Lexus ES250 vs Mercedes-Benz Cle53

What's the difference?

Since day one Lexus has aimed to prise buyers away from the limpet-like grip of traditional luxury car players. Conventional marketing wisdom says consumers buy brands, with the actual product a secondary consideration. 

The updated ES has the value, efficiency, safety, and driving refinement to again challenge the establishment. Amazingly, the ownership package, specifically the warranty, is starting to lag the market. 

But for open-minded premium buyers this product is worth a look before following a well-worn brand path. And if it was my money, the ES 300h Luxury with Enhancement Pack is the range sweet spot for value and performance.

The AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ is formidable yet friendly, ferocious yet refined and fun yet functional.

Yes, the price is edging up to previous 63 flagship levels, and it can become a bit noisy inside, but the four-seater coupe’s specification, speed, sophistication and balance are compelling reasons to consider this if your shortlist also includes an Audi RS5 or BMW M4.

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

From shy wallflower to life of the party, the Lexus ES was given a comprehensive design makeover for its seventh generation.

A dramatic, angular exterior incorporates signature elements of the Lexus brand's distinctive design language including an unmissable ‘spindle grille’, but is still clearly recognisable as a conventional 'three-box’ sedan.

The jagged headlights now feature ‘tri-beam’ LEDs on F Sport and Sports Luxury grades, adding an extra air of purpose to an already bold face. And the grille on Luxury and Sports Luxury models is now made up of multiple L-shaped elements, mirrored across the top and bottom sections, then finished in gunmetal grey for a close to 3D effect.

The ES is offered in 10 colours - ‘Sonic Iridium’, ‘Sonic Chrome’, ‘Sonic Quartz’, ‘Onyx’, ‘Graphite Black’, ‘Titanium’, ‘Glacial Ecru’, ‘Radiata Green’, ‘Vermillion’ and ‘Deep Blue’ with two other shades reserved for the F Sport only - ‘White Nova’ and ‘Cobalt Mica.’

Inside, the dash is a mix of simple sweeping surfaces contrasted by a flurry of activity around the centre stack and instrument cluster.

Located roughly 10cm closer to the driver, the new multimedia screen is a 12.3-inch unit with touch functionality, a welcome alternative to the laggy and inaccurate Lexus ‘Remote Touch’ trackpad set-up. Remote Touch remains, but my advice is to ignore it and use the touchscreen.

The instruments sit in a deeply hooded binnacle with buttons and dials on and around it. Not the sleekest design in the segment and passable only from an ergonomic point-of-view, but the overall feel is suitably premium.

Crisp and aero clean with a handsome fastback silhouette, the CLE’s design is very much in the mould of a modern-day C-Class coupe, but with larger proportions in line with what a contemporary E-Class coupe would look like.

It employs the same architecture as the W205 C-Class and W214 E-Class sedans.

Length, width, height and wheelbase measurements are 4850mm, 1861mm, 1423mm and 2865mm, respectively.

Wearing the AMG suffix means the CLE 53’s body differs in small but important ways to the regular C236 coupes.

The front end, for instance, adopts what Mercedes calls a ‘shark nose’ look, for a suitably more macho visage, with vertical slats in the grille and larger air intakes that ultimately aid cooling and performance.

Meanwhile, the tracks are broader by 61mm at the front and 45mm at the rear, and are matched by mudguards that are 58mm and 75mm wider, respectively. This certainly gives the AMG a hunky appearance.

Speaking of which, further AMG visual titivations include a discernibly larger bulge on the bonnet feeding into (functional) side air vents, along with 20-inch specific alloy wheels, as well as a 'Night Package' I and II, comprising black trim elements all around.

A model-specific wider body kit, lip spoiler, twin pairs of tailpipes, diffuser insert and 20-inch AMG alloy wheels complete the CLE’s gymnasium makeover.

Result? The sleek and muscular body’s extra girth, fatter footwear and darkened highlights make the 53 look as menacing as any AMG forbear, setting a very high bar for the CLE 63 to beat when it eventually surfaces. Great work, Affalterbach!

