2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet: International first drive
Frankenstein or fantastic? What happens when you take two luxury two-door convertibles and combine them into one? Glenn Butler finds out.
- Nails the cabriolet experience
- Driving dynamics are exactly what a luxury cabrio deserves
- Interior a big step forward over replaced models
- Back-seat occupants still cop a buffeting
- Brake pedal is slow to respond
- Nine-speed transmission makes the odd strange decision
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE450 4Matic Cabriolet
The unstoppable rise of SUVs has seen a commensurate decline in passenger car sales, and that's impacting the emotional coupes and convertibles we all once drooled over.
That's one reason why Mercedes-Benz is amalgamating models like the C-Class coupe and E-Class coupe into one.
It's the same story with the C-Class cabriolet and E-Class cabriolet, not surprisingly because they were each based on their respective donor coupe.
So that's why we have the new CLE coupe and cabriolet, which effectively replace their C- and E-Class predecessors. Mercedes-Benz's decision to model the CLE on the larger E means more room and more features, but it also means a bigger entry price than the old C-Class commanded.
In this review, I'm going to focus on the CLE-Class Cabriolet. I will publish another report on the CLE Coupe in the coming days.
So, how does this all-new two-for-one soft-top successor stack up?
How much is a Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet?
The Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet is pencilled in for a July 2024 arrival in Australia, two months after the CLE Coupe. The CLE emerges from the factory in five mechanical variants, spanning 2.0-litre turbo petrol and turbo diesel rear-drive and all-wheel drive, culminating in a flagship 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol with all-wheel drive.
Mercedes-Benz has yet to confirm the Australian line-up or pricing, but our money is on just two variants, the CLE200 petrol RWD and the CLE450 4Matic.
The CLE200 is powered by the same 150kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine found in the C200 sedan. Mercedes-Benz claims 0–100km/h in 7.9 seconds and average fuel consumption of up to 7.4L/100km (based on laboratory tests).
The CLE450 4Matic has a 280kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine driving all four wheels. Mercedes-Benz claims 0–100km/h in 4.7 seconds and fuel economy of up to 8.5L/100km on a city/highway combined laboratory test cycle.
There is a slim chance a CLE300 AWD middle-man could come too. It has the same 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine as the CLE200 (albeit in a slightly higher 190kW/400Nm tune), sets a faster 0–100km/h time of 6.6 seconds and uses more fuel at 7.7L/100km.
All engines are paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and an integrated 48-volt electric motor that can keep the car moving fuel-free during low-throttle applications.
One more thing: the soft-top. Mercedes-Benz has given the CLE cabrio a five-layer insulated soft-top, which can be electrically stowed in 20 seconds and electrically raised in another 20 seconds.
The CLE cabrio also has an Airscarf system that blows warm air on your neck, and an Aircap system that consists of a wind deflector behind the cabin and a windscreen-top wing to channel much of the turbulent air over occupants' heads when the roof is down.
The Airscarf system works wonderfully. The Aircap system does reduce turbulence somewhat, but is not the answer to arriving perfectly coiffed in convertible splendour, especially not for back-seat occupants.
How big is a Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet?
Anyone who has sat inside the current-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan will immediately be familiar with the new CLE because the cabin styling and dashboard layout are pretty much identical.
This is not a bad thing from a functionality and quality perspective, but it does degrade the cabriolet's exclusivity somewhat.
One obvious difference is the lack of rear doors, and also a seat missing in the middle of the rear. The Mercedes-Benz CLE adopts a two-plus-two seating layout, with newly developed front seats offering integrated headrests, heating, four-way lumbar support, and seatbelts presented to front occupants on motorised supports.
Man-made Artico leather is standard. The optional nappa leather seats have an infrared-resistant coating that keeps them 12 degrees cooler than traditional leather in direct sunlight.
The front sports seats have been designed exclusively for the CLE, and all grades have a memory function. When the 17-speaker Burmester 3D sound system is optioned, it includes two speakers in each seat at ear level for a particularly immersive aural experience.
The multi-function steering wheel with six individual spokes is also shared with other recent new Mercedes-Benz models.
