Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet

When Mercedes-AMG engineers took the subtle CLE Coupe, force-fed it moderate amounts of steroids, and made it look moderately cool without drawing wanton attention, the result was the Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe. What about the Cabriolet version?

2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet

The Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet is the latest AMG open-top model. It starts at 100,436 Euros, which is less expensive than the Mercedes-AMG SL43, making it the season’s bargain. The CLE53 Cabriolet is a bold blend of machoness and subtlety, as you would expect from a moderately beefed-up CLE Cabriolet.

Under the hood, the CLE53 Cabriolet has a 3.0L inline-six engine with an electric turbo and an integrated starter generator that produces up to 472PS of power. Mated to an AMG Speedshift TCT 9G and AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, it does 0-100kph in 4.4 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.

The CLE53 Cabriolet is a moderately good car to drive on the road and on the track. It has AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with fully adaptable power distribution and rear-wheel steering. It also has AMG DYNAMIC SELECT, three-stage AMG parameter steering with variable ratio, and AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension with adaptive damping. However, the controversial AMG Real Performance Sounds is downright filtered.

Having a V6-powered convertible with a six-figure price tag is outrageous, but for the fun of it, you can really have the CLE53 Cabriolet over the SL43 because despite being slower than that, it is less expensive, more powerful, and overall, more fun to drive. It's a bravado of a bargain AMG managed to pull it off.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG

Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet

The Mercedes-Benz CLE is the only good-looking luxury coupe you can find at your nearest Mercedes dealership, which is ideal if you don't like the looks of today's BMW 4-Series. Those who want an open-top experience should go for the new Cabriolet version of the CLE.

2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet

With prices starting at 66,402 Euros plus additional costs, the first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet is the only non-AMG two-door convertible you can find at a Mercedes-Benz dealership near you and while it is not interested in your "speedo boy" games, the CLE Cabriolet is the ideal weekend getaway car for you to unwind after a long week.

2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet interior

For a quick recap on the exterior, the CLE's front came from the W206 C-Class while the rear view came from the Mercedes EQ saloon family and the silhouette looks broadly like the now-defunct C-Class Coupe. Asked about the dimensions, the CLE is sized between the two now-defunct coupes. For the Cabriolet version, the foldable soft-top roof can be opened and closed at the touch of a button even at slow speeds.

As for the interior, it's all typical "new normal" Mercedes dashboard you can expect in the CLE because it comes with a 12.3-inch digital display and a portrait-oriented 11.9-inch central display as well as ambient lighting features with indirect lighting strips, an available Ambient Lighting Plus package, a new Easy-Entry function to gain access to the rather cramped rear seats, the latest MBUX, and a choice of three sound system configurations at launch, including the Burmester 3D surround sound system. 

Asked about the boot space, the CLE Coupe can carry up to 385L of goodies at the back, less than its hardtop equivalent but more than the now-defunct E-Class Cabriolet.

In addition to the four-cylinder 2.0L petrol engine (CLE 200 and CLE 300) and a 2.0L four-cylinder turbodiesel engine (CLE 220d), the CLE 450 AMG Line 4MATIC variant comes exclusive with the 3.0L turbocharged inline-six petrol engine with MHEV tech which produces 404PS of power and 500Nm of torque. Mated to a 9-speed automatic, it does 0-100kph in 4.7 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250. This setup is also available in the coupe version as well.

Although it shows little interest in the fun side because this is a normal Mercedes convertible, the dynamics made it feel like a grand tourer that values comfort over performance, which is unheard of in a two-door Mercedes like this. Coupled with the DYNAMIC BODY CONTROL, DYNAMIC SELECT, and a sports brake system, drivers can enjoy it in various ways and means in a rather dramatic way.

Like the Coupe, the CLE Cabriolet comes with the available Parking Package with a 360° camera, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Brake Assist, DISTRONIC Active Distance Assistant, and the available Driving Assistance Package Plus. Such features made drivers difficult to explain why lodged in a coupe like this.

Just like its hardtop equivalent, it is a modest two-door luxury convertible that prefers to be taken lightly, not hardly. Story of its life.

Available colors: graphitgrau magno, opalithweiß bright, patagonienrot metallic, alpingrau uni, obsidianschwarz, graphitgrau, Metalliclack hightechsilber, Metalliclack spektralblau, schwarz, and Unilack polarweiß.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG

Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe

The Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe is what happens when they made the subtle CLE Coupe force-feeding moderate amounts of steroids and made it look moderately cool without drawing wanton attention.

