2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet First Test: Quick Top, Quicker Car
We finally test the sportiest version of the CLE convertible.
Pros
- Straight-line quick
- Easy top operation
- AMG style
Cons
- Comfort mode too mushy
- Top’s slight weight penalty
- 20-inch rims mildly impact ride
Few cars these days seem to come in as many flavors as the 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class. Shoppers can choose from a coupe or convertible—the former great for grand touring and the latter excellent for beach cruising. You can also choose between a fuel-efficient turbocharged I-4, a turbocharged I-6 for more oomph, and a more powerful version of that straight six augmented by an electric supercharger, dolled up in a sportier AMG wrapper. We’ve tested just about every variation of the CLE since its release last year, except for one of the nichest—the high-performance 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet. Until now. Here’s how it stacks up against its coupe sibling and its biggest rivals from BMW.
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Why It’s Important
Running down the spec sheet, you’ll find the CLE53 Cabriolet’s numbers largely match those of its four-seat CLE53 coupe sibling. The only real difference is the drop top’s 189-pound weight increase that our scales revealed due to its trick power-folding soft top. Under the hood, the CLE53 cab sports a version of the automaker’s 3.0-liter turbocharged I-6 that’s also been mildly hybridized and electrically supercharged to the tune of 443 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. That power gets routed through a nine-speed automatic and then on to a standard all-wheel-drive system. Other AMG-massaged performance hardware includes standard four-wheel steering, larger brakes versus standard CLEs, sport-turned electronic adaptive dampers, and a full suite of AMG software, including Race and Drift modes.
Prices for the AMG CLE53 start at $83,750; our near-loaded test example listed at $102,960.
There aren’t many competitors in the two-door, four-seat sport convertible market, but the CLE53 splits the difference nicely between the BMW M440i and M4 Competition convertibles, bridging the $21,000 and 137-hp gaps between the two. Alternatives such as the Lexus LC500 Convertible start well north of $100,000, while at the other end of the spectrum, cars like the Ford Mustang GT Convertible offer more performance at the expense of luxury.
Pros: What We Like
The whole point of purchasing a convertible over its coupe counterpart is the ’vert’s folding top, so we’ll start there. Simply put, there may be no other convertible on the market that makes raising and folding a top while on the move this easy. The power top on the CLE line works at speeds up to 37 mph and takes about 10 seconds to operate, making it easy to raise and lower to your heart’s content while cruising around town. The CLE53, like its CLE450 and CLE350 Cabriolet counterparts, also employs the brand’s trick Aircap and Airscarf systems that help make for a significantly nicer in-cabin experience with the top down.
The AMG add-ons make this CLE Cabriolet quite enjoyable to drive in its Sport+ or Race settings. In these modes the CLE53 feels far more reactive and responsive to driver inputs and is more enjoyable to drive than when left in the default Comfort mode. The performance additions also help the car put on quite the show at our test track.
The AMG CLE53 Cabriolet sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and through the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 107.1 mph; that’s just a hair behind the coupe version’s 3.6 second to 60 and 12.1-second quarter mile at 113.8 mph. It’s also entirely respectable when compared to the rival M4 Competition Convertible and M440i Coupe (we haven’t tested the drop top), which took 3.2 and 4.0 seconds to hit 60 and completed the quarter in 11.3 seconds at 122.8 mph and 12.6 seconds at 110.2 mph, respectively.
In our braking and handling tests, the CLE53 Cabriolet took 107 feet to stop from 60 mph (versus 103 feet for the coupe) and 24.4 seconds at 0.80 g (average) through our figure-eight test (24.0 seconds at 0.83 g for the tin top). As for the BMWs, they again split the difference, with the M4 handily out-stopping and turning both of the CLE53s (100 feet and 23.5 seconds at 0.90 g) and the M440i trailing (109 feet and 24.7 seconds at 0.78 g).
Cons: What We Don’t Like
Although it’s thrilling in a straight line, the CLE53 Cabriolet certainly suffers the penalty of those nearly 200 pounds over its coupe sibling in corners. The deftness of the Benz’s four-wheel steering system can’t make up for its heavy, anodyne steering feel or the way the CLE takes a beat to react laterally on its springs as you navigate twisty hillsides. The optional 20-inch wheels also give the CLE’s suspension less to work with, making the Cabriolet feel flintier than the Coupe does on Botts dots, potholes, and uneven road surfaces.
Like with the coupe, we also found the CLE53 Cabriolet’s default Comfort drive mode to make the car’s hotted-up powertrain feel like it’s been smothered by a wet blanket, with dull throttle response and plenty of early upshifts from the transmission. Driving around with Sport as the default made for a more organic and enjoyable experience.
The Bottom Line
Despite its few shortcomings, there’s still plenty to like here—the 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet is a properly quick luxury car that makes up for handling deficiencies with a fantastic power-operating soft top and thrilling straight line performance.
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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