Fiat 500E vs Mercedes-Benz Cle200

What's the difference?

A fun, funky EV which will no doubt appeal to lovers of Italian style, but also one which struggles a little on the range and price front.

Still, there’s no doubt that electrification has improved the Fiat 500 formula.

The CLE Coupe really feels like a car of the times. As the electric vehicle market continues to suck in resources, the days of endless variants and body styles is going to wane. But the truth is the CLE does a nice job of filling the demands that both previous C-Class Coupe and E-Class Coupe buyers are looking for.

It’s a stylish model with plenty of technology on the inside, so it should appeal to those who want something refined and elegant for their lifestyle. It has a hint of sportiness on road, without being overtly dynamic or uncomfortable; although Mercedes-AMG will cater to those buyers soon enough. And it offers the kind of space inside that buyers of both models will find acceptable (as long as they don’t have to climb into the back regularly).

The biggest challenge will be convincing C-Class customers to take the big jump up in price over the model it replaces, while at the same time convincing E-Class buyers that this is still something special and different given its similarities to the old model.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

It looks, well, it looks like a Fiat 500.

It’s actually bigger in every dimension than an ICE cinquecento, but it doesn’t really look like it, which is a good thing.

The 17-inch wheels look great, and big against the very small Fiat, and I like the hidden doorhandles, which make the already smooth-looking 500’s flanks look a little smoother still. But I can take or leave the little DRLs up front that are meant to act as little illuminated eyebrows for the headlights, which come over a bit too cutesy.

But I think the highest compliment I can pay it is that it looks like a regular Fiat 500 — one of the most successful reincarnations of a timeless design ever — and not some modern, eco-friendly version that would have killed the look. 

In the cabin, however, it’s definitely a more modern affair, with the big screen, the horizontal push-button gear selector, and the nifty push-button door openers.

Still, it’s all pretty familiar Fiat 500, only a little nicer, even if some of the plastics are far too hard and scratchy for a vehicle this expensive.

There are five colours available: Ice white, Onyx black, Rose gold, Ocean green and Celestial blue.

Thankfully for the German brand its family look across its range means the CLE seamlessly integrates into both the C-Class and E-Class line-ups.

Mercedes does use some colourful language to describe the looks, with terms like 'sharknose' for the front end, and these ‘powerdomes’ on the bonnet, and there’s a swooping design that wraps around the tail to create a dynamic-looking vehicle.

The biggest question about design, though, is the size of the CLE, specifically how it compares to the two coupes it replaces. While based on the same basic underpinnings as the C-Class sedan, Mercedes has stretched and pulled the body to try and fill the space between it and the old E-Class Coupe.

The result is a car that is 164mm longer than the C-Class Coupe and +15mm longer than the E-Class overall, with the wheelbase stretched 25mm over the C-Class but actually 8mm shorter than the old E-Class two-door. It’s also 50mm wider than the previous C-Class but exactly the same width as the E-Class. So it’s definitely on the bigger size without actually matching up with either model it supersedes. 

The 500e is 29mm taller, 61mm longer and 56mm wider than the current ICE Fiat 500 (now 1529mm, 3631mm and 1683mm respectively), and it rides on a longer wheelbase, too .

That means more front-seat room and head room, but there’s still not oodles of space in the four-seat cabin, and especially in the back, where things are pretty tight.

I’m 175cm tall, and my head touches the ceiling in the back, and if I had another full-size human in the back with me, I’d want it to be someone I know well, because we’d be well and truly aquatinted by the time we got to our destination.

The front seats are more accomodating, but there is a strange tightness to the pedal area for the driver. It’s so tight, in fact, that when you rest your left foot, you have to be careful not to accidentally clip the brake pedal when driving.

The boot is a small 185 litres, too. But you’re not buying this for practicality perks, are you?

Not surprisingly given the exterior growth over the old C-Class Coupe, Mercedes is talking up the increased interior room and practicality. Which is crucial to the success of the CLE because in replacing both the smaller C-Class and larger E-Class coupes, it now needs to appeal to both audiences.

Front seat room is generous, with plenty of shoulder room and the seats offer good comfort and support. In the back Mercedes’ designers have managed to create 95mm more legroom than the old C-Class Coupe, but fractionally less than the E-Class Coupe (just 1mm less). The rear seats are wider than both outgoing models, both across the shoulders and the mid-section. Headroom has been increased by 10mm over the C-Class but decreased by the same amount compared to the E-Class.

Putting the measuring tape aside, while the rear seats are fine for short trips, the back of the CLE is clearly not the place to be and if you plan on using the rear seats regularly then you should be looking at one of the brand’s sedans.

As for the boot, at 420 litres it’s 60 litres bigger than the old C-Class but five litres smaller when compared to the E-Class Coupe; so once again there’s a trade-off between the two.

The initial range consists of just two models - the CLE200 and CLE300 4Matic, but an AMG variant, the CLE53 is due to follow soon (as is the expected-but-not-confirmed V8-powered CLE63), but not before the Cabriolet arrives. While the CLE300 Cabriolet was on hand for us to look at, we weren’t allowed to drive, so we’ll focus this review on the hard-top models.

