What is it?
Designed to offer four-seater luxury with the ability to travel longer distances, Mercedes has created the CLE Cabriolet to be refined, comfortable and above all, engaging to drive. That’s the intention, anyway, which is why we’ve headed to sunny Tenerife to see what it’s all about.
What’s new?
The fabric hood has been designed to stand up to the very harshest of weather. This is down to an insulated multi-layered soft top, which can be operated at speeds of up to 37mph and takes 20 seconds to be lowered and raised. Plus, a new and improved ‘AirCap’ system located in the top frame of the windscreen allows the air to flow over the car at greater height to reduce drag and wind noise.
What’s under the bonnet?
Mild-hybrid technology comes as standard on all versions to help improve efficiency, economy and CO2 emissions.
Our test car was the CLE300 which came with a 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder that produces 261bhp and 400Nm of torque – with emissions and fuel economy figures of 167g/km of CO2 and 38.2mpg. Mercedes quotes a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds, too.
What’s it like to drive?
Got back from my first new car launch in Tenerife yesterday with the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet. The perfect weather to test a convertible I’d say ☀️?️ pic.twitter.com/nFjTH99Gtd
— Cameron Richards (@CamRichards13) April 17, 2024
We drove the predicted best-seller, which was the CLE300 and although the power is plentiful, it’s let down by a hesitant automatic gearbox and steering that lacks feel. That said, standard-fit four-wheel-drive helped inspire confidence in the bends and will certainly be a welcome attribute back in the wet and wild UK.
However, there is no denying that the CLE is a heavy car – weighing in at 1,985kg. So on a twisty road, it feels a little bit out of its comfort zone, with the car wallowing when exiting a corner. Thankfully, the CLE fits the role of the comfortable cruiser well with the suspension doing a great job of absorbing any lumps and bumps in the road. Combine that with an engine which is quiet and sedate at speed and you have a drop-top which feels well-suited to sweeping bends in the sun.
How does it look?
The design of the CLE is nothing out of the ordinary with other Mercedes aesthetics and that’s no bad thing as it keeps the firm’s traditional image of class and luxury all rolled into one.
The new design makes the new car more modern and the rear tail lights that merge into the rear hatch area are a nice touch. It’s just a shame that Mercedes still designs fake-looking exhaust tailpipe exits at the rear which makes the car look cheap.
What’s it like inside?
The space in the back was good with an ample amount of legroom and headroom wasn’t too bad with the roof up while boot space was also impressive at 385 litres – which is the same as the BMW 4-Series and five litres more than the Audi A5.
One good point to make is the climate control settings are always present on the infotainment display. They may not have the mechanical feel of direct buttons, but it’s an improvement instead of burying them into the infotainment display and ensures that you can quickly and easily adjust the temperature inside the car. Furthermore, other standard features of the new CLE feature Mercedes’ AirScarf allowing warm air to blow onto the necks of the passengers to keep them warm in colder months.
What’s the spec like?
The car we drove was the equivalent of the UK specced AMG Line Premium which starts at £58,780.
As standard it features ambient lighting, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, keyless entry and start, heated and ventilated front seats, 20-inch alloy wheels, a sports steering wheel with Nappa leather and blind spot monitoring.
Verdict
Also, thanks to standard mild-hybrid technology, the CLE Cabriolet will be a lot cheaper to run than the old C-Class Cabriolet.
Although it’s not revolutionary, the drop-top version of the CLE is still a great choice for those wanting a usable yet premium four-seater cabriolet with that three-pointed star pedigree.
