CLE 300 d is even more enticing with the top down
After being thoroughly impressed by the new CLE 300 d Coupe, we had good reason to look forward to the Cabriolet. A car that continues a splendid Mercedes-Benz tradition of four-seater drop-top dream cars, its expressive design, intelligent tech and top drawer kit looked great on paper too. And disappoint, it certainly did not.
Like the Coupe, the Cabrio also started its life confused. It goes back to the future to kill two birds with one stone. Benz dropped this car’s CLK predecessor in the late noughties and replaced it with both C and E-Class Cabriolets for a couple of generations. Now, once again, two so similar drop tops on the range seem one too many for Benz, so it’s back to one.
Ultimate, exclusive wind in the hair driving
Based on the CLE Coupé, the Cabrio strives to deliver ultimate, exclusive wind in the hair driving pleasure. Benz slices off the roof, strengthens the chassis and adds what it calls a classic fabric acoustic soft top for a dynamic, yet sensual, comfy year-round open-air ride. Boasting a standard Aircap power wind deflector to create an invisible cocoon as airflow silently deflects over your head and Airscarf headroom heating to keep you warm. So as long as it’s not pouring down, the CLE Cabriolet is an all-weather convertible.
Available in black, red or grey, the extensively insulated multi-layer fabric acoustic soft top ensures best thermal comfort in all seasons and reduces wind and driving noise too. Now silent in operation too, thanks to it being electric-powered for the first time, it opens and closes within 20 seconds at up to 60 km/h. A power roller divider separates the folded top from the remaining luggage compartment.
Anyway, your two-in-one C-Class and E-Class all rolled into one sexy new Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4-matic Cabrio to please all in a subtly broader niche, is otherwise identical to its tin-top-two-door sibling. In other words an athletic coupé boasting enhanced, sporty luxury with a powerful electrified engine, and in this case 4Matic all-wheel drive too. Kinda the essence of dynamic, sensual purity, we’d say.
CLE Cabriolet defines Mercedes design
Our black on black tester certainly turned heads. Pictures don’t do it justice. It’s quite different from both the C and E drop-tops it replaces. An emotional design from every angle, it’s a sporty and elegant two-door convertible that aptly defines Mercedes-Benz’ contemporary design language. Of flowing surfaces and seamless transitions.
A progressive shark nose, 3D mouth, LED headlamps, and long, low clamshell hood topped by trademark SL power bubbles set a most elegant pace. A distinctive side profile highlighted by a single, bold character line. The soft top fails to distract too much for it, but it really looks great with the top down. And even cooler to drive, up to four up, wind in the hair.
The drop-top retains the fixed head car’s creamy and sensuous 64-color indirect ambient-lit cockpit. It screams sexy. This one’s white leather pews and finishes are to, well, die for. It’s a driver-cantered space. Getting back to those avant-garde sports design front seats, they’re developed exclusively for the CLE with integrated headrests that they promise get the very best of the car’s Burmester 3D surround audio.
Cabriolet opens up to a creamy, sensuous cockpit
CLE gets free-standing 12.3-inch digital dials behind the smart leather sports steering wheel and 11.9-inch portrait central display, all deployed in a light and dynamic feel. Mercedes loves its multi-function and touch controls. Merely human, us not so much.
There’s also new Easy-Entry rear access; even if getting into the back of a car like this will, by nature, never be easy. And we found the centre console to be a bit iffy. But for the rest, it’s simply brilliant. This latest MBUX system packed with all the goodies, from Auto to Car Play, Bluetooth, all the c-USBs, kitchen sink, cableless charging, hey Mercedes voice capability, next-level navigation, and the rest.
Slick balance of Cabriolet cruising, athleticism
This CLE 300 may just be a downsized 190 kW 400 Nm two-litre, but rather judge it by that 300 in its name. CLE 300 offers a splendid Jekyll & Hyde balance of seamless, comfy open top cruising and inspired, energetic athleticism. As and when you want or need it, and quicker than claimed. We also found it more economical.
Like its Coupé sibling, the Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4Matic Cabriolet fully justifies its maker’s sublime claims. It’s one hell of a piece of kit for a middle of the range sled. And just that much more enticing with the top down. – Michele Lupini
Images & testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4Matic
Cabriolet
Engine: 190 kW 400 Nm 2-litre turbo I4
Drive: 9-speed automatic AWD
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 2.84 sec
0-100 km/h: 5.97 sec
0-120 km/h: 9.07 sec
0-160 km/h: 13.66 sec
400 m: 14.0 sec @ 161 km/h
80-120 km/h: 5.33 sec
120-160 km/h: 6.12 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 250 km/h
Fuel: 7.6 l/100 km
CO2: 173 g/km
Range: 900 km
Warranty/Service 2y unl./5y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R1.58m
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