For the record, the standard sound system is a 125-watt five-speaker system, then there's a more advanced nine-speaker 225-watt system, or a top-shelf Burmester premium audio option with a 710-watt, 17-speaker system.
The 12.3-inch driver's instrument display and 11.9-inch portrait-style infotainment touchscreen – as well as the dashboard, centre console and air vents – are all heavily based on those found in the latest C-Class.
A head-up display that projects driver information onto the windscreen is optional.
Entry to the rear is via what Mercedes-Benz describes as an easy-entry system triggered by a pull of a leather strap atop the doorside of the front seats. It works well enough, tilting the seatback and electrically sliding the base, but access to the back seat is still a shimmying affair – made easier if the roof is retracted.
The rear seat receives a low-set bench with two individual seats on either side flanking an oddments tray and cupholders. The rear windows on the coupe are fixed and cannot be opened, but on the cabrio they lower completely within the door skin.
There is significantly more room inside than in the old C-Class cabrio. In the rear, Benz claims 10mm more head room, 19mm more width, and a 72mm increase in knee room.
Compared to the old E-Class it's a different story. The CLE has 43mm less leg room and 10mm less head room in the rear, although Benz does claim increases in rear shoulder room (+54mm) and elbow room (36mm).
Nominal boot space is 385 litres – 35L less than the coupe – dropping to 295L when the roof is retracted and the automatic luggage protector is in place. In short, that's a compact luggage compartment for a car measuring almost five metres tip to toe (4850mm to be exact).
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE450 4Matic Cabriolet | |
Seats | Four |
Boot volume | 385L roof up 295L roof down |
Length | 4850mm |
Width | 1860mm |
Height | 1428mm |
Wheelbase | 2865mm |
Does the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
With the same infotainment system as found in the new C-Class and E-Class sedans, the CLE's infotainment will be familiar to Benz owners. It comes stocked with wireless access to both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Mercedes-Benz's third-generation MBUX system (for Mercedes-Benz User eXperience, in case you were wondering) has all the typical infotainment functionality and can seamlessly integrate your smartphone either via the aforementioned mirroring technologies or via Bluetooth.
This means buyers can expect media playback, satellite navigation, vehicle dynamics controls, FM/Digital Radio (we were unable to confirm AM for Australia), and a variety of personalisation functions.
This screen also has one function that the coupe does not: the ability to tilt between 15 to 40 degrees (at the user's discretion) to reduce sun reflection and glare.
The CLE also pairs with the Mercedes Me smartphone app to offer all kinds of remote vehicle controls and information access. We were unable to confirm exactly which of the many European functions will make it onto Australian-spec cars, so we'll leave that exciting dissertation for the vehicle's local launch in the coming months.
The CLE cabrio also has Benz's latest 'Hey Mercedes' voice command integration, plus a Just Talk function that negates the need to say 'Hey Mercedes', but is only active when the car has just one occupant – and is incredibly distracting if you need to talk to a pedestrian, or sing along to your favourite tunes, or maybe you just like conversing with yourself… I'm the last person to judge on that basis.
Lastly, artificial intelligence is always watching and always learning. If you regularly dial home or drive to a certain location at a certain time each day, the car will start to proactively offer these services at the appropriate time. It can also make suggestions about adding things to your to-do list and provide birthday reminders.
Not sure how I feel about AI managing me and constantly reminding me of things. Feels like nagging, but it's clear Benz is leaving no technology stone unturned.
Is the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet a safe car?
The Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Coupe and Cabriolet have not been crash-tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) or its European equivalent (Euro NCAP).
Such is Mercedes-Benz's track record that we'd be surprised if it did not achieve a full five-star rating. But as it has not yet been tested, any such suggestion by us should be taken as speculation only.
Also, given the niche appeal of these cars and their limited sales potential, independent crash testing may never happen.
The Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet has dual front airbags, front-side head airbags and rear-side-head airbags. It also has a centre airbag to reduce the chance of injuries resulting from frontal occupants clashing heads in a side impact.
What safety technology does the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet have?
It's probably quicker to ask 'What doesn't it have?'.
