---
title: 'Mercedes AMG CLE53 | Get The Pension Check Ready'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=bgmsb89onzM'
video_id: 'bgmsb89onzM'
date: 2026-06-30
duration_sec: 839
---

# Mercedes AMG CLE53 | Get The Pension Check Ready

> Source: [Mercedes AMG CLE53 | Get The Pension Check Ready](https://youtube.com/watch?v=bgmsb89onzM)

## Summary

The Mercedes-Benz CLE 53 AMG is a luxury GT coupe or convertible with sporting pretensions, not a track-focused sports car. It stands out for its honest execution, refined drivetrain, and excellent isolation, despite lacking the charisma of some rivals.

### Key Points

- **Unique Market Position** [0:32] — Unlike many struggling European manufacturers, the CLE 53 knows exactly what it needs to be: a comfortable, quick luxury GT, not a track car.
- **Pricing and Seating** [0:55] — Starts around $84,000, with well-equipped models in the mid-90s, potentially over $100,000. It's a 2+2 coupe with small rear seats; adults won't fit in the back.
- **Convertible Top Excellence** [1:24] — The soft top is easy to operate at high speeds (past 30 mph), with no wind buffeting up to 80 mph. It's one of the quietest soft tops ever tested, and trunk space is compromised in the convertible.
- **AMG Enhancements** [4:04] — Based on the CLE 450, it features a widebody (+2.3 in front, +3 in rear), bigger brakes, and a more aggressive stance. It's not an M4 competitor; it's a luxury coupe.
- **Engine and Performance** [5:01] — Uses a 3.0L turbo inline-six (M256) with 443 hp and 443 lb-ft torque (overboost). The mild-hybrid system (ISG) adds 20-30 hp and 150 lb-ft, enabling seamless stop-start and 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds.
- **Transmission and Drivetrain** [6:06] — 9-speed torque-converter automatic is smooth but not sporty. Rear-biased all-wheel drive can disconnect front axle for fuel efficiency (over 30 mpg at 75-80 mph). Optional drift mode.
- **Driving Experience** [7:49] — Engine delivers strong low-end torque but is muted and digitally augmented. Gearbox lags on manual downshifts near redline. Ride is comfortable, with good isolation and zero cowl shake. Rear steer masks size.
- **Overall Verdict** [12:41] — A well-executed Mercedes convertible that knows its mission: comfortable, quick luxury GT. Cohesive performance, attractive styling, and excellent for long-distance cruising.

### Conclusion

The CLE 53 AMG is a highly honest and well-executed luxury GT that delivers comfort, straight-line speed, and refinement, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a stylish convertible for cruising.

