Mercedes CLE Cabriolet review

Just as the Samsung Galaxy Fold was created to replace a buyer’s smartphone and tablet with one do-it-all device, the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet is the successor to two Mercedes convertibles – and aims to blend the best bits of both.

Depending on your perspective, this latest model’s mission is to provide buyers with a more spacious and luxurious take on the old C-Class Cabriolet or to be more enjoyable to drive than the discontinued E-Class Cabriolet.

Does the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet succeed, and how does it compare with the best rival convertibles – in particular, the similarly priced BMW 4 Series Convertible? Read on to find out. Or to read more about its coupé equivalent see our Mercedes CLE review.

The Mercedes CLE Cabriolet is available with a choice of four petrol engines – two of which come with 4MATIC four-wheel-drive – and a diesel. Whichever you choose you get mild-hybrid tech and a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

The cheapest version is the CLE 200, which has a four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 201bhp, and officially takes 7.9 seconds to sprint from 0-62mph. It’s not the quickest off the line but it’s brisker than the BMW 420i Convertible and gets up to speed easily enough. It's a good choice for most buyers.

Next in line is the CLE 300, which boosts the four-cylinder engine’s power to 255bhp and cuts the 0-62mph sprint time to 6.6 seconds. The extra power means the CLE 300 is even keener to get up to speed, and its four-wheel-drive system gives you some extra confidence when deploying the power.

In fact, the 375bhp CLE 450, with its 3.0-litre, six-cylinder petrol engine, barely feels any quicker in the real world, despite a 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds. You might want to choose it for its added refinement but not for extra excitement, and it doesn't sound particularly theatrical.

If you want a CLE Cabriolet with a fruitier engine note, we suggest you look at (and listen to) the range-topping AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet, which uses a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder unit with 443bhp. It sounds smooth and bassy, although it does lack the top-end mechanical rasp of the BMW M440i Convertible.

While the CLE 53 isn’t much faster against the clock than the CLE 450 (0-62mph takes 4.4 seconds as standard, or 4.2 seconds with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package) it’s quicker than a 440i Convertible and feels more muscular throughout the rev range.

The 194bhp CLE 220d diesel completes the range, but we’ve yet to give it a go. A diesel convertible is a bit of a rarity these days though, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a rival with the equivalent efficiency figures.

The CLE 200 and 300 both sound slightly more agricultural than the six-cylinder cars at idle and when worked hard, but all of the engines we’ve tried fade into the background at a cruise. What’s more, when the fabric roof is up it does an excellent job of shutting out wind noise. Road noise is kept to a low level, even though it's a little more prevalent in the CLE 53 due to its fat tyres.

With the roof down but the windows raised, you don’t feel too much wind blustering around the interior, even at motorway speeds. The CLE Cabriolet is helped by an Aircap wind deflector that rises from the top of the windscreen to push airflow away from the car's interior.

The Aircap works in conjunction with a secondary wind deflector that rises up from behind the rear headrests to minimise buffeting. There's a bit more wind noise with it raised, but it’s a small compromise and far more user-friendly than manually installing a deflector over the rear seats, as you have to in the 4 Series Convertible.

Most versions of the CLE Cabriolet come with passive suspension, while the CLE 53 comes with adaptive suspension. Regardless, all versions are set up for comfort, soaking up all but the worst imperfections and potholes with ease.

The trade-off for that comfort is that most CLEs will lean more through bends than a 4 Series but body control is still very respectable when you’re driving at a moderate pace (which seems to suit the car’s nature).

The CLE 53 feels more agile than lesser versions. That’s partly due to the fact its adaptive suspension can be firmed up to a greater degree, but also thanks to rear wheels that can turn to help pivot the car into tighter turns.

While the steering of the CLE Cabriolet isn’t as sharp or meaty as in a 4 Series, it responds precisely enough to help you flow down a country road with confidence.

The CLE 53's auto gearbox offers suitably snappy responses when you select Sport+ mode and use the paddles behind the steering wheel to shift manually. Lesser versions are always a bit more leisurely but go through the gears smoothly.

Similarly, the brakes of the CLE 53 offer noticeably more bite than other version, but it’s still easy to bring all versions of the CLE Cabriolet to a smooth stop.

“The CLE Cabriolet comes with a conventional wind deflector that can be installed over its rear seats but I found it wasn’t needed because the Aircap and the deflector behind the rear seats are so effective.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

Finding a comfortable driving position is very easy in the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet because all versions offer a wide range of electric adjustment for the seat and steering wheel.

Adjustable lumbar support is standard, as are Airscarf heater vents positioned within the front headrests to keep the back of your neck and shoulders warm (both features cost extra on the BMW 4 Series Convertible).

That said, the seats in most versions could do with a bit more side support to hold you better when cornering. The exception is the AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet, although we’ve only tried it with the optional AMG Performance seats, which are excellent.

Seeing out of the CLE Cabriolet can be a bit tricky because the wide windscreen pillars are positioned at an awkward angle that can obscure traffic at junctions and roundabouts. Rear visibility is good when the roof is down, but with it up the small rear windscreen with swathes of canvas roof on either side limits your view.

Fortunately, you get parking sensors front and rear as standard to help out when manoeuvring. Entry-level AMG Line trim pairs them with a rear-view camera, while all other trims give you an upgraded camera that provides a 360-degree view.

