It's not very often that you get to live out your passion at work, and I am one of the few fortunate souls to do that nearly every day. However, I recently managed to combine my love for cars and golf when I was invited to compete in the Motus Mercedes-Benz Trophy at Johannesburg Country Club Woodmead course! Mercedes-Benz wanted my experience to be like an owner's, so they provided me with a CLE300 cabriolet to take to the event.
Related: Mercedes-Benz CLE cabriolet (2024) First Drive Review
Pros:
- A practical drop-top
- Beautiful exterior and interior design
- More fun to drive than anticipated
- Refined for a cabriolet
- Surprisingly frugal
Cons:
- An extensive optional equipment list can significantly increase the price
- Interior material quality is a hit-and-miss
- While effective, the Aircap system looks clumsy
Exterior
Our CLE press unit features the brand's AMG bodystyling kit as standard, with the model equipped with a black fabric soft top in black and optional 20.0-inch AMG multi-spoke light-alloy wheels (R17 000). The