In recent years, the Mercedes-Benz lineup has become more and more confusing. It seems as though there’s a model for a third of the letters of the alphabet. Mercedes-Benz has realized this as well and are now streamlining their lineup. The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE-class replaces four models with two. The C-class and E-class coupe & cabriolets are now gone. This new car takes up those spots and aims to be the best of both.
Performance
Engine – The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet is only available with one powertrain, for the Canadian market at least. It has a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a 48-Volt mild hybrid system. It produces 255 hp & 295 lb-ft of torque (190 kW & 400 Nm) with a 0-100 km/h time of 6.6 seconds according to Mercedes. With the mild-hybrid system, the electric motor and electric supercharger provide a temporary boost for the engine before the turbocharger gets up to speed. This engine feels a bit sluggish under 2,000 rpms but once the needle gets past that magic number, it pulls quite hard to the redline. It won’t provide grin-inducing acceleration but for a convertible cruiser such as this, it’s enough power.
In the United States, the CLE Cabriolet is available with the turbocharged inline-6 cylinder engine (with a 48-Volt mild hybrid) from the E450 sedan. The coupe version of the CLE-class is also available with a more powerful version of this inline-6 engine in the CLE 53 AMG.
Fuel Economy – This new CLE 300 Cabriolet is rated for 10.1 L/100km (23.3 MPG) in a city and 7.3 L/100km (32.2 MPG) on a highway. I managed to get 8.7 L/100km (27 MPG) during my time with the car.
If you find yourself driving on highways often, you can switch the car to the Eco mode for improved fuel efficiency. In this mode, the engine will momentarily shut off every time the driver lifts their foot off the throttle pedal. This allows the car to travel a little bit further without losing any momentum from engine braking. When throttle is reapplied or the brake pedal is depressed, the engine fires up immediately. This is a very smooth and unobtrusive system.
Transmission – Paired with the engine is a 9-speed automatic transmission. With this car being a grand tourer more than anything else, the transmission shifts are tuned to be as smooth as possible. The transmission has a tendency to hold the current gear under moderate throttle applications. It gives the impression that it doesn’t like to shift often and rev the engine. In Sport mode, It holds the engine’s rpms just above 2,000 for better response but it still has a tendency to not downshift unless the throttle is almost fully pressed.
Braking – My biggest gripe with the Mercedes C300 sedan was the feel of the brake pedal. It used a blend of regenerative braking & physical braking but it did it sequentially. As in, it used regen baking first to slow the car down and then applied the friction brakes when more stopping force was required. This sequential form of braking gave it a very odd and unnatural braking feel.
Thankfully, Mercedes learned their lesson with the CLE 300. It still uses regen braking for the 48-Volt mild hybrid system along with the physical brakes. But instead of the two types of braking systems being sequential, they’re blended. As a result, the brake pedal feels normal. It provides a firm feel even under light braking applications. It’s not 100% perfect as the regen braking is still felt when initially pressing it, however, it is a million times better than the C300.
Handling – The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet has the same wheelbase as the C300 sedan. However, it is a little bit longer and wider than the C-class but shorter and narrower than the E-class sedan. With the relaxed nature of this convertible, it’s not a particularly exciting car to drive quickly around twists and turns. Yes, the steering is sharp but very light. The 4MATIC system quells any oversteer despite it being a rear-biased AWD system. And while this demo vehicle has optional AMG-Line sport suspension fitted to it, the damping still feels a tad soft through turns. But you know what? I think the handling dynamics are fine because this car does not have an AMG badge on the trunk.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – With the softer suspension tuning, the CLE 300 feels more like an E-class rather than a C-class. The ride is not as supple as that of an S-class, but it is noticeably smoother than that of the C300. The harshness of road bumps and imperfections are softened and smoothed out by the suspension despite the low profile tires of the optional 20” wheels.
I also find the front seats to be comfortable for long journeys. The padding is soft and the adjustable bolters and thigh support provide plenty of space for a wide variety of body types. Additionally, they can be equipped with a massaging function as this demo vehicle was equipped.
Interior Space – As is the norm, front occupants have the most amount of space in the CLE. At 6’4”, I had plenty of legroom and plenty of headroom even with the top up. Visibility is good with the only minor obtrusion being the thick A-pillar. But rear visibility and blind zone visibility is good even with the top in the up position.