The CLE Cabriolet’s dashboard is almost identical to what you’ll find in the Mercedes CLE Coupé and Mercedes C-Class, with a 12.3in digital driver's display and an 11.9in touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard.

There is one feature, though, that the CLE Cabriolet gets that most other Mercedes car models don’t: its touchscreen can tilt forwards electrically (as it does in the Mercedes AMG SL). That means you can view the screen at a different angle to help avoid glare when the roof is down.

You can operate the infotainment system through touch, voice or by using fiddly touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. The menus are logically laid out and the screen is responsive, and the touchscreen is positioned closer to you than the one in the 4 Series Convertible.

However, the 4 Series has an iDrive rotary controller, making it more user-friendly and less distracting to use overall.

The CLE Cabriolet in AMG Line Premium Plus trim includes an upgraded Burmester 3D surround-sound audio system that's loud and punchy enough even with the roof down on a motorway.

The interior has plenty of visual appeal, thanks to high-gloss highlights and ambient lighting. There are some cheaper-feeling plastics below eye level but it seems robust enough.

“The tilting infotainment screen reduces glare but in its most upright position I found it awkward to use.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mercedes CLE Cabriolet is one of the best convertibles for seating four adults. You’re unlikely to have any issues with head or leg room up front, and storage space is decent, with a useful cubby under the centre armrest, two cupholders and a storage area for your phone with a built-in wireless phone-charger.

Getting into the two back seats involves squeezing through quite a narrow gap, but once you’re in there’s plenty of shoulder room between the two occupants. Anyone up to 6ft tall will have enough leg room to sit behind a similarly tall occupant.

Head room with the roof up is more limited, but no worse than in a BMW 4 Series Convertible (which, like the CLE, is strictly a four-seater). It's sufficient for those close to 6ft tall as long as they don’t mind their head touching the roof lining.

The upright backrests limit long-distance comfort but are fine for shorter journeys. Storage space in the rear includes two cupholders and a couple of storage trays.

The CLE Cabriolet's boot opening is quite small, but the amount of luggage space available is comparable with the 4 Series Convertible: both cars offer 385 litres with the roof up. Lowering the roof reduces the CLE’s boot to 295 litres versus 300 litres in the 4 Series.

You can fold down the back seats remotely with a flick of a switch located in the boot when you need to carry longer loads. The backrest is split 50/50, so a single rear passenger can sit alongside a longer load, whereas the 4 Series Convertible's backrest is in one piece.

The fully electric roof of the CLE Cabriolet can be folded up or down in around 20 seconds when you're driving at up to 37mph.

“When we tested the BMW 4 Series Convertible, we managed to fit six carry-on suitcases in the boot when the roof was up, and I reckon the CLE Cabriolet should be able to match that.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

The starting price of the Mercedes CLE Cabriolet is slightly higher than for its main rival – the BMW 4 Series Convertible – but it's predicted to lose its value a little more slowly.

It’s worth noting that only the CLE 200 and CLE 220d engines are available in entry-level AMG Line trim. If you want the more powerful CLE 300 or CLE 450 engines, the cheapest trim you can have is AMG Line Premium.

Meanwhile, the range-topping AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet is priced between the BMW M440i Convertible and the more powerful BMW M4 Convertible.

The 220d diesel is the most economical CLE Cabriolet, officially averaging more than 57mpg. Out of the petrols, the 200 is the only one to achieve more than 40mpg (matching the equivalent BMW 420i Convertible), while the AMG CLE 53 is unsurprisingly the least efficient model, averaging 29.4mpg.

Similarly, the 220d commands the lowest company car tax rate in the range. Of the petrols, only the entry-level 200 avoids being placed in the highest BIK tax band. If you're looking for a convertible car that attracts very low BIK tax, you could consider the all-electric MG Cyberster (although that's a two-seater).

In entry-level AMG Line trim, the CLE Cabriolet comes with plenty of goodies, including 18in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, ambient interior lighting, two-zone automatic climate control, LED headlights with high-beam assist, heated front seats and leather upholstery.

AMG Line Premium brings 19in wheels, a heated steering wheel and hugely powerful Digital Light headlights that can adapt to changing traffic, road and weather conditions. Meanwhile, AMG Line Premium Plus gives you 20in wheels, a head-up display and ventilated front seats with a massage function.

As you’d expect, the AMG CLE 53 gets more figure-hugging seats and sporty styling details inside and out. The AMG Night Edition Premium Plus is very similarly equipped, but its wheels are black instead of silver, you get black exterior trim highlights in place of the standard chrome items and the interior of the car features genuine carbon fibre.

The CLE Cabriolet did not feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Mercedes itself didn’t perform particularly strongly, placing 22nd out of 31 brands. By contrast, BMW was up in eighth, while the BMW 4 Series finished third in the coupé, convertible and sports car class, with a 98.4% reliability rating.

The CLE Cabriolet has not been tested by safety experts at Euro NCAP but all versions come with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assist. The rival 4 Series Convertible was given a five-star safety rating in 2019.

“If you go for AMG Line Premium Plus trim, I’d consider adding the Driving Assistance Package Plus, which adds a lane-changing system that can steer the vehicle into the next lane on a motorway when you indicate.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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