The standard equipment of the CLE Cabriolet includes attention assist, active brake assist, active lane-keeping assist, speed limit assist and a reverse camera. The status and activity of all driving assistance systems are shown in full screen in the assistance display of the driver's instrument cluster.
Other driver assistance systems are part of equipment packages. The Advanced Plus package also includes blind-spot assist and traffic sign assist. The Premium package includes the parking package with a 360-degree camera and Benz's high-fidelity LED digital lighting system.
We'd argue that the 360-degree camera system should be standard on a luxury car with what we expect to be a six-figure price tag, but we'll have a clear picture when Australian specifications are confirmed.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) | Yes | Includes cyclist, junction, night-time awareness |
Adaptive Cruise Control | Yes | Includes traffic jam assist/stop-go |
Blind Spot Alert | Yes | Alert only, assist optional |
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | Yes | Alert and assist functions |
Lane Assistance | Yes | Lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist |
Road Sign Recognition | Yes | Speed limit assist is optional |
Driver Attention Warning | Yes | Includes fatigue monitor |
Cameras & Sensors | Yes | Front and rear sensors, reverse camera |
How much does the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet cost to run?
All Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and SUVs come with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. The C-Class sedan has 12-month/25,000km servicing intervals, so we'd expect the CLE to mirror those given how much of its mechanicals are shared with the C-Class.
We have no specific data for servicing costs or insurance costs at this time, so we can't give a guide on how the CLE cabrio compares to its main rivals.
We can tell you that Mercedes-Benz offers buyers prepaid servicing packages on the C-Class sedan costing $2650 for three years or $5200 for five years.
At a glance | 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE450 4Matic Cabriolet |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited kilometres |
Service intervals | 12 months/25,000km |
Servicing costs | TBA |
Is the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet fuel-efficient?
Mercedes-Benz says the CLE450 Cabriolet has a laboratory-tested fuel consumption of between 7.8–8.6 litres per 100 kilometres.
Our drive program consisted of 91km across Tenerife, which if you don't know is one island in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Tenerife has the tallest mountain in Spain, Teide volcano, at 3715m. Our 100km drive program went up one side, from the beach (so, sea level) to an altitude of 2.1km, then it came down the other side.
On the way up we averaged 19.6L/100km, which is fair given it's a 2.1-tonne car, we had the roof down most of the time (which makes it far less aerodynamic – Mercedes-Benz declined to say how much when asked), and we were hustling it through the mountain bends to test its chassis.
On the way down the mountain we put the car in energy-efficient 'E' mode, which turns the engine off when coasting, so the car relies mostly on its electric motor and battery to maintain speed.
By the time our test drive ended, the whole-of-trip average was 11.8L/100km. This suggests we used just two litres of fuel for the 50km downhill leg.
As preposterous as it sounds, it is actually possible and plausible. For starters, the road down from the top is almost 100 per cent downhill, and steep enough to keep a car accelerating without any engine assistance. Second, the CLE450's laboratory-tested fuel consumption average is 7.8–8.6L/100km, so it should consume between 4–5L on 50km driving on flat ground, let alone half that on a sustained downhill run.
What this also proves is that a volcano island is no place for real-world fuel consumption testing.
Fuel efficiency | 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE450 4Matic Cabriolet |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 8.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 11.8L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 66L |
What is the Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet like to drive?
What would you expect of one of the biggest four-seat convertibles in terms of on-road performance and driving dynamics?
If you expect the last word in stately elegance and composure, barely feeling the kilometres disappear beneath your magic carpet ride as you cross continents in your unruffled roofless finery, chuckling quietly to a joke only you are privy to, then this car is for you.
The CLE Cabriolet is about cruising serenely as the sun shines its glory on you, and the wind passes somewhere above without ruffling too many hairs.
The CLE450 is the epitome of a premium convertible. It has the looks, the power and the performance to meet buyer expectations, and then some.
It will delight with its (moderate but enticing) dynamics and surprise with its enthusiasm, even though it's hard to imagine buyers pushing it hard enough to discover the limits of its talents.