An overall length just under 5.0m long shows how much the ES and its competitors have crept up in size over recent generations. The Merc C-Class is more a mid-size car than the compact sedan it once was, and at nearly 1.9m wide and standing a bit over 1.4m tall the ES more than matches it for space.

There's plenty of room up front, the car feeling open and spacious from behind the wheel, thanks in part to the low sweep of the dash. And the rear is just as commodious.

Sitting behind the driver's seat set for my 183cm (6'0”) position I enjoyed good leg and toe room, with more than enough headroom, despite inclusion of a tilt and slide glass sunroof on all models.

Not only that, entry to and egress from the rear is a breeze thanks to a large aperture and wide opening doors. And while the back seat is best for two, three adults across is do-able without too much pain and suffering for short to medium journeys.

Connectivity and power options are plentiful with twin USB ports and a 12-volt socket front and rear. And storage starts with two cupholders in the front centre console, and another pair in the fold-down rear centre armrest.

If the remote touch system was (deservedly) given the boot, there would be room for extra oddments space in the front console.

The front door pockets are adequate rather than large (smaller bottles only), the glove box is modest, but the storage box (with padded armrest lid) between the front seats is more generous.

There are adjustable air vents for rear passengers, which you'd expect in this category, but are always a plus none-the-less.

The rear door pockets are okay, except the opening is relatively slim so bottles are a struggle, but there are map pockets on the back of both front seats as another bottle option.

Important to note that while boot space is decent at 454 litres (VDA) the rear seat doesn't fold. At all. A lockable ski port door sits behind the rear armrest, but the lack of a split-folding back seat is a significant practicality compromise.

A reasonably high loading lip into the boot isn't great, either, but there are tie-down hooks to help secure loose loads.

The Lexus ES is a no-tow zone and a space-saver spare is your only flat tyre option.

The interior dons a C-Class-in-drag-race do-over. Frankly, the latest – and much more modern-looking – E-Class sedan’s dashboard would have been preferable, however, given its tech-heavy panorama of screens.

For its AMG 53 outing, the cabin boasts an AMG-specific steering wheel with performance mode knobs, a 12.3-inch driver display brandishing a variety of instrumentation styles (including 'Race', 'Sport', 'Classic' and minimal screens) and a multimedia system with track telemetry data within a tablet-style 11.9-inch touchscreen.

There's also electric and heated ‘integral’ sports seats with memory, 'Anthracite' trim elements set against high gloss black inserts, 64 questionable shades of ambient lighting and banging Burmester premium audio with no fewer than 17 speakers.

This is a roomy and well-presented cabin, offering space to spread out up front, a superb driving position, exceptional seat support, quality materials and a decent level of practicality.

Storage is plentiful, most switchgear is within easy reach and the multimedia system is easy to fathom after you’ve taken the time to familiarise yourself with it.

On the other hand, the glossy plastics do not look or feel as elevated as, say, a Porsche’s interior, the air vents feel flimsy to the touch, while trim squeaks were occasionally heard over some rougher road surfaces. It’s not as solid as you’d expect from a Mercedes at this price point.

Rear access is tight due to a slim aperture, as almost all coupes are, but once sat on the contoured rear bucket seats, most adults should find it tolerable unless they’re especially long-legged or over 185cm or so tall.

Further back, a handy 410-litre boot is provided, with a folding rear seat backrest to boost cargo capacity even further, underlying the CLE’s family-friendly packaging.

Note, though, that this is 10L shy of the regular non-AMG models, and smaller than the Audi RS5 (465L) or BMW M4's (440L) boot.

Plus, no spare wheel is available – just a tyre repair kit.

Starting from $158,900 (all prices are before on-road costs), the 330kW/560Nm CLE 53 4Matic+ is an AMG product with a reputation to uphold. Thus, it comes with performance-enhancement items, like all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering (4WS), adaptive dampers and variable-ratio steering. 

Additionally, for Australia, the 'AMG Dynamic Plus Package' is standard, bringing a 12-second over-boost that bumps torque up to 600Nm and special engine mounts that harmonise with the adaptive dampers for better performance response.

There's also a ‘Race’ mode offering maximum power and traction-off settings for track-work shenanigans, a brand-specific steering wheel with fast-access driving-control buttons, performance telemetry data display, galvanised paddle shifters, and 20-inch AMG alloys shod with performance tyres, amongst other goodies.