2024 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe

Starting at 91,511 Euros plus additional costs, it is the least expensive of the Mercedes-AMG coupe lineup. Although cheaper to own than the awful-looking BMW M4, the latter can eat it alive on the road and track, mind you.

The Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe transforms the subtle CLE into a moderately macho machine that prefers to take it seriously without the wanton brutality that most high-performance coupes can throw at them. With its typical AMG exterior treatments, the AMG Performance steering wheel, and sports seats with red contrast stitching and red accents, among others, the CLE53 is a brave bold blend of machoness and subtlety you can expect from a moderately beefed-up CLE Coupe.

Under the hood, the CLE53 is armed with a 3.0L inline-six engine with an electric turbo and an integrated starter generator that produces up to 472PS of power, less than the base BMW M4 Coupe. Mated to an AMG Speedshift TCT 9G and AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, it does 0-100kph in 4.2 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.

Because the CLE53 comes with the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with fully adaptable power distribution and rear-wheel steering, it feels moderately good to drive on the road and on the track. Coupled with the AMG DYNAMIC SELECT, three-stage AMG parameter steering with variable ratio, and AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension with adaptive damping, you'll find plenty of reasons why and why not enjoy the CLE53 in every way, although the controversial AMG Real Performance Sounds is downright filtered by the way. This is something not you would expect on a modern sports car like the CLE53.

On a scale between the now-axed E53 Coupe and C63 Coupe, I can say that the CLE53 sits between them. Not extreme as such but it feels moderately good everywhere. Sure, the BMW M4 can chew it alive but when it comes to being subtlety and macho, the CLE53 is the one. Case closed.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG

Mercedes-Benz CLE

There is a saying that goes "Kill two birds with one stone" and Mercedes-Benz killed off both the C-Class Coupe and the E-Class Coupe to create the first-ever CLE, the only two-door Mercedes coupe you can buy today.

2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe

With prices starting at 58,132 Euros plus additional costs, the first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLE is the only non-AMG two-door coupe you can find at a Mercedes-Benz dealership near you and while it is not interested in your "speedo boy" games, the CLE is the ideal weekend getaway car for you to unwind after a long week.

2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe interior

Beginning with the design, the CLE's front came from the W206 C-Class while the rear view came from the Mercedes EQ saloon family and the silhouette looks broadly like the now-defunct C-Class Coupe. Asked about the dimensions, the CLE is sized between the two now-defunct coupes, which is a balancing act, of course.

As for the interior, it's all typical "new normal" Mercedes dashboard you can expect in the CLE because it comes with a 12.3-inch digital display and a portrait-oriented 11.9-inch central display as well as ambient lighting features with indirect lighting strips, an available Ambient Lighting Plus package, a new Easy-Entry function to gain access to the rather cramped rear seats, the latest MBUX, and a choice of three sound system configurations at launch, including the Burmester 3D surround sound system. 

Asked about the boot space, the CLE Coupe can carry up to 420L of goodies at the back, more than what you get from the C-Class Coupe.

The CLE Coupe offers a choice of a four-cylinder 2.0L petrol engine and a 2.0L four-cylinder turbodiesel engine at launch. Both come with mild-hybrid tech and a 9-speed automatic gearbox. The most powerful for now is the CLE 300 with 281PS power output and 400Nm of torque. It does 0-100kph in 6.2 seconds and has an electronically-limited top speed of 250kph. The CLE 220 d, meanwhile, has 4.7L/100km of fuel economy, but no one's buying on it even in this motoring climate.

Although it shows little interest in the fun side because this is a normal Mercedes coupe with a slim prospect of an AMG version, the dynamics made it feel like a grand tourer that values comfort over performance, which is unheard of in a two-door Mercedes like this. Coupled with the DYNAMIC BODY CONTROL, DYNAMIC SELECT, and a sports brake system, drivers can enjoy it in various ways and means in a rather dramatic way.

For safety, the CLE Coupe comes with the available Parking Package with a 360° camera, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Brake Assist, DISTRONIC Active Distance Assistant, and the available Driving Assistance Package Plus. Such features made drivers difficult to explain why lodged in a coupe like this.

Although it drives like a regular luxury car, the CLE is the only good-looking luxury coupe you can find at your nearest Mercedes dealership, which is ideal if you don't like the looks of today's BMW 4-Series. No pressure but still, it is a modest two-door coupe that prefers to be taken lightly, not hardly. Story of its life.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG