Have We Reached Peak Screen? The CLE300 Thinks So.
I believe we’ve reached a saturation point with screens in cars. While the impact of smartphones and related innovations on democracy and our attention spans is a vast topic, my focus here is the proliferation of screens in our vehicles. I believe the trend of adding more screens is over, and I’m not alone in this sentiment.
Volkswagen’s design boss has vowed to bring back physical buttons, echoing the collective frustration: “It’s not a phone: it’s a car.” The design head from Jaguar shares this view, as does J.D. Power and Hyundai. Even Mercedes-Benz’s chief design officer, Gorden Wagener, admitted that “screens are not luxury.”
As it turns out, Wagener is correct. The new CLE300 is a prime example of how screens can detract from the overall experience. It shoots itself in the foot with screens that are both difficult to use and, in my experience, prone to failing.
If you’re unfamiliar with the CLE, Mercedes positions this new coupe as a replacement for the C- and E-Class coupes. However, with the wheelbase and interior of the current C-Class sedan, it’s clear which model it’s more closely aligned with. Regardless, the CLE300 proved difficult to love, but not due to its size or mechanicals. The technology, the stupid tech, is the problem.
At Least It Looks Good!
Let’s start with the positives. The CLE’s aesthetics are impressive. The car is a nicely designed object, giving a sense of luxury on the road. Its classic compact Mercedes-Benz coupe shape evokes memories of older models, such as the C63s and CLK Blacks.
Behind the wheel, the subtle bulges in the hood are visible, along with the rear fender character lines in the mirrors.
The current Benz interiors are beautiful as well. The seats are comfortable, and the ambient lighting is configurable and effective. The build quality is also admirable.
Powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 255 horsepower (with a 48-volt mild hybrid system adding up to 23 hp), the CLE300 is a stable highway cruiser. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which isn’t AMG-level quick but is satisfying for everyday driving.
Decent acceleration is matched by decent handling. The car smoothly corners and accelerates. The CLE300 excels on the highway, comfortably maintaining speeds over 80 mph. It’s a car that leaves you feeling refreshed after a long drive.
An Unrefined Drive
However, the problems begin off the highway. The CLE300’s mild-hybrid powertrain isn’t as seamless at low speeds as others.
It’s slow to start when you release the brake at a stoplight or in stop-and-go traffic. Drivers used to EVs may find themselves searching for a “turn on creep” option in the infotainment system. Additionally, the powertrain can sometimes feel lurchy. This is not what you expect from a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz, especially a brand-new one with a hybrid system designed to smooth out exactly this.
The unintuitive brakes don’t help either.
Like the C300 I tested over a year ago, the pedal has limited response at the top of its travel, and becomes harder to control towards the end.
Both delayed emergency stops and aggressive slowing felt hazardous during my week with the car. Even though I became better at modulating the brakes the more I drove the car, the comfort was short lived, as quickly as I moved back to my personal vehicle.
As commenter Doug Nash noted in a review of a Chevy Traverse, “Getting used to a bad thing doesn’t make it a good thing.”
The Screens Crapped Out
Two days into my test, the CLE300’s screens failed to turn on. Since Mercedes’s MBUX system controls nearly every function through those screens, operations outside of actual driving became unavailable.
The engine ran, and I could drive, but there was no speedometer, climate controls, backup camera, fuel readout, navigation, music, or HUD. Not Ideal.
The screens returned after cycling the car off and on, but not before I had to drive 15 minutes with them blank.
While software glitches happen, even when working, the systems in the CLE300 are not very good. The screens are impressive physically: big and sharp with accurate and vibrant colors.
However, the software is sub-optimal. There are countless menus and no obvious way to independently activate the heated steering wheel without using voice controls. There’s no volume knob, just a slider that’s difficult to use without looking. The controls on the steering wheel are overly touch-sensitive, and the satellite radio’s recently listened-to channels list is unreliable.
Other annoyances included mirrors that would reset to different positions, adaptive cruise control that always reset to the longest distance, and lights/locks that didn’t turn off automatically unless done manually.
Also, despite the car’s nearly $60,000 starting price, lane-keeping assist is not standard.
When questioned, a company representative suggested these issues are tied to driver profiles, and that they might have been linked to me driving the car without a Mercedes account. One shouldn’t have to log in to safely change lanes in a Mercedes-Benz.
The Verdict
Most of the tech quirks can be fixed, at least in theory. As a car, the Mercedes-Benz CLE300 gets the basics of a luxury GT right: it looks good, inside and out, and cruises smoothly at high speeds. A solid luxury car is hidden somewhere, but too many QOL flaws make it hard to recommend.
This isn’t the first time similar problems have cropped up in a modern Mercedes product.
This is a Mercedes-Benz; “The best or nothing.”
If the CLE300 were a kitchen appliance, it’d be an AI-powered “smart” microwave. While the all-screen design is visually impressive, it delegates utility to unreliable, user-unfriendly technology. It’s a poster child for tech for tech’s sake and will likely be seen as a cautionary time capsule, immortalizing some of the worst habits of this era of automobiles—right down to the fake exhaust tips.
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE300 4Matic Coupe Specs
- Base Price (Canadian-spec as tested): $57,650 ($79,305 CAD)
- Powertrain: 2.0-liter turbo-four with 48-volt mild hybrid | 9-speed automatic | all-wheel drive
- Horsepower: 255 @ 5,800 rpm (gas), 23 (electric)
- Torque: 295 lb-ft @ 2,000-3,200 rpm (gas), 151 lb-ft (electric)
- Seating Capacity: 4
- Cargo Volume: 11.2 cubic feet
- Curb Weight: 4,057 pounds
- 0-60 mph: 6.2 seconds
- Top Speed: 130 mph
- EPA Fuel Economy: 24 mpg city | 34 highway | 28 combined | 24 observed
- Score: 6/10
Quick Take: There’s a decent grand tourer hidden here somewhere. It’s just buried under a big pile of buggy, technological bullshit.