These come on top of LED headlights (with 1.1 megapixels of light), a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, 12.3-inch customisable digital instrumentation, a driver-orientated 11.9-inch touchscreen display, 64-colour ambient lighting, heated electric front seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, 17-speaker Burmester premium audio, powered boot closing, a 360-degree surround-view camera, adaptive cruise control, 10 airbags and Mercedes’ 'Pre-Safe' accident anticipation system. More on that in the safety section below.

Fairly well equipped for the money, then. April 2025 brings a cabriolet version, as well.

Option packs include an $8900 'Carbon Package' with carbon-fibre exterior elements and 'AMG Performance' seats at $5400.

These features are in line with the equivalent Audi and BMW coupes.

And while the pricing is only about $10K shy of the 331kW/600Nm RS5 and around $15K short of the 353kW/550Nm M4 manual flagships.

The latter, in blistering 390kW/650Nm M4 auto guise, starts from $190K, neatly opening up the gap for the coming CLE 63 – and that’s going to come with a V8 hybrid, we hear.

The ES 250 is powered by an all-alloy, 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated (A25A-FKS) four-cylinder engine featuring DVVT (Dual Variable Valve Timing) - electrically actuated on the intake side, and hydraulically on the exhaust side. It also uses a combination of direct and multi-point fuel-injection (D-4S).

Maximum power is a handy 152kW at 6600rpm and peak torque of 243Nm is available between 4000-5000rpm, with drive going to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 300h features a modified (A25A-FXS) version of the same engine using the Atkinson combustion cycle which plays with valve timing to effectively shorten the intake stroke and lengthen the expansion stroke.

The down-side of this set-up is a loss of low-end power, while the up-side is improved fuel efficiency. Which makes it perfect for a hybrid application where an electric motor can make up for the low-end shortfall.

Here, the result is a combined output of 160kW, with the petrol engine producing its peak power (131kW) at 5700rpm.

The 300h's motor is a permanent magnet synchronous type producing 88kW/202Nm, and the battery is a 204-cell nickel-metal hydride type with a capacity of 244.8 volts.

Drive again goes to the front wheels, this time via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre, in-line, six-cylinder petrol engine. Mercedes-AMG calls it “double charged”, with a single, 1.5-bar turbo augmented with an electric compressor as part of a 48-volt Integrated Starter Generator (or ISG).

The latter makes 17kW of power and 205Nm of torque, for a system total of 330kW at 6100rpm and 560Nm from 2200-5000rpm. Up to 600Nm is possible thanks to a 12-second overboost.

It also recuperates brake energy, offers “almost imperceptible” stop/start fuel saving and allows for an off-throttle, engine-off ‘sailing’ mode.

Not interested in economy? Tipping the scales at a hefty 2015kg the CLE 53’s power-to-weight ratio is a sparkling 164kW/tonne.

All Australian-bound CLE 53s feature the Dynamic Plus Package, with a launch-control function that helps deliver an eager 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.0 seconds. Top speed is governed to 250km/h.

Drive is sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed torque converter automatic transmission. It can simulate double-declutching and offers variable shift modes according to drive settings.

The AWD system, meanwhile, varies torque from 50:50 front/rear to 100 per cent rearwards.

To aid handling, the 4WS system allows the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction to the fronts, up to 2.5 degrees at up to 100km/h, and 0.7 degrees in unison with the fronts above that speed.

Keeping things in control is a four-link front and five-link independent rear suspension set-up, with AMG ride control featuring adjustable dampers and sports spring rates.

Hyundai's official fuel economy figure for the ES 250, on the ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban cycle, is 6.6L/100km for the Luxury and 6.8L/100km for the F-Sport, the 2.5-litre four emitting 150 and 156g/km of C02 (respectively) in the process.

The official combined cycle fuel economy figure for the ES 350h, is just 4.8L/100km, the hybrid powertrain emitting only 109g/km of C02.

While the launch program didn't allow us to capture real-world (at the bowser) figures we did see a dash-indicated average of 5.5L/100km in the 300h, which is brilliant for a car in this class, weighing in at 1.7 tonnes.

