Yahoo Autos 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet: Quicker Sunseeker
A decade ago, the Mercedes-Benz convertible lineup resembled the March of Progress illustration of the evolution of man: The ones at either end were definitely different, but if you swapped the ones in the middle around, would anyone notice?
Today, the Mercedes droptop range is pared back to just two: the 2+2-seat SL roadster, which focuses firmly on the top of the market, and the four-passenger CLE Cabriolet, which has just added this range-topping Mercedes-AMG CLE53 trim.
The CLE is based on Mercedes's modular MRA2 platform and is available as a coupe as well as a convertible. It consolidates previous C- and E-class two-door models but more closely mirrors the C-class in its dimensions. Remember the Mercedes-Benz CLK of the '90s and early oughts? The CLE is a lot like that.
In this AMG-lite specification, there's an AMG-specific body-in-white that most notably brings wider fenders covering a track stretched 2.3 inches front, 3,0 inches rear. Underneath, a revised AMG Ride Control chassis features coil springs and two-valve adaptive dampers, plus 19-inch alloys or (as on the cars we drove) optional 20s. Various chassis body-bracing measures compensate for the convertible's less rigid structure, adding some 240 pounds to the claimed total curb weight of 4597 pounds. The CLE53 looks a little traditional with chrome embellishments but far more sporting equipped with the Night Package Plus to replace the glitz with moodier black trim.
Perhaps most appealingly for those turned off by the four-cylinder hybrid setup in today's C63 S E Performance, the CLE53 packs 3.0 liters of AMG straight-six goodness. It's paired with a TCT 9G torque-converter automatic transmission and 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, which can divert up to 100 percent torque to the front or rear axle.
The press launch takes us to Málaga, southern Spain, where the CLE53 is as serene around town as you'd hope for a Mercedes convertible. The suspension's Comfort setting takes the sting out of road imperfections, the steering is light if not excessively remote, and even the powertrain is subtly recalibrated for additional refinement compared with the coupe. We noted a few lumps in the transmission when cold, but mostly it shifted promptly and smoothly.
Generous rear-quarter glass and a large rear window aid visibility with the fabric roof raised. The top opens and closes in 20 seconds either via the key fob or a center-console button, an operation that can be done at speeds up to 37 mph for welcome flexibility should weather conditions change. Packaging the stowed roof does mean rear-seat accommodations are tight for six-foot-plus adults, with the trunk space a little awkwardly shaped and small at 10 cubic feet (14 with the top up).
Mercedes's Airscarf is standard and works effectively (hot air blows from the base of the headrests to warm chilly necks), but the standard Aircap is only partially successful. It raises on demand for a tangible, if slight, reduction in buffeting but a more noticeable increase in wind noise due to its protruding into the air flow. Mostly we left it down. Roof closed, the CLE cruises like you're wearing noise-cancelling headphones.
For all its isolation and calm, the CLE53 also lives up its AMG billing on the incredible A-397 road that coils up to Ronda from the Mediterranean Sea. The engine's 443 horsepower and 443 pound-feet (more on that in a moment) represent increases of 68 horses and 74 pound-feet over the CLE450, with a 48-volt hybrid system able to chip in with 23 horses and 151 pound-feet thanks to an integrated starter generator (ISG) packaged into the transmission.
Electric assistance also glosses over lag that would otherwise be inevitable with this M256M engine's larger turbocharger. In fact, despite the convertible's mellower calibration, the electric assistance gives real immediacy to throttle response. Midrange urge is richly flexible—an overboost function helps here, giving the additional 30 pound-feet that takes it from 413 to 443 pound-feet for bursts of 10 seconds. In reality, it's almost always on tap for typical road driving.
The CLE53 handles very well. The steering is a little unnatural in tighter turns when standard rear-wheel steering tweaks the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts by up to 2.5 degrees—it's exaggerated in response, aggressive in its self-centering, and somewhat sticky. But rear steer is highly effective at arcing the CLE53 through those same curves like it's swinging round a post, and the feeling is far more organic through faster sections where the rear wheels point in the same direction as the fronts for enhanced stability.
There's plenty of grip to carry healthy speed into the apex, and the all-wheel-drive system's rear bias allows you to get onto the throttle early. Beyond the city limits, Sport mode delivers a nice balance with its enhanced body control and greater steering weight.
Significant to the driving experience, our car was also equipped with firm if comfortable AMG Performance seats featuring more pronounced bolsters, as well as the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package. The latter bundles active engine mounts, a Drift mode, and larger brakes with six-piston calipers up front in place of standard four-piston units (red calipers are your telltale).
Overall, this well-rounded high-performance convertible doesn't line up exactly against key opposition—versus BMW's M440i xDrive convertible, for instance, it's three inches longer, 57 horses more potent, and, at $83,750, $8325 more expensive.
Less isolation from the chassis and more reward for winding out the inline-six would make the CLE53 more involving, but then again, an entry-level AMG should be somewhat approachable, not to mention leave space for something more hardcore. Given the lukewarm reception of the four-cylinder plug-in-hybrid C63 sedan, let's hope rumors of a CLE63 and a switch back to V-8 power come true and fulfill the obvious potential shown here.
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