## Transcript

[music]
>> The Mercedes-Benz CLE 53, needless to
say, a lot of European manufacturers
have really been struggling recently due
to some decisions made, let's call it a
long time ago. A lot of their current
product portfolio, whether it be in the
EV space, has not been particularly well
received by Americans, and some of their
internal combustion vehicles are very
compromised due to the emissions laws
they're trying to navigate.
This vehicle, the 53 AMG CLE, is not
that. It knows exactly what it needs to
be and is much better for it. Unlike the
E53 we recently drove as a wagon, which
was not well done, this is the opposite
of that. It is a honest-to-goodness
luxury GT coupe or convertible with some
sporting pretensions. Now, let's talk
about what this car is and how much it
costs. It's about 84,000
dollars in the mid-80s starting.
Reasonably well equipped, it's in the
mid-90s, though honestly it's going to
push nearly 100 or over that depending
how you option one of these things out.
It is a 2+2, meaning it is a coupe with
rear seats. So, the rear seats are not
large, and if you are a full-size adult,
you will not fit back there. You can get
this as a standard coupe, a which Mark
reviewed the CLE 450 in the past, or you
can get this as a drop top, which this
is. The trunk space is quite large as a
standard coupe. However, once you add
the convertible top, it highly
compromises what this car is when it
comes to cargo capacity. That said, the
top in this car is excellently designed.
It's easy up, easy down, you can do it
at relatively high speeds, well past 30
miles an hour. And with the top down,
there is a no wind buffeting whatsoever
up to like 80 miles an hour. They've
done a very, very good job, and with the
top up, it is easily the quietest soft
top convertible I've ever been in. They
have nailed the luxury element of what
this car is supposed to be, and if you
want to drive this in colder weather,
there is a heated neck scarf that comes
out of both of the seats, essentially
hot air blown on your neck, and they've
managed the internal volume of the world
around you quite well in this cabin even
with the top down. And the seating
options for this car, while they look
sporty, they are not. They're definitely
on the comfort side. You can option
either a sportier seat option, which I
wouldn't, or these massaging seats. And
when it comes to exterior colors,
Mercedes has done a very good job with
giving you a very large color palette,
and I do think compared to the BMW
rivals, this is a good-looking vehicle.
And when it comes to interior
technology, we beat this
horse to death at this point. Mercedes'
current generation is all touch, all
haptic. It is fast-acting, though not
that intuitive to use.
So, with that, let's head to the shop
and put this thing up on the lift.
Before we go any further, a quick word
from the sponsor of this video, Saley.
Are you an international business
magnate like Mark? Are you someone who
often leaves the comforts of your
country, and you need access to your
phone, more importantly, the internet?
>> [music]
>> And you're not someone who wants to pay
the outrageous fees that your personal
carrier or cell phone provider often
charges you. Well, that's [music] where
Saley comes in. They're an eSIM
provider, and they are very affordable
and very simple [music] to use. You
download the app, you pick what country
you're traveling to, and then you pick
your plan. And on top of now having a
more affordable route to taking phone
calls and and uh browsing the internet,
you also have some added security
benefits, like a website tracker
blocker. You have the ability to block
ads, and of [music] course, there's a
Nord VPN-level service provided in the
app as well. So, if you are all
interested in traveling abroad and
having [music] access to the internet at
a more affordable rate, use the Savage
Geese discount code at checkout. So,
with that, let's get back to the
Mercedes-Benz.
>> Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saley
data plans. Use code Savage Geese at
checkout. Download Salty app or go to
salty.com/savagegeese.
>> In the shop with the CLE 53 AMG. So,
what does that mean? Well, this is the
AMG-ified variant of the CLE 450.
Essentially, they took their inline-six
luxury coupe or convertible and they
gave it the AMG treatment. So, on the
outside, you get a widebody. It's like
2.3 in wider in the front and over 3 in
wider in the rear. You get bigger
brakes, bigger wheels, and a far more
aggressive stance. I will say right off
the bat that, as I mentioned in the
beginning of this video, the BMW M4
convertible or coupe has nothing to
worry about. There is no track
pretension despite some of the marketing
behind this vehicle. It is a luxury
coupe, not a sports car luxury coupe. I
think that is a very important
distinction in the way of they've tuned
everything in the way this car drives.
So, from a drivetrain side of things,
yes, you can still get a CLE with a
four-cylinder. In the future, you'll be
able to get the much-loved twin-turbo
V8. Mercedes is bringing that back. But,
for the CLE 53, they took their M256
turbocharged inline-six. They made some
changes. It's still a 3-liter, however,
they've added a new turbocharger, which
now puts out more overall boost. They've
changed the intake and exhaust valves,
the fueling system, and basically the
entire cowl of the motor. It now makes
444 horsepower and an overboost function
444 foot-pounds of torque. It still has
an electric motor that lives between the
gearbox and the engine. They call it the
ISG or integrated or integrated starter
generator unit. It's good for 20-30
horsepower, more importantly over 150
foot-pounds of torque. Helps this car
get off the line. It blends in to act
act as some torque fill. And really, in
the real world, what you notice is the
stop-start function is essentially
seamless. It allows this car to
basically kick on and kick off whenever
you need it to, and you're never waiting
for the drivetrain. It is a very good
implementation of stop-start. You can't
say that about all of its rivals. And
thankfully, unlike the E53 we just
drove, there's no Phat function in this
car, so there's no blending between the
full electric motor or a full electric
drive and the internal combustion side
of things. This is a 9-speed automatic
gearbox. It's torque converted. It's
plenty quick, but not sporty. And the
all-wheel drive system, which is the AMG
sport version of this, is rear-biased
most of the time in eco mode or when
you're cruising, will disconnect the
front axle. It'll cruise in rear-wheel
drive. It is very fuel-efficient. At
75-80 mph, you can return over 30 mpg,
which is impressive for a car like this.
And if you have the correct options
enabled and you have the right
performance package, it will go into
drift mode, not that you'll ever be
