Chevrolet Corvette vs Mercedes-Benz Cle53

What's the difference?

Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 supercar is an all-American answer to European rivals Lamborghini and Ferrari, but it’s not just this that makes it so appealing.

Spending a week with the most potent Corvette you can get in Australia has left me with a list of notes on this beast I want to hand over to you. Maybe it will help make your mind up about it or change your mind.

What makes the Z06 the flagship of the Australian Corvette range isn’t little luxuries, but seriously upgraded mechanical hardware, much of it track focussed.

Our test car was also fitted with the Z07 Performance package which adds a carbon-fibre aero kit to pin the Corvette down at high speed while also drawing everybody’s attention to it.

Oh, and then there’s the sound of the largest flatplane crank V8 ever to go into a production car… and look out for your ankles - let me explain…

You’re looking at what Mercedes-Benz dubs “The AMG for all occasions”, the CLE 53.

Now, in case you haven’t been paying attention, the CLE replaces both the previous C-Class and E-Class coupes, so we’re talking about a relatively practical two-door four-seater here.

So, 53? Not the full-fat 63 flagship, then (that’s coming eventually), but something that comes close to the slightly more-powerful (and a bit more expensive) Audi RS5 and BMW M4 range-topping alternatives.

Like Goldilocks’ preferred porridge, this particular flavour of coupe is meant to leave well-heeled enthusiasts not too hot or too bothered, meaning it’s been engineered to be refreshingly refined as well as rousingly rapid.

Is the AMG CLE 53 just right, then? Time to find out.