As is the norm in the back seats, they’re very tight for adults, particularly for someone that is as tall as me. Perhaps if an average height adult sat in the front seat and another of equal height sat in the back, it would be fine. But ideally, they’re meant for little kids. Or they can be folded down for more cargo space. The trunk has 385 L of cargo space when the soft top is up. With the top down, it has 295 L of cargo space. Under the trunk floor, you’ll find a very handy collapsible crate but no spare wheel.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Though this is a convertible with a soft top, the cabin is surprisingly quiet when the top is up. Instead of wind noise, the most intrusive noise is actually tire noise. Better yet, it’s no louder in the CLE 300 than it is in a GLB 250 for example. Engine noise is well subdued under normal driving conditions and the mild-hybrid system provides a very smooth auto start/stop function.
When the top is down, there is some wind buffeting as is to be expected. But the Mercedes CLE 300 has a rear wind guard and a front wind deflector which rises from the top of the windshield. But this front wind deflector induces a lot of wind noise at speed. However, it does its job well.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet is not a cheap convertible. It starts at $71,650 CAD ($65,500 USD)with this demo vehicle costing $87,450 CAD ($78,340 USD) which is an almost fully loaded price.
Gadgets – Arguably the biggest gadget is that soft-top roof. You can have it in classic black, grey or red but the latter two colours are dependent on the body colour. For example, you can’t have this Spectral blue metallic paint with the red top. The soft top can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds and while moving at up to 60 km/h. Unlike the Mercedes SL, the soft top operation buttons are physical and they’re located on the center console.
Other gadgets in this CLE 300 Cabriolet include soft, Nappa upholstered seats with heating, cooling, and massaging, the air scarf is a standard feature and it’ll blow warm air on your neck during colder days with the top down, there’s a Burmester 3D surround sound system with two speakers mounted on the soft top lid, and then there are the usual features that you’d expect to see in a Mercedes-Benz such as this. Some of these include a head-up display, dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, surround view cameras, memory seats, keyless entry, customizable drive modes, and LED digital headlights to name a few.
This CLE 300 incorporates a 3rd generation MBUX infotainment system. For the most part, it looks the same as the 2nd generation MBUX that is found in many current Mercedes-Benz vehicles. However, it has more processing power and is faster to respond to fingertip inputs. It also has simpler icons on the main menu screen. The system is displayed on an 11.9” touchscreen which can tilt from 12 degrees to 32 degrees. This is to reduce sunlight glare.
Interior Design – When stepping inside the CLE 300, it’ll immediately feel like you’ve stepped in the C-class sedan. The interior design is identical. The center touchscreen flows into the center console which has a small cover that reveals two cup holders and the phone charging pad, there’s a 12.3” digital driver display with different designs to choose from, it has the same double spoke steering wheel with capacitive touch controls, and the same air vent design. Visually, it looks great. Functionality wise, it is a nightmare to use while driving. Granted, some of the functions, such as setting the climate temperature, can be set via voice commands. But a few physical buttons or knobs or toggle switches didn’t hurt anyone. Bring them back Mercedes-Benz!
Exterior Design – The front-end of the new CLE Cabriolet is also reminiscent of the C-class sedan. It has broadly similar grille and bumper designs with slightly different headlights. The rear is more unique to the CLE with a slim illuminated tail lamp but fake exhaust tips. It looks like Mercedes took a page out of Audi’s book.
Safety – Like many other current Mercedes-Benz models, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet is equipped with a lot of standard safety & driver aids which include lane departure warning, blind zone sensors, & automatic emergency braking. However, customers can opt to get the Driver Assistance package which adds enhanced versions of the standard driver & safety aids. Some of these include active lane change assist, evasive steering assist, and route-based speed adaptation.
Warranty – The 2024 CLE 300 Cabriolet is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle & powertrain warranty, whichever comes first. Extended warranty can be added for an additional cost. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For information on USA warranty, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, the new 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet looks and drives like a C-class but it has the ride of an E-class. So in a way, it does bridge the gap between the two Cabriolet models it replaces. However, it does feel a bit more like a C-class rather than being perfectly in between the C and E-class Cabriolets which it replaces.
Thank you to Mercedes-Benz Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Mercedes-Benz.ca
2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet Gallery
