The CarBuzz spies have snapped the upcoming refreshed Mercedes-Benz CLE coupe a few times now, but every time it was missing one detail. Was Benz really going to release the new car with the old taillights instead of the new company-wide star design? Of course they weren't, as the latest images reveal. But they have a curious look on the new CLE.The latest spy shots show the new AMG version of the car in almost all of its glory, including the return of a V8 engine. Let's dive in for a closer look. Latest Images Show Long-Awaited Rear Lights CarBuzz/Valnet There are changes to the CLE coupe at both the front and the back, but it is still not a massive makeover for the car. An expanded Panamericana-style grille, new lower inlets, and headlights that gain the star-logo LED running lamp first seen on the Concept CLA a few years back seem to cover the changes to the nose.Changes to the rear include new taillights, once again with those stars. The lower bumper layout has also been revised slightly.We can't see much of the new car's interior, but one change is clearly visible. This has a new steering wheel, which will have Mercedes-Benz's new design with the return of physical dials instead of haptic touch pads. There should be some software updates on the way, and possible hardware changes, but the screens themselves, along with the rest of the dashboard, appear to be the same.The CarBuzz spies report that the new car will get a V8 for the first time. The car, which launched in 2023 as a successor to both the C-Class and E-Class coupes, arrived with a 3.0-liter I6 badged the CLE 53. This time around, it's expected to offer that engine, which now makes 443 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. But there's a better one on the list. New CLE Will Get Merc's Latest V8 Engine CarBuzz/Valnet AMG's V8-powered CLE 63 will get the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that first launched in the S-Class sedan earlier this year. It's an evolution of Benz's existing V8 engines, and offers a high-revving flat-plane crank. The engine should make 600 horsepower in the CLE 63, leaving room above it for the Mythos performance model that AMG has been teasing. That model should make 650 or more when it arrives.Mercedes-AMG is slowly phasing out its attempts to replace V8s with a 2.0-liter four. The C63 with that four and PHEV system made more power than the V8, but buyers didn't care. They wanted the sound, not the incredible 469-hp 2.0-liter.In 2025, AMG boss Michael Scheibe remarked that "We see that some of our very loyal customers struggle a bit with the concept. Of course, no doubt we have also lost some customers who are just into V8s."The facelift is expected to be revealed later this year, and will likely go on sale in early 2027. Mercedes-Benz is in the midst of a massive new product plan that includes 30 new or refreshed vehicles by the end of 2027. CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters The CLE is a car where design is particularly important; you don't buy a coupe that starts from $60,000 for its practicality. Keeping it stylish means keeping it fresh, so Mercedes-Benz is doing exactly that. The new software will be a plus, but the V8 (and the Mythos that follows it) should be the real attention-getter.Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 Spy photo (10)
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