Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
The open-top version of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLE has just followed in its fixed-roof sibling’s footsteps by dropping most of its heavy camouflage to reveal the curvaceous body.
Looking more and more like a modern-day CLK, it will actually act as the direct successor to the two-door variants of the C-Class and E-Class. As a result, it will gun for the likes of the Audi A5, BMW 4 Series, and other premium compact coupes and convertibles, with proper driving dynamics, in theory at least.
Hopefully, it won’t be known for the cheap build quality, a big issue for most modern-day models that wear the three-pointed star logo. Nonetheless, that’s a thing that will be answered after the premiere. In the meantime, let’s see what the latest scooped prototype, spotted in Germany by our spy photographers, is all about, in terms of the design anyway.
It has a pair of sweptback LED headlights flanking the typical grille, with a single horizontal slat in the middle. The front and rear bumpers have a clean styling, and it sports a rag top that can be lowered at the push of a button, which is automatically stored in a special compartment behind the rear seats. When the vinyl stickers will be removed, it should look very similar to the latest C- and S-Class, likely sporting a portrait-oriented screen in the middle of the dashboard.
Believed to be based on the same platform as the new-gen C-Class, the CLE is expected to share some (or perhaps most) of its powertrains. The Affalterbach brand will have its way with it, probably with the AMG 43 model kicking off the range that might be topped by the 63. The latter should use a 2.0-liter four-pot, with a rear-mounted electric motor, just like the latest C 63, which has 680 ps (670 hp / 500 kW) and a dizzying 1,020 Nm (752 lb-ft) of torque.
We wouldn’t hold our breath for a potential launch in the United States, as it might not apply for a U.S. visa at all. On the right side of the pond, it should launch next year, with the unveiling allegedly taking place in the coming months.
Hopefully, it won’t be known for the cheap build quality, a big issue for most modern-day models that wear the three-pointed star logo. Nonetheless, that’s a thing that will be answered after the premiere. In the meantime, let’s see what the latest scooped prototype, spotted in Germany by our spy photographers, is all about, in terms of the design anyway.
It has a pair of sweptback LED headlights flanking the typical grille, with a single horizontal slat in the middle. The front and rear bumpers have a clean styling, and it sports a rag top that can be lowered at the push of a button, which is automatically stored in a special compartment behind the rear seats. When the vinyl stickers will be removed, it should look very similar to the latest C- and S-Class, likely sporting a portrait-oriented screen in the middle of the dashboard.
Believed to be based on the same platform as the new-gen C-Class, the CLE is expected to share some (or perhaps most) of its powertrains. The Affalterbach brand will have its way with it, probably with the AMG 43 model kicking off the range that might be topped by the 63. The latter should use a 2.0-liter four-pot, with a rear-mounted electric motor, just like the latest C 63, which has 680 ps (670 hp / 500 kW) and a dizzying 1,020 Nm (752 lb-ft) of torque.
We wouldn’t hold our breath for a potential launch in the United States, as it might not apply for a U.S. visa at all. On the right side of the pond, it should launch next year, with the unveiling allegedly taking place in the coming months.
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