Breadth of ability. It can be a perilous pursuit in our corner of the world, a car that’s many things to numerous people. For every Golf R Estate, there’s a Meriva VXR. And yet it’s exactly that pursuit we’re presented with here; the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet is a luxurious four-seat convertible with 4WD traction and plentiful if not the whole portion of performance. We’ve driven both a stock CLE cabrio and the CLE 53 coupe, however, and came away convinced by both. Amalgamating the two might be a doozy, then.
The bones of this latest 53 are strong and bear revisiting. A 3.0-litre straight-six turbo imbued with mild hybrid technology achieves peaks of 449hp and 443lb ft with little lag. It drives through a nine-speed automatic to a rear-biased four-wheel-drive system. Rear-wheel steering, huge, ventilated brake discs and bespoke compound Michelins crank up the seriousness over 53 models of old, as does extra voluptuous bodywork to house its wider tracks. Those increase 58mm front, 75mm rear over a standard CLE to prove this is no mere tickle of an ECU. Arches that look plain naughty on the coupe appear even more so as the hips of an otherwise classy convertible bodyshell.
The cabrio element means a vast fabric roof that unfurls and furls over four reasonably sized seats in 20 seconds – in an impressively hushed manner at anything below 37mph. Aircap and Airscarf are standard, the former popping up an ungainly pair of wind deflection elements at the push of a button, the latter seductively breathing hot air onto the necks of front-seat passengers to allow top-down driving even in winter.
Rear passengers? They now get a head airbag each. Hopefully something they won’t get to try out. Indeed, the switch from Coupe to Cabriolet has naturally necessitated some restructuring beneath the skin and the addition of rollover protection gubbins, resulting in a 110kg climb in weight. Very modest in comparison to its £4,000 hike in price.
With some comic timing, a sunny departure from the UK directs me to dramatic rain and winds on the Costa del Sol for Merc’s press launch. The rivers of water running down the Marbella pavements are a mere taster of the bleak conditions awaiting me on the hills into Ronda. The weather never truly lifts and thus a full interrogation of both its open-top refinement and on-limit handling remains hidden in the fog that rolls right up to its aggressive grille (a classy little AMG emblem sitting above that whacking great, sensor-packed Mercedes-Benz star).
Yet this is arguably an even sterner test of the car; a fabric-roofed AMG that remains unruffled in the eye of a storm is surely one equipped with – yes – breadth of ability. It’s here in spades, though arguably at the expense of true, gobsmacking character. That it’s no hardship to just roll sedately around in Comfort (of its five main driving modes, though each feels infinitely configurable within) probably suggests the fire isn’t burning as ferociously as it could in this car’s heart.
It drives adroitly, though. As we found with its hardtop twin, this is a car that treads a more convincing line between regular Mercs and full-bore AMGs than the 43s and 53s a generation before it, the Affalterbach badge on its nose not feeling out of place. That impression ramps up nicely through Sport and Sport+, the engine notably sharper in its response and sound and the gearbox willing to grasp the lower gears with occasionally jarring commitment. While not a classic six, this engine revs nicely and makes a sound that’s thoroughly welcome in the current market. Not least when that controversial four-cylinder C63 still exists.
The brakes – 370mm discs up front, 360mm rear – do a sterling job of keeping its 2.1 tonnes in check, as does the four-wheel steer. Its initial responses around mini roundabouts and through fiddly towns do take a little calibration, though it feels more natural with speed as it virtually nibbles at the length and mass in second- and third-gear corners.
Drier weather would better reveal the potential of its optional Pro Performance Package too, which drapes faux-Alcantara across the steering wheel while adding a sixth driving mode, Race, to slice the 0-62 time and unlock Drift Mode. The fact it’s only a RWD car once the electronic stability aids are extinguished does stifle most of my desire to use it though – in sodden wet Southern Spain, especially. The 4Matic+ system favours the rear enough to give this car useful pep anyway.
Does the CLE 53 suffer for flipping its lid? There’s a little shudder to be found if you really go looking for it and a mite less precision than I recall in its steering. The ride possibly feels fussier with a bit of extra weight to handle, too, feeling resolute in those gnarlier drive modes. But let’s properly appraise that back on UK soil – where the Coupe has thus far really impressed us with its composure.
Refinement during the brief moments I can stow the roof makes up for any softening of focus. You can choose between the chilled ambience of cruising, where conversations with your passengers are easy, or punctuating the hush with some good gearchange whumps if you’re in Sport or above. The Aircap system continues to feel as superfluous as it did when Cam T drove the standard soft-top back in April, mind, even with today’s winds to contend with. Which is more a compliment on how refined the car is out of the box than a dig at Merc’s overeager engineers.
The main sticking point is price, which starts at a chunky £77,075 but will roll around like a fruit machine once you start perusing the options, that £7,500 (!) Performance pack requiring similarly pricey Night Edition trim to trigger its options box on UK cars. Cheeky. If you want Race mode this is a £90k car, a price point at which a small handful of the interior plastics start to feel exposed. It’s also an enormous chunk of cash for something which, at least to my eyes, resembles more a C-Class than an E – even if the CLE pretty successfully combines the best of both its forebears. But that’s the price you pay for such broad capability.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4Matic+ Cabriolet
Engine: 2999cc six-cylinder, turbocharged, mild hybrid
Transmission: nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (RWD mode optional)
Power (hp): 449 @ 5800rpm-6100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 413 @ 2200rpm-5000rpm (443 with overboost)
0-62mph: 4.4 seconds (4.2 optional)
Top speed: 155mph (168mph optional)
Weight: 2110kg
MPG: 29.5
CO2: 218g/km
Price: from £77,075
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