The CLE200 is priced from $103,900 and the CLE300 is $124,900 (neither price includes on-road costs). While it’s hard to do a like-for-like comparison between the old models and this new one, the CLE is more than $20k more expensive than the old C-Class but around $9-12k cheaper than the equivalent E-Class Coupe.

For future reference, the CLE300 4Matic Cabriolet will be priced from $135,900.

Standard features on both models includes 19-inch alloy wheels, AMG Line exterior and interior packages, a panoramic sunroof, 64-colour ambient cabin lighting, heated front seats with memory function, a head-up display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, plus the latest MBUX infotainment system which runs through an 11.9-inch touchscreen as well as Burmester surround sound system. One of the key specification differences between the CLE200 and CLE300, aside from the powertrain, is the interior trim, with the cheaper model using synthetic leather while the more expensive one gets the genuine article.

A single front-mounted electric motor delivers the power here, with 87kW and 220Nm on offer. Enough, Fiat says, to knock off 100km/h in 9.0 seconds. But it does feel quicker than that in real life, thanks to the way electric vehicles deliver their power.

There’s the usual EV single-speed gearbox, too, with power sent to the front wheels.

The CLE200 and CLE300 are both powered by four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines, albeit in different states of tune, and each assisted by a mild-hybrid integrated starter generator.

The CLE200 Coupé makes 150kW and 320Nm and sends it to the rear wheels via a nine-speed auto transmission. While the CLE300 4Matic Coupé gets 190kW and 400Nm but also gets (as the name gives away) Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

While not really a hybrid in the conventional sense, the integrated starter generator adds an extra 17kW/205Nm boost when required while also helping to save fuel.

The Fiat 500e’s 42kWh battery provides a smallish 311km driving range on paper, but when we got in it was more like 290km at 96per cent charged. A city car, then, rather than a long-distance hauler.

When it does come time to charge, you’re set up for 85kW DC fast charging which should take you from zero to 80 percent in 35 minutes. 

Make no mistake, the integrated starter generator is a mild-hybrid system, so don’t expect to see miserly returns from the CLE. Instead, the official figures for the pair are quite close, despite the different drivetrains.

The CLE200 has a claimed fuel rating of 7.2L/100km, while the CLE300 uses 7.4L/100km.

This is the probably the best-driving example of the Fiat 500 I’ve ever climbed into. Sure, it’s not quite as engaging as self-shifting a perky little manual, but it’s smoother, easier and more comfortable, and a whole lot better than ICE vehicles fitted with Fiat's odd dual-logic automatic gearbox.

The EV transition genuinely suits the little Fiat, admittedly sapping a little character, but also thoroughly modernising the drive experience, with smooth, constant acceleration, sharp-enough steering and a ride that’s mostly settled, only really becoming crashy over the bigger road imperfections.

The small dimensions here also help the EV reincarnation. Yes, it’s heavier than you might expect, weighing in at 1290kg (tare), with the batteries adding several hundred kilograms to the equation, but the 500e still doesn’t feel overly heavy, with the little Fiat remaining pretty light on its feet.

There are three drive modes on board, including the catchy Sherpa mode (because it will help get you where you’re going), which, when you’re running low on battery, kills the climate control and anything else it needs to preserve range and get you home. 

But you can’t shake the feeling that the 500e is a little expensive for such a specialist tool. It’s unashamedly a city car, but one that will cost you more than $50k, and which doesn’t feel quite premium enough in the cabin to justify that asking price.

To judge the CLE on its driving merits you first need to understand where it fits within the broader Mercedes-Benz line-up. Put simply, while coupes are seen as sporty cars, the German brand has other models that are designed to appeal to driving enthusiasts; such as the upcoming AMG versions of this car and the AMG GT Coupe.

So within that context, the CLE200 and CLE300 do an admirable job of being stylish cruisers that feel at home in the city but not out of place on a winding country road. 

Sports suspension is standard on Australian delivered models, making it 15mm lower than overseas versions and fitted with firmer passive damping too. But still, it doesn’t translate to a dynamically agile and engaging sports coupe suddenly, instead it just gives the CLE a bit more sharpness when turning, at the expense of some comfort on pockmarked roads.

The engines perform nicely, the CLE200 feels adequately endowed with its 150kW/320Nm, so naturally the 190kW/400Nm CLE300 just feels like it has a bit more pep in its step. But I’d question the value of the all-wheel-drive system in a car like this, especially in Australia where the roads are rarely very slippery.

Both CLE models come with all the usual passive and active safety features you’d expect on a modern luxury car, including autonomous emergency braking, ‘Active Lane Keeping Assist’, ‘Active Brake Assist’, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign assist, active cruise control and Mercedes’ ‘Pre-Safe’ accident anticipation system. There’s also a ‘Parking Package’ with 360-degree camera view to keep you and those around you safe at low speeds.

There’s no ANCAP rating for this new model announced yet, but previously both the C-Class Coupe and E-Class Coupe were tested.

The fly in Fiat’s ointment is its ownership proposition, with a three-year, 150,000km warranty now way below par in Australia these days, even if the battery is covered for the standard eight years. 

Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000kms, and will cost $250 a pop for the first eight years, which is commendably cheap.

The CLE is covered by Mercedes Australia’s usual five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

The brand offers pre-purchased service plans for maintenance covering three, four or five years, starting at $3325 then $4535 and then $6800.