2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet | UK Review

Away from the rain in Spain, what's the 449hp '53 cabrio like in the great British summer?

The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 is a car we’re reasonably familiar with - and fond of - on PH now. This cabrio has been driven abroad, the coupe enjoyed a few months on the PH Fleet, and in fact every model of CLE. including lesser sixes and fours, has impressed to some extent. Not flooring anyone, sure, but their blend of style, performance, sense of occasion and, in the AMG derivatives, proper chassis smarts has made for some very appealing Mercedes - and in an entirely new model, too.

Having been drenched on the international Cabriolet launch, the drop-top CLE 53 has arrived in the UK just in time for the heatwave. There really couldn’t be a better time to see whether it’s worth the premium over a coupe, if it can rival more powerful alternatives - and if the divergent requirements of a Mercedes cabriolet, an AMG two-door and a four-wheel-drive CLE can all be balanced and respected. Doesn’t sound like the easiest ask, and must surely be why so many cars of this ilk are dismissed as not proper enthusiast machines - neither fish nor fowl, for want of a better phrase.

Those enamoured by the CLE’s look will dig the drop-top. It’s such an unavoidable hulk of a convertible, like those gym bros strutting on the beach; you wouldn't necessarily call the car fetching, but muscle mass does tend to draw the eye. As it did with the coupe, the wider tracks of the AMG model generate the sort of attitude denied to regular CLEs. There's enough bulked-up haunch here for a scrum to break out. Raising the roof takes some of the tautness away, though it’s surely a worthwhile compromise for the kind of top-down look you're left with.

Dropping the hood could hardly be simpler, and with the canvas collapsible at anything up to 37 mph, there’s almost always a good time. The roof operation is as quiet as throwing the sheets over your bed, and there remains little to rival the feel-good factor of a large AMG with a million miles of headroom. To be fair to the painfully conspicuous air deflectors (the button for them is between roof up and roof down), they ensure a marked difference to roofless refinement, making a 70 mph cruise eminently bearable. Your bonce gets just the right amount of breeze, and it soon becomes default to have them raised - ‘pure’ convertible seems a bit too blustery by comparison. Roof-up refinement is fantastic for a soft top; there’s never any mistaking it for a metal roof, though nor does it feel anything but very plush.

Traditionally speaking, one of the great joys of a convertible is extra exposure to the workings of an engine. Sadly, the AMG doesn’t quite deliver on that score, the main combustion sound being the huff and puff of turbos rather than melodic straight-six. The exhaust roar isn’t all that stirring either, even at its rowdiest - although the gearbox thumps are quite entertaining. AMG Real Performance Sound (yes, it’s a real thing) isn’t bad, the sound for the final couple of thousand revs being quite convincing. But it’s clear BMW remains the company to beat when it comes to straight-six sonics.

Nevertheless, the mild hybrid 3.0-litre remains a strong engine, the modest electrical assistance really helping in the lower rungs of the rev range and delivering ample welly to move along a whole lot of AMG - 2,110kg with a driver, no less. Despite the weight gain and the decapitation, plenty about this Cabriolet feels familiar from the hardtop, and just as impressive: steering weight and response are nicely judged, incorporating two steering axles smartly for the most part, the brake pedal is firm, and there’s abundant grip. Nobody would ever guess the kerbweight, because the damping is assured and the CLE changes direction eagerly enough - and very seldom would you want for more power either, with the help of nine closely stacked ratios and swift shifts.

What this ‘53 isn’t, however, is impervious to the usual convertible compromises. If a world away from the bad old days of speedy soft tops, there are murmurs and tremors to be endured. The CLE feels great over the larger rises and falls of the road, less so around secondary lumps and bumps. The rear-view mirror is the most obvious giveaway, though very occasionally the steering column feels a little shivery as well. It doesn’t hugely detract from the overall experience - not least because you have to be realistic about what four-seat convertibles can realistically achieve - but it does make you less inclined to explore the angrier drive modes. Stiffer suspension from Comfort only exacerbates the unrest, so much better to employ the Individual drive setting to introduce some fizz to the drivetrain while keeping the suspension at its most accommodating.

Our test car was fitted with the Pro Performance Package, the first time we’ve tried a CLE 53 in the UK with the £7,500 option. It features the Race drive mode, red calipers, a superb set of AMG seats, and a lovely steering wheel, plus dynamic engine mounts and Drift mode. Which is fully rear-wheel drive, rather than just rear-biased as in some instances, and turns the CLE into… well, an ever so slightly skiddier AMG, really. Such is the car’s inherent composure and control, plus ginormous 295-section rear tyres and a relatively modest (for an AMG) 413lb ft, that two-wheel drive doesn’t make it into a wild oversteerer. It means there’s some fun to be had on warm, dry tarmac, for sure, with a long wheelbase and good throttle response, albeit requiring a good chunk of commitment. It’s probably a box that can be left unticked - but we'd recommend you don’t sit in a car with the seats, or else it’ll be very hard to resist.

Another reason to avoid PPP is the simple fact that it pushes the CLE 53 towards BMW M4 territory. Add it to a Night Edition Premium Plus Cabriolet as here with a couple of other bits, and it makes for a £94,835 Mercedes - the BMW starts at £95,330. Yes, that’s fully loaded spec against a standard Competition, but then an M4 doesn’t require thousands spent for a rear-drive option. And it has 530hp. And it weighs 115kg less - which must be the first time this M3/4 generation has been lighter than a rival. That needn't detract from what is a sweetly executed fast soft-top experience, though. It’s luxurious and subdued when required, capable and satisfying on a good road, and generally a pleasure to be around. That last bit is intangible, of course, but a significant part of a cabrio’s appeal; every single car without a roof is an object of desire rather than necessity, after all. And from behind the wheel (or a camera lens), the CLE 53 feels very desirable indeed. No matter that it doesn’t drive with quite the precision of the coupe - that feel-good factor is more than adequate compensation.

SPECIFICATION | 2025 MERCEDES-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ CABRIOLET NIGHT EDITION PREMIUM PLUS

Engine: 2999cc turbo straight six, mild hybrid
Transmission: 9-speed automatic, all-wheel drive (RWD mode optional)
Power (hp): 449@5,800rpm-6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 413@2,200rpm-5,000rpm (443 with overboost)
0-62mph: 4.4 seconds (4.2 optional)
Top speed: 155mph (168mph optional)
Weight: 2,110kg
MPG: 29.5
CO2: 218g/km
Price: from £84,485 (price as standard; price as tested £94,810, comprising Spectral Blue paint for £715, AMG black Nappa leather for £1,000, Pro Performance Package (Incl. AMG Dynamic Plus Package (‘RACE’ drive programme, RACE START, Drift Mode and AMG dynamic engine mounts), AMG Performance Seat Package – High-End, AMG spoiler, AMG Performance steering wheel in carbon fibre, AMG Styling Package, red-painted brake calipers) for £7,500)

OP Posts Only

Prev 2 Next

OP Posts Only

Author

Discussion

Benzinaio

Original Poster

284 posts

16 months