Mercedes goes back to the future with straight shooter

Remember these?

Of course you do. It's a car - and a special one too, designed to look like an "ordinary" car. No plug-ins, no blocked-out grille.

No silent assassin sneaking up behind you in the supermarket car park.

Just a very beautiful machine and the open road ahead.

This one is particularly sexy, but happily can be had for an almost-modest sticker price.

So, having produced an EV variant of just about every car on its fleet, Mercedes-Benz has gone back to the future in the most beguiling way.

Introducing the Mercedes AMG GLE 53 4MATIC Coupe.

So impressive it could easily have been created yonks ago, when thundering, turbo-charged machines ruled the roads.

But remember the turnaround for big manufacturers is five or six years. Still, this machine can match any of the posh hot rods which have grown at an amazing rate.

A car as dreamy as this E-Class would normally come complete with a frightening turbo V8 engine, a crackling exhaust and a long list of technology.

But things change and even Mercedes' AMG performance centre in Affalterbach has hinted at a guilty conscience for its love of big, lusty engines.

The three-pointed star has always done these big, luxurious two-door machines well and this new iteration won't have done anything to slow the breed.

Apart from its wordy moniker, it is long and low and sounds as good as it looks.

That's because this refined rocket boasts not one, not two but three performance sources. So no need for any guilty feelings here.

Firstly there's a conventional turbocharger beneath that swoopy bonnet.

Secondly there's an electronic turbo which complements the performance quota.

And last but not least is the 48-volt Mild Hybrid which adds plenty of thrust, or just gives the option of silent driving.

And at the heart of this force-fed feast is a three-litre, straight six (yes, six in a row), like BMW has mastered for much of the past two decades.

There's certainly a similar rasp to this car that immediately raises memories of BMW's iconic M3. A car that only once has shunned its love of the straight-cylinder form.

The result is a typical sledgehammer /velvet glove arrangement and in both cases an elegant, civilised way to enjoy your 330kW and 560Nm.

Just for fun, Mercedes has added an overboost function which allows the car to operate at optimum outputs for bursts of 12 seconds.

Let's be honest, that four-second slingshot to the speed limit is no longer head-spinning in this category, although the Benz feels way more aggressive when you're driving it and not just looking it.

Here's another surprise - its capacious cargo space.

With the grippy, snug twin buckets in the rear seat folded down flat and the passenger's pew tilted forward, it's possible to fit all manner of things into its gloriously presented interior.

A decent esky, two weekend bags and a set of golf clubs is more than you might have imagined.

That's it for the weekend warriors, now for the loud stuff.

Not surprisingly, Mercedes has been careful not to strip back the technology list for a car under challenge by the stampede of EVs.

The all-wheel-drive is developed by the AMG team and the UBX infotainment centre feels like an electronics story, thanks to the huge screen dominating the centre stack.

Dynamic mode, speedshift nine-speed transmission, a firm yet refined ride and cornering package all beg to be indulged.

As well as its double-charged, cutting-edged technology, the CLE provides a surprisingly affordable entry point to the German maker's luxury coupe arsenal.

It brings comfort, technology, commanding performance and the sheer delight of disappearing for the weekend without having to check whether the car will get you home.

The shame of it all is that, even in its latest, less-thirsty guise, the Benz will only be available in this form for a limited time.

Get 'em while they're hot, as the old Dagwood Dog ads used to say at the Royal Show.

And this one's likely to go more than most

HOW BIG: Impressively roomy for something as commanding in the flesh. Rarely is a coupe capable of swallowing up an esky, two weekend bags and a set of golf clubs. Brilliant.

HOW FAST: 0-100km/h is quick - even if a 48-Volt mild hybrid system adds the finishing touches.

HOW THIRSTY: Six cylinders, two turbochargers and a pair of electronic boosters give the E-Class a howling punch through the mid-range, thanks to 600Nm doing most of the heavy lifting. Yet the big two-door will manage an average consumption of 9.6L/100km, which is remarkable.

HOW MUCH: People would be well acquainted with the "price tag" for these hot European imports, where the sticker price is not much more than dealership decorations. So imagine the surprise when Mercedes revealed there isn't one paid extra on offer on the CLE. Even if that price is $158,900.