Should you buy one?

No surprises with the Mercedes-Benz CLE – it’s a comfortable, premium and good-looking coupe. We felt there was more C-Class than E-Class about the way it drove, but it shouldn’t put buyers off from either side. But either way, we like it.

A wide array of engines is a real plus point. The 450 petrol is the obvious choice if you’re buying the CLE as a luxury purchase – the smoothness of six cylinders can’t be found anywhere else. However, the diesel’s an interesting option for a high-mileage daily driver, and the plug-in hybrid is likely to offer the lowest company car running costs.

Occupying the middle ground between huge, luxurious coupes such as the BMW 8 Series and smaller, pointier models such as the BMW 4 Series or Audi A5 leaves the CLE in an interesting place in the market. We’re looking forward to trying the upcoming convertible version, too.

What we like

This is quite clearly not a sports car and designed for people who want to travel long distances discretely and efficiently. High-speed refinement and comfort are excellent and perfectly matched to this ambition. If you want excitement, wait for the AMG versions.

What we don’t like

It might not feel special enough for E-Series Coupe drivers looking for a replacement, and some of the controls are infuriatingly frustrating to use.