you to extract as much power from them as you dared. But the CLE 53 is far more user-friendly, and feels sharper and more agile to boot. Driving it feels inherently more refined than you’d expect given its Black Series looks – and that’s even with the benefit of a (relatively) large and uncomplicated engine.
The CLE 53 looks great, and will certainly deliver the performance you’d hope of a car with the 53 badge. As for those truly ‘Affalterbach’ moments? We’re hoping the 63 will bring those.
Specs below are for the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe AMG Night Edition Premium Plus Performance Pro package