doing that, but you can shred the rear
tires. When it comes to braking, it is a
four-piston front, single-piston rear.
Again, not a track car. And it does come
on fairly nerve, but wide tires. These
are definitely more geared at at least
in this car in specification for, let's
call it, cruising in all-weather
conditions than all-out lap time. Last
thing to talk about is the architecture.
It is multi-link front and rear, which
goes a long way. That's not something
you can say about a 3 or 4 series. This
is more in line with, say, a 5 series
architecture or an E-Class than a
C-Class. So, that, let's go take this
for a quick
This is more in line with a
more premium platform vehicle like a 5
series or what you traditionally think
of an E-Class competitor than the 3
series, which is a strut-based car. So,
that, I'm going to go take this for a
quick drive.
>> [music]
>> Setting off in the CLE 53 in full fully
divorced specification, top down, race
start,
matte black,
but right.
First things first, let's talk about the
drivetrain.
This is a inline six turbocharged mild
hybrid and
it delivers upon the idea that this is
supposed to be a sporty luxury coupe.
This is not an M car or an M4
competitor. What this is is it needs to
be fast enough to have some factor of
wow when merging on the highway. You can
use launch control, not that many owners
will, it will get you to zero to 60 in
under four, but more importantly, in any
gear, at any time, you can just tip into
it and there's a ton of low-down torque
primarily that pulls you through the
gears. It is not an engine that
particularly rewards being wound out and
on top of that, to be honest, despite
being an inline six, you can sort of
remove that idea of like BMW inline
sixes or old-school, you know, Mercedes
V8 or six-cylinder AMG noise. It's very
muted and it very much so sounds like a
digitally augmented active exhaust. All
you primarily hear is
a kind of fake whooshing noise through
the speakers along with a crackle and
pop out the exhaust. It's not the most
audibly rewarding engine, but compared
to some of the other more recent
Mercedes drivetrains we've experienced,
namely the PHEV variants, there's a
level of honesty to this thing. It's far
more refined. When it comes down to
gearbox calibration,
it's not a ZF eight-speed. I'm going to
say that. I mean, not that that is the
world's quickest fast shifting gearbox
by any means,
but it's not that fast to downshift and
if you ever get to the point where you
hit fuel cut off or redline,
as I'm about to demonstrate, it takes a
second. Wait, wait, wait, wait for it.
Uh, in this case, it auto upshifted, but
But you are in manual mode and you don't
let it auto-upshift,
it won't let you shift hard. Sorry, it
basically lags. You hear where we go
back down to second.
And on the gas, hit fuel cut off. Now
you shift, it takes a full, maybe half a
second for it to get back in the power.
It seems to stutter fairly hard in that
regards. But if you just leave it in
drive, you let it do auto-up shift, you
let it figure what gear it's in, it's
plenty quick. Now the driving dynamics,
again, this is a
more luxury than sporty coupe. Does a
good job. When you put it in a comfort,
it absorbs all the bumps you want it to.
It feels very solid despite this being a
convertible, there's zero cowl shake.
And at a higher speed, sort of that GT
cruising speed,
you have no idea what speed you're going
at all. It basically becomes a very good
isolation chamber. And when you put the
top up, it's very, very quiet for a soft
top. This has to be one of the most uh
isolated soft top convertibles I've been
in in recent memory. They do an
excellent job when you have the top up
of like basically isolating you from the
world around you. And then with the top
down like I currently have it, they do a
very good job managing wind on the
inside and it still feels like a luxury
car. The at-limit driving dynamics,
again, this is not a track car. If you
want a actually sporty 2+2
uh
convertible,
you're much better off with
like an M4 if I'm being honest, or even
a Mustang in many regards. This is
basically a default light understeer.
And then if you go past that, it goes in
an oversteer moment. I will say it's
very confidence-inspiring.
And despite this being a big, big, heavy
car, the rear steer
does a good job masking some of its
initial size and turn-in. And it's a
little bit more naturally calibrated
than the rear steer has been in some
other Mercedes products. I think
cohesively, this is a very good luxury
coupe. And in recent memory of a lot of
Mercedes I've driven, I think it's the
most honest in what it is, right?
Despite some of the AMG branding, you
know when you look at this car, you look
at the specs, you within 2 seconds of
driving it, you understand that they
knew that this had to be an isolated,
sporty, luxury coupe. And I think in
that specific
guys, it does an excellent job. And as I
mentioned in the show, right? The
drivetrain's quick, it gets good fuel
economy, it rides well. I think
visually, and that's a big part of
luxury coupes, I think it looks really
good for what it is. They knew exactly
what they needed to do with this car.
Doesn't have the awkwardness of the the
G cars that I can think of, like it's
far better looking in my eyes than an
M4.
And from a usability side of things, as
much as it pains me to admit, outside of
the lack of charisma from this
drivetrain compared to say the 5 L in an
LC 500, at many things, it does a better
job than the LC. So that, and before
Mark kills me for uh
speaking ill of his baby, the LC 500,
it's time for me to head into the final
thoughts.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Final thoughts on the CLE 53 AMG. What I
think this car is is a very
well-executed Mercedes convertible. It's
a 2 + 2, but the back seat isn't huge,
it has some of that flexibility, and it
knows what it needs to be, which is a
comfortable, quick, luxury GT car with
reasonable driving dynamics. Everything
from the steering to the brakes, to the
ride quality, the drivetrain
integration, to the rear steer is all
done fairly cohesively. Nothing stands
out as being a problem. It is very quick
from a straight line, it returns good
fuel efficiency. While it doesn't sound
the best, it is a very quiet and very
comfortable for long periods of time on
the highway. And I think if you're
looking for that car that you want to
cruise for long distances in, or take
the top down when you're around town, or
up to say 70 mph, I think it delivers
upon its mission. And more importantly
to me, I think it looks the part. While
I'm not a matte black paint person, I
think if you pick some of the different
color options, this car is quite
attractive looking, particularly
compared to something like a BMW M4 or
M440i.
So that, thanks for watching. Hope to
see you again soon.