by LARRY PRINTZ TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE If there’s something that’s disappearing faster than kindness and civility, it’s the luxury coupe. This ultimate form of automotive expression is vanishing as the SUV has become omnipresent. In turn, automakers have become unwilling to offer any true choice in the market.
After all, SUVs are little more than tall, four-wheel-drive station wagons. Their outdoorsy monikers can’t hide the fact that they are little more than a postmodern Colony Parks and Kingwood Estates, minus the fake wood grain paneling. Yet, there are still buyers who don’t see themselves as truck drivers.
They desire an extravagantly styled statement of their success, a daily reminder that life should be lavish and exciting. This is why the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe is a godsend. Its extravagant streamline form reminds us that vehicles should be beautiful, a fact far too many automotive designers and automakers seem to have forgotten.
Designed to replace both the compact C-Class and midsized E-Class coupes, its 191-inch overall length falls somewhere between the two in dimension. It proves to be the perfect size, with conceivably usable back seat space and enough length to radiate its stylish sensuality. It’s very much the counterpoint to the prevailing trend that every vehicle should be little more than an unimaginative box.
That’s what makes the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 450 Coupe an unapologetic reprobate, a thumb in the eye of today’s stultifying SUV o.