► The sportiest CLE so far drops its top
► Glamorous interior meets aggressive styling
► Better than a CLE53 Coupe?
How do you replace the C-Class Coupe and the E-Class Coupe? If you’re Affalterbach, you introduce the new CLE, a car designed to combine both whilst ensnaring a new swathe of customers at the same time. The AMG CLE 53 is currently the fastest possible version of the CLE (until a 63 arrives) and this is the roof-down version of the CLE. Now the genealogy’s out the way…
As you’d expect, the AMG CLE 53 cabriolet shares a powertrain, chassis and most things minus a roof with the standard AMG CLE 53, though that doesn’t necessary mean it works as well in real life. After all, cabriolets are often heavier, and premium interiors don’t always work when you chop the top off.
To find out if the AMG CLE 53 cabriolet is any good – and if it works even better in soft-top form – we drove it around the sunny (but mostly rainy) streets and roads around Marbella.
At a glance
Pros: Grippy and strong performance, comfy, engaging in the right mode
Cons: Feels (and is) heavier than the coupe, not much else
What’s new?
The roof, mainly. The AMG CLE 53 gets the same body in white as the coupe, so it’s 58mm wider at the front and a further 75mm wider at the rear than the standard CLE. Those flared wheel arches make all the difference on the AMG coupe, and it’s no different here. This is a cabriolet with some serious presence, despite the 53 (not 63) badge at the back.
Affalterbach engineers have added struts in the engine bay and under the body to put some stiffness back into the chassis. The roof itself takes 20 seconds to open and is fully electric. However, it can only be opened at 60kmh (37mph) or under. That all costs weight, so the cabriolet weighs just over 110kg more than the coupe as a result (in UK spec).
What are the specs?
The cabriolet gets the same engine as the coupe, which is an upgraded version of the M256 3.0-litre in-line six. Now called the M256M, it benefits from redesigned intakes, exhaust ports and other bits.
Alongside the tweaked ICE, there’s also a turbocharger and electric compressor, and all three work in unison to deliver 442bhp and 442lb ft of torque. The starter motor forms the mild-hybrid part of the engine, and can provide an additional 23bhp of boost power and 151lb ft of torque.
That power is channelled to all-four wheels through a nine-speed automatic ‘box and Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system. It’ll divert torque to where it’s needed most, maximising grip and traction. In the spicier settings such as ESP Sport it’ll divert more power to the rear, and in Drift mode it’ll divert all power to the rear. Finally, in the more sensible modes it’ll de-couple the front axle for efficiency’s sake.
AMG’s ride control does a similar thing but with damping, and changes the rebound and compression of each wheel independently, depending on the driving situation and what mode you’re in.
Lastly, this CLE also benefits from rear-wheel steer: here the rear wheels turn opposite to the fronts under 62mph to ‘shrink’ the length of the car. It’s only to a maximum angle of 2.5-degrees, but that’s enough to notice at lower speeds. Get over the 62mph mark, and they’ll turn the same way as the fronts – but to a smaller maximum of 0.7-degrees.
Aim the CLE at the horizon and you’ll get to 62mph from a standstill in 4.4 seconds – or 4.2 if you’re using Race Start from the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package. Interestingly, the coupe does it in 4.2 as well.
How does it drive?
The sheer amount of technology on the AMG CLE 53 means it’s chameleon-like. In the more sensible modes, the AMG is quick but doesn’t feel precise. The wheel is light and easy to handle, while the suspension is able to soak up most bumps; it handles the rough roads of Marbella and floats over the slick autovias on route to the mountains above.
Click it in Comfort, enable the Aircap above the windscreen to deflect turbulence away from the cabin, along with the warming Airscarf – and the CLE’s cruising appeal is undeniable. Unusually British weather in Marbella means we can’t have the top down too much, but it’s relatively quiet when up and warm with it down.
In these modes the engine rasps lazily but it’s full of torque, working with the nine-speed gearbox and dropping down a cog when it must. With the front axle engaged, it’s possible to drive the car fast, but this is about driving enjoyment more than driving engagement.
An exit takes us onto faster, more demanding roads – and once the fog clears we’re able to sample the other side of the AMG CLE 53’s split personality. Dial up Sport or Sport+ and you hear the revs rise, feel the wheel firm up and the ride stiffen. The CLE 53 transforms from a sunseeker into something much sleeker.
The in-line six has more immediacy now, and the steering is heavier and more precise. That rear-wheel steering makes the CLE deftly sweep into line before bends and tighter hairpins – though we’d like more feedback from the front axle. Later, greasy tarmac and a new rear-bias gives us our first moments of oversteer. This is almost certainly slower than leaning on Affalterbach’s state of the start 4Matic system – but we don’t really care.
As for that extra 100kg plus? In practice, the cabriolet’s tweaked chassis seems to swallow up most of it. Roll is essentially the same, acceleration is too. On the road, and with AMG’s systems working together, it’s only in braking zones that you get the faintest feeling of ballast.
What’s the interior like?
This is a Mercedes in 2024 so you get a very busy, but very intricate cabin. Like the coupe, this CLE doesn’t really bother hiding its C-Class DNA, and uses the same 11.9-inch and 12.3-inch display pairing as the coupe. Still, the infotainment system is bright, quick and good-looking. And the screen tilts for some reason, too.
We’re not huge fans of Mercedes steering wheels, due to their fussy layout and capacitive buttons, but those tiny-screened toggles on them remain a very cool thing.
Our test car benefits from a swish carbonfibre trim and sports seats. The latter are pretty aggressive in their bolstering, but really do their job when you’re pushing on.
The interior doesn’t suffer without a roof either. It still feels as premium as the coupe, aside from a few gaps where the roof meets the rest of the car. In these gaps you can see some of the linkages of the roof mechanism, and it spoils the mostly luxurious feel.
Before you buy (trims and rivals)
Cabriolets are like hen’s teeth nowadays, and the CLE 53 is a big fish in a small pond. There’s very little at this price that can match the Mercedes, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap: prices start £77,075, but that increases to £82,825 for the Night Edition which adds extras such as carbonfibre on the dash, a Burmester stereo and head-up display.
Verdict
On the surface, the CLE 53 AMG has the presence and aggression of those classic ’63-badged cars – but it’s an entirely different animal that doesn’t need to be tamed like AMGs past. Instead, it uses the latest tech from Affalterbach to make driving quickly as fun and painless as possible. Dial in some aggression, and the CLE 53 changes tact, doing its best impression of those rear-wheel drive monsters we usually associate with the badge.
Of course, it’s not quite as pure, charismatic or frankly insane as the classics I’m referring to, but it’s a significantly more refined, rounded package. And in cabriolet form, where you get to enjoy roads as well as attack them, the CLE makes even more sense.