AMG hasn’t had the easiest time of late. The four-cylinder C-Class AMG has struggled to win over enthusiasts, demand for the SL has been subdued, and the latest electric AMG models haven’t exactly been greeted with universal applause. But Mercedes’ performance division in Affalterbach can still do things very differently. Very differently indeed. Meet the new Mercedes-AMG CLE 646.
First, that name. Mercedes-AMG CLE 646. No 63, no 53 and certainly no C43. For new AMG CEO Dr Stefan Weckbach, it is quite the way to make an entrance.
“For me, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung is the very essence of AMG,” says Weckbach. “The car came about because rational engineers dreamed of a very irrational vehicle. We turned that dream into reality, in the form of maximum driving dynamics and an incomparable driving experience.”
Following the AMG PureSpeed, the CLE 646 is the second model in AMG’s newly created Mythos series, and production is limited to just 30 examples.
A V8-powered Mercedes CLE had already been spotted testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, its unmistakable soundtrack getting combustion-engine enthusiasts rather excited as the sinister-looking coupé thundered through sections such as Schwalbenschwanz, Hohe Acht and Brünnchen.
Now AMG has finally revealed what it was hiding.
The full name, Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung, is unusual enough, but the number has a very straightforward explanation. Beneath the heavily swollen bodywork sits a twin-turbocharged V8 producing 475 kW, or 646 PS. Top speed is electronically limited to 310 km/h, while 0-100 km/h takes 3.9 seconds and 200 km/h arrives after 11.4 seconds.
At its heart is the familiar M177 Evo AMG V8, producing 850 Nm of torque between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm. A flat-plane crankshaft reduces rotating mass, helping the engine respond more eagerly and rev more freely, while power is transmitted through a nine-speed automatic gearbox with manual control.
Keeping everything cool under sustained load requires no fewer than three cooling circuits. There is a high-temperature circuit for the combustion engine, plus separate low-temperature circuits for the charge-air and transmission-oil cooling systems and the 48-volt components.
More significant, however, is what happens after the power leaves the gearbox.
Unlike the regular CLE, the 646 sends its power exclusively to the rear wheels. That fundamentally changes the character of the car, pushing it firmly towards track-focused territory. An electronically controlled rear differential can vary its locking effect to optimise torque distribution between the rear wheels, improving both traction and stability.
Then there is the body.
The CLE 646 gains bespoke wide-bodywork that adds six centimetres to its width, along with extensive carbon-fibre wheelarch extensions and a considerably more aggressive aerodynamic package. AMG has also stripped 170 kilograms from the car, although even with its pared-back motorsport-inspired cabin, the CLE 646 still weighs around 1.8 tonnes.
The rear seats have disappeared, along with various comfort features and sections of sound insulation. AMG has even removed the electronically controlled adaptive dampers.
In their place is a coilover suspension system developed with KW specifically for the CLE 646. It uses four-way adjustable damping, allowing compression and rebound characteristics to be independently configured according to the circuit and driver preference.
The hardware elsewhere is equally serious. An Akrapovič high-performance titanium exhaust provides the soundtrack, while braking is handled by 420 x 40 mm composite discs at the front and drilled 360 x 32 mm carbon-ceramic discs at the rear.
The swollen carbon wheelarches house forged 20-inch wheels measuring 11.0 inches wide at the front and a substantial 12.0 inches at the rear. They wear equally serious 305/30 ZR20 and 335/30 ZR20 tyres respectively.
AMG may be heading rapidly into the electric era, but the CLE 646 is a reminder that Affalterbach hasn’t forgotten how to build something gloriously irrational. A 646 PS twin-turbo V8, rear-wheel drive, a stripped-out cabin, manually adjustable suspension and just 30 examples.
Sometimes irrational is exactly what AMG needs.
