I understand that the Burmester is standard on all CLE vehicles. Wondering if the Dolby Atmos along with Apple spatial are a part of the standard Burmester? These features show up on the Pinnacle package option. I was told that these additions are standard on the non Pinnacle equipment CLEs as well? Is that accurate? Thx!

 

I have the pinnacle and it is included. Idk if non-pinnacle comes with Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately those details are lacking on any MB website or order guide. Maybe someone with non-pinnacle can confirm that.

 

Thx UTSteve! How might you know? Do you have a “click on,” “click off” for these features available with your Pinnacle opted CLE?

 

So you need to use Apple Music from the MBUX system. You should be able to link your Apple Music account so you can get your playlist. Now the trick is you need to know which songs are actually in Atmos on Apple Music. If the song is Atmos you will see the Dolby logo next to song tittle when it is actually playing. It will also say Dolby Atmos. And you will hear the difference as it certainly sounds better.

 

You answered my question! I use Apple CarPlay….and Apple Music. Thx so much.
Your CLE is free of issues? I’m on the fence…based on reliability of the brand these days.

 

Im about 3000 miles in. Overall only minor annoying issues. I had some check engine light and other errors pop up the other day. They went away on their own after an hour when I turned off the car and restarted. However the car is fun. Good looking car both exterior and interior.

 

That is exactly, precisely what I did not want to hear. I was one of the first adopters of the new S. Those issues, plus door handle problems put my car under the “lemon” umbrella. MB took it back, but I had to jump thru hoops to get that accomplished. And that, precisely, is why MB currently suffers such low reliability ratings. I will need to do a bit more thinking about whether I’m ok taking any of it on again. I’m up there in age these days….and my threshold is lower than ever! Thank you kindly for your help…and I genuinely hope your CLE works well for you.

 

How do you access Apple Music through the MBUX, I am USA based and I don't have the option to download Apple Music through the App Store and I don't have a tab under media for "online Music." I only have what you see in the attached picture as available to me under media.

 

Im pretty sure you have to have the subscription for online music in your apps. You may need to log in to your Mercedes me ID from a website to see all your active services. Check the MBUX options under Apps and if you don’t see a separate icon for Apple Music then you likely need the online music subscription activated. The other gimmick is you may need to also subscribe to the Internet connection services. My Dolby Atmos only worked once I was able to stream the service through MBUX.

 

Hi again, utsteve…. Still on the fence…but inclined to take the plunge. When you specify MBUX, may I assume that Apple CarPlay is part of MBUX?

 

Apple CarPlay will show on MBUX. And you can play all your music through CarPlay like any other car. The only thing is I believe you won’t get the Atmos quality content through CarPlay even if it shows as Atmos on your phone. (This may be a good technical question for MBUSA customer service). When you actually use the Apple Music App on MBUX itself that’s when I see Dolby Atmos logo. I’ll try to send some pics of what I see on mine once I’m home.

When I emailed MBUSA they informed me that Apple Music playback is 256kbps for stereo and 448kbps for Atmos. The tidal app played at 320kbps. I didn’t ask or get an answer at what the playback is when using Apple CarPlay apps.

 

So this is what I see on mine. As you can see from first pic on the Apps page I have Apple Music. You need to subscribe to online music with Mercedes to get the app to show. On the second pic you can see the Dolby Atmos icon on for a song that is actually Atmos on Apple Music. If the song isn’t in Atmos you won’t see the Dolby icon.

 

Hi utsteve…I’d have to say you know more about the product “Mercedes Benz” than almost anyone that works for “Mercedes Benz.” You’re also more passionate about the product! Wondering if BMW or Porsche has more informed employees?

 

Ha. Thanks. This knowledge came from just really digging into it and emailing and calling technical support from MBUSA. I find sales people and even “experts” at dealerships to include BMW and Porsche are hit or miss. Maybe a title more knowledge from those at Porsche given they probably have worked there longer and have fewer products to learn. Quality sound systems are important to me. This car definitely has a good one. S-tier according to the YouTuber at DM Sounds.

 

Utsteve….My interim vehicle has been a 2024 RX450h+ (plug in hybrid). Silky smooth, great mpg over the past 4,900 miles (90.1 mpg)….plus an excellent Mark Levinson 21 speaker sound system. Has every conceivable option, plus a few you may have never dreamed of (such as knee warmers). Suffice to say…absolutely zero issues, straight out of the box. It was my “rebound” vehicle, coming from the S. The “but” is that I’m bored a bit, of course. Your thoughts?

 

Certainly a nice car you got there. I hear the same about Lexus, while nice, are not as fun. I’d love to hear the sound system on it. I had a Taycan GTS before. And before that an E63S. Had M3s, an M4, and an M5.

The Taycan GTS was a fun car, fast, excellent handling, and well built inside. The downside was I found the infotainment lacking and seemed behind from a tech standpoint compared to the MB. It also had multiple recalls and sometimes had a quirky infotainment system. The Bose was just decent. But nowhere near as good as my current burmester.

the E63S was fast and fun. The interior was nice. And sound system was great. Don’t really recall any issues with it. I left it to dable in an EV and with my first Porsche.

I’ve always been a fan of BMW. Almost got an M4 before the CLE53, but the deal fell through due to low trade. The M4 is certainly faster but the interior isn’t as nice as the CLE and I’m not that impressed with what BMW is doing with current iDrive infotainment. Others on this forum actually owned a G8x M car so have more experience with the newest generation. Also, I don’t understand why BMW can’t put a decent sound system in the M3/M4. I’m willing to pay for it.

In the end I find this CLE53 to be a great balance all around. It’s fun to drive. Love the rear wheel steering. It’s powerful enough. The exterior looks great and aggressive. Interior is quite nice and doesn’t feel cheap to me. It feels solid enough. Ambient lighting is nice. And sound system exceeded my expectations. All for 90k US. Good price compared to other competitors. It may sound weird but I actually like this car more than my previous Taycan GTS. Yeah, there may be some quirks with the infotainment but my take is all these cars are complex computers and they may require a reboot every now and then. Kinda what happens when you push the limits of engineering.

 

Hi y’all….I took the plunge and went forward with the purchase of a CLE300…and it was to be delivered to my home yesterday. Glad I had the salesperson take a few shots of the car before delivery. I was rather surprised to see that the front license frame was installed off center. Correcting it, takes 4 extra drill holes in the bumper assembly (8 total). That, along with a security check mishap, needing to be redone, put a halt to my purchase. I had misgivings beforehand due to potential reliability issues. Thoughts?

 

That license plate frame would seriously bother me and needs to be fixed. Very poor quality control at the dealer. Due to the complexity of vehicles and drive trains, nothing is really reliable any more. My CLE AMG 53 is being built this week and it is really complicated. I hope for the best and will deal with it if I have issues because it is what I want to drive. Same goes for my C8 Corvette and twin turbo V8 X5 SUV. I could drive boring cars, but I don't like to.

 

I saw it as an omen! Thinking….”it begins.”

 

Duplicate post, my apologies.