It's never brutish and never raw, and its cornering capabilities will never exhilarate you, because it's not a sports car. Instead, think of the CLE450 as a sport-ish luxury saloon with two less doors and one less roof.
The CLE's 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine has more than enough power and torque to keep the car moving, and can do so with immediacy and the alacrity its 0–100km/h time of 4.7 seconds would suggest.
The nine-speed transmission is never flustered or overenthusiastic; it chooses the right gear for the moment and for your mood. If you're driving dynamically, it will respond dynamically, but if you're driving sedately, then it relaxes too.
As for the ride quality, our test car had Benz's adjustable suspension known as Dynamic Body Control. In comfort mode it exhibits a tendency to waft over undulations while doing a solid job of absorbing rough patches.
In corners, however, the body sits relatively flat and stable, as if the car knows that wafting in a straight line is okay, but not so in the bends.
The CLE450 can be hurried through a set of bends, if that's what you want, and it does so without feeling nose heavy or pig-headed like some all-wheel-drive cars can, especially one weighing 2080kg (135kg heavier than the coupe). It does work with your steering inputs and pedal inputs to feel somewhat agile and adjustable, but one would never describe it as 'lively'.
Dialling up sports mode stiffens the damper setting but doesn't exactly transform the car from stately Dr Jekyll into monstrous Mr Hyde. The ride does firm appreciably, transmitting more of the road's rougher patches through to occupants.
It also makes the driver more aware of the surface beneath the car. But it does little to heighten the vehicle's poise or responses, or to raise cornering speeds. Its only advantage, therefore, is driver involvement, and even that's moderate, but maybe that's enough.
But this is not a car that's designed to be overly involving. The steering is not all that communicative, and the first hint you'll get that cornering speeds are pushing the limits are when the 20-inch Continental EcoContact tyres begin to howl.
Equally, the throttle doesn't liven up to the point where a pinky-toe flex brings a thoroughbred's response. It's tuned for smooth and considered inputs, exactly like the brake pedal, which admittedly has a surprising amount of dead zone before it actually starts to influence the car's speed.
The engine, while it may have the potency to perform, doesn't have the soundtrack to match. Push it hard and it begins to growl in an interesting way, but lift off for the next corner, and instead of a delectable burble on overrun you get a soulless (and thankfully muted) mechanical whinge instead.
But still, if you want just a touch of the tyre-shredding, tarmac-terrorising demon we mentioned above, then the CLE450 can do that too. Just be aware that its Insatiable Demon Dial doesn't go to 11, it stops at about 7.5.
Which is absolutely what it should do. Mercedes-Benz has wisely not tried to endow the CLE-Class Cabriolet with marketing-friendly 'sports car potential'. This is a cabriolet that's about style and self-indulgence, not sport. And by allowing the CLE to be 'just' a four-seat luxury convertible, it has delivered beautifully.
Key details | 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE450 4Matic Cabriolet |
Engine | 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 280kW @ 5800–6100rpm |
Torque | 500Nm @ 1800–5000rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | 9-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 134.6kW/t |
Weight | 2080kg |
Spare tyre type | Tyre repair kit |
Turning circle | 11.2m (10.7m with rear-wheel steering) |
Can a Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet tow?
I suppose it's possible that somebody in Australia might want to fit a tow bar to a four-seat cabriolet. Possible but not probable.
If that's you, I apologise for not having the answer. You'll have to wait for the Australian specification to be released.
Should I buy a Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet?
This is a wonderfully hedonistic car to drive, no question. There's something primal and fundamentally joyful to driving around without a roof, and the CLE-Class is one of the best luxury soft-tops in value terms.
Mercedes-Benz has successfully melded the sport-ish appeal of the C-Class cabriolet and the intercontinental cruiser comforts of the E-Class cabriolet into one competent, well-equipped and convincing conveyance.
How do I buy a Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Cabriolet? The next steps.
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet goes on sale in Australia from July 2024. Until that time, all you can do is contact your local Mercedes-Benz dealer for more information or to place an order. Or do it via the Mercedes-Benz website.
We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Mercedes-Benz dealer here.