Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz has slowly but steadily dropped (pun intended) some of the cabriolets and roadsters in its lineup over the past few years. Luckily, the German brand hasn't abandoned them entirely, hence the impending arrival of the all-new, first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet series.
Looking back with sadness rather than anger, we remember that Mercedes-Benz gave up on the AMG GT Roadster, the S-Class Cabriolet, SLC, or the open-top variants of the C-Class and E-Class in recent times. Well, at least the latter two get a spiritual heir – the previously announced CLE Cabriolet series. The company promises to continue the long-standing tradition of building open-top cars that let four people have the wind flowing through their hair. Not at speed, though, thanks to the acoustic soft top, Aircap, Airscarf, or other comfortable gizmos.
Of course, the CLE Cabriolet is entirely based on the CLE Coupe series, and Mercedes promises that – at least in Europe – the drop-top will be ready for summer adventures as ordering is already available with the first deliveries scheduled for late April 2024, at least on the Old Continent. Additionally, they have already revealed some of the pricing details – at home in Germany, the CLE Cabriolet MSRPs kick off at 66,402 euros, which is $71,469 at the current exchange rate. It's pricey, what did you expect?
Anyway, Mercedes promises that almost nothing will disturb the occupants thanks to improved features like the Aircap electric wind deflector system or the Airscarf headroom heating system, which comes standard. The soft fabric (acoustic) top can be mixed and matched with the body color in black, red, or grey and performs the open or close operations in just 20 seconds at speeds of up to 60 kph (37 mph). Inside, Mercedes fits the CLE Cabriolet with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster and a driver-oriented 11.9-inch portrait central display.
A nice little feature of the latter is the option to electrically adjust it by tilting from 15 to 40 degrees to prevent glare from the sun when the soft top is stored away. Also, Mercedes has equipped the seats with a special coating designed to reflect near-infrared radiation from the sun, resulting in a 12-degree cooler leather during hot summer days. The leather and Nappa leather can be had in black, macchiato beige/black, tonka brown/black, power red/black, and white/black, while the standard Avantgarde Line is equipped with black Artico/Microcut leather.
At least in Europe, under the CLE Cabriolet's hood, three powertrain options reside. All of them are mild hybrids, and the CLE 200 variant boasting 201 horsepower is offered with RWD or AWD (68,782 euros or $74,024). This version accelerates to 100 kph (62 mph) in 7.9 or 8 seconds, while the CLE 220d with 197 diesel ponies has the same MSRP as the CLE 200 AWD and almost the same performance specifications with a smaller combined fuel consumption.
Of course, the CLE Cabriolet is entirely based on the CLE Coupe series, and Mercedes promises that – at least in Europe – the drop-top will be ready for summer adventures as ordering is already available with the first deliveries scheduled for late April 2024, at least on the Old Continent. Additionally, they have already revealed some of the pricing details – at home in Germany, the CLE Cabriolet MSRPs kick off at 66,402 euros, which is $71,469 at the current exchange rate. It's pricey, what did you expect?
Anyway, Mercedes promises that almost nothing will disturb the occupants thanks to improved features like the Aircap electric wind deflector system or the Airscarf headroom heating system, which comes standard. The soft fabric (acoustic) top can be mixed and matched with the body color in black, red, or grey and performs the open or close operations in just 20 seconds at speeds of up to 60 kph (37 mph). Inside, Mercedes fits the CLE Cabriolet with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster and a driver-oriented 11.9-inch portrait central display.
A nice little feature of the latter is the option to electrically adjust it by tilting from 15 to 40 degrees to prevent glare from the sun when the soft top is stored away. Also, Mercedes has equipped the seats with a special coating designed to reflect near-infrared radiation from the sun, resulting in a 12-degree cooler leather during hot summer days. The leather and Nappa leather can be had in black, macchiato beige/black, tonka brown/black, power red/black, and white/black, while the standard Avantgarde Line is equipped with black Artico/Microcut leather.
At least in Europe, under the CLE Cabriolet's hood, three powertrain options reside. All of them are mild hybrids, and the CLE 200 variant boasting 201 horsepower is offered with RWD or AWD (68,782 euros or $74,024). This version accelerates to 100 kph (62 mph) in 7.9 or 8 seconds, while the CLE 220d with 197 diesel ponies has the same MSRP as the CLE 200 AWD and almost the same performance specifications with a smaller combined fuel consumption.
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