You'll need 60 litres of 95RON premium unleaded to fill ES 250's tank and 50 litres to brim the ES 300h. Using Lexus figures that equates to a range of a little less than 900km in the 250 and just over 1000km in the 350h (900km using our dash-indicated number).

To further sweeten the fuel economy equation Lexus provides an Ampol/Caltex five-cents-per-litre discount as a permanent offer via the Lexus app. Nice.

Considering the performance on offer, the CLE 53’s 9.6 litres per 100km combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle fuel consumption rating is not too bad. That equates to a carbon-dioxide emissions figure of 219 grams/km. City/highway numbers are 13.2 and 7.6L/100km.

With a 65-litre fuel tank filled with 98 RON premium unleaded petrol, expect an average range of about 685km.

What did we achieve? Driven fairly hard on some of Tasmania’s most beautiful rural roads, the trip meter showed an indicated 9.5L/100km.

The first thing you notice behind the wheel of this ES is how extraordinarily quiet it is. Sound absorption materials are stuffed all around the body. Even the engine cover has been designed to keep the decibels down.

And ‘Active Noise Control’ (ANC) uses the audio system to generate “noise-cancelling waves” to suppress mechanical clatter from the engine and transmission. The car is eerily EV-like in it's pin-drop interior tranquility.

We focused on the ES 300h for the launch drive, and Lexus claims 0-100km/h 8.9sec for this version of the car. It feels every bit that quick, but the engine ‘noise’ and exhaust note are like the humming of a distant bee hive. With thanks to Daryl Kerrigan, how's the serenity?

Around town the ES is composed and supple, absorbing pock-marked urban irregularities with ease, and on the freeway it feels like a hovercraft.

Lexus makes a lot of noise about the torsional stiffness of the ‘Global Architecture-K’ (GA-K) platform sitting under the ES, and it's clearly more than hot air. Through twisting B-roads it remains balanced and predictable.

Even in non-F-Sport variants the car points nicely and will steer accurately on the throttle through constant radius corners, with only modest body roll. The ES doesn't feel like a front-wheel drive car, with neutral handling up to an impressively high limit.

Luxury and Sports Luxury grades are offered with three drive modes - ‘Normal’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’, tweaking engine and transmission settings for economy or a more spirited drive.

ES 300h F Sport variants add three more modes - ‘Sport S’, ‘Sport S+’ and ‘Custom’, further revising engine, steering, suspension and transmission characteristics.

Despite all the tuning options, road feel is not the ES's strongest suit. Dialing in sportier modes will add steering weight but no matter what the setting, the connection between the front wheels and the driver's hands is less than intimate.

The CVT auto suffers some of that disconnect between road speed and revs, the engine moving up and down the rev range in search of the power/efficiency sweet spot. But wheel-mounted paddles allow for manual shifting through pre-set ‘ratio’ points, and that option works nicely if you prefer to take the reins.

And when it comes to slowing down the ‘Auto Glide Control’ (ACG) system smooths out regenerative braking when you're coasting to a stop.

The conventional brakes are ventilated (305mm) discs at the front and a solid (281mm) rotor set-up at the rear. Pedal feel is progressive and outright stopping power is strong.

Random notes: The front seats are great. Super-comfortable yet neatly bolstered for secure location. The F Sport's chairs, even more so. The new multimedia touchscreen is a winner. It looks good and menu navigation is agreeably straight forward. And the digital instrument cluster is similarly clean and clear.

The new AMG CLE 53 might look much like several of its AMG 63 predecessors, with its brutish stance and bulging bits, but does the German performance coupe drive and feel like an AMG flagship?

With a 63 range-topper (as yet unconfirmed) in the pipeline, that’s a bit of a moot point here, because that will be an altogether harder, faster and more expensive proposition.

But we can tell you that, even without the bellowing V8 of old, the 53 does a damn-fine impression of a charming high-performance GT with the straight-six .

At the heart of the matter is the inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine incorporating an electric compressor working the lower revs for punchy off-the-line acceleration and a big twin-scroll gas turbo for more-instantaneous responses further up the rev range.

This makes for an impressively rapid real-world tearaway. Not brutally fast in the way even middling EVs can manage to be nowadays, but still with an urge and character that puts you in the mood for speed.

The steering, meanwhile, is alert, faithful and remarkably reactive, with that 4WS rear end tucking in neatly through the tight turns and twisty bits, allowing a feverish pace with a pleasing grace to be maintained.

Assisting that immersive agility is an almost unshakable sense of grip – no surprise given the variable-torque AWD as well as the late-summer warmth and dryness of the roads we were testing on.

Yet, even beyond these factors, it’s clear the AMG’s immense roadholding provides a reassuring layer of confidence and control.

No opportunity was provided to unleash the CLE 53’s full fury on a track, so we can’t tell you how easily sideways or catchable this thing steers in Race mode with all the safeties turned off, but this coupe’s dynamic bandwidth was obvious during the all-too-few occasions we did manage to fang it.

Another positive is the suspension’s ability to soak up the bumps without too much disturbance inside, allowing for easy and effortless cross-country touring. No truly terrible roads were encountered during our half-day in this civilised beast, though, so we’ll have to reserve our judgement on whether this is the comfortable all-rounder that Mercedes claims it is.

What we can tell you is that there is too much road-noise intrusion inside an otherwise isolated cabin. And we’re no fans of the lack of a spare wheel – an absolute necessity in Australia.

Still, first impressions are very positive.

Its maker calls the CLE 53 the AMG for all occasions, and we cannot argue with this logic.

That there’s a decent wad of thrills and emotion on offer to counterbalance this car’s comparative refinement and civility just proves there is a place for the penultimate version of this series.

Unlike its maximum five-star ANCAP-scoring C- and E-Class cousins, the CLE comes with no rating.

But the brand’s boundary-pushing reputation on this front does hold the coupe in good stead, backed up by a slew of active, passive and driver-assist safety features.

These include wide-spread autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane-support systems, as well as Mercedes’ 'Pre-Safe' tech that anticipates a crash and prepares the car for impact.

Other tech includes 'Active Lane Change Assist', 'Active Lane Keep Assist', 'Cross-Traffic Assist', blind spot monitoring, active brake assist, traffic sign assist, active-distance-assist, adaptive cruise control, evasive manoeuvre support, 360-degree camera views, 10 airbags, adaptive high beams and a 1.1-megapixel LED lighting set-up.

In other contemporary Mercedes models, AEB operating parameters are roughly between 7.0-80km/h for pedestrians and cyclists, and from about 7.0-250km/h for vehicle-to-vehicle, while the lane-keep support systems operate between about 60km/h and 200km/h.

ISOFIX child-seat anchorages are located in the front passenger seat and two in the rear seats.

From the time it arrived in the Australian market just over 30 years ago Lexus has made the ownership experience a key differentiator for the brand.

Its focus on post-purchase benefits and ease of servicing shook the established luxury players out of their button-backed leather lounge slumber and into a new aftersales mindset.

That said, the Lexus standard four-year/100,000km warranty is some way off luxury newcomer, Genesis, as well as traditional heavyweights Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, all at five years/unlimited km.

Yes, Audi, BMW and others are at three years/unlimited km, but the game has moved on for them, too. Plus, the mainstream market standard is now five years/unlimited km, with some at seven, even 10 years.

On the other hand, the ‘Lexus Encore Privileges’ program provides 24-hour roadside assistance for the duration of the warranty, as well as, “dining, hotel partnership and luxury lifestyle experience offers exclusive to owners of new Lexus vehicles.”

The Lexus Enform smartphone app also offers access to everything from real-time advice on events and the weather to nav destinations (restaurants, businesses, etc), and more.

Service is scheduled every 12 months/15,000km (whichever comes first), and the first three (capped price) services for the ES are $495 each.

A Lexus loan car is provided while your pride and joy is in the workshop, or a pick-up and return option (from home or office) is available. You'll also receive a complimentary wash and interior vacuum.

Somewhat average for most mainstream and luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty, with five years of roadside assistance.

Intervals are every 12 months or 25,000km, and while no capped priced servicing is offered, pre-paid three-, four- or five-year service plans are available, ranging from $4190, $5310 and $7760, respectively at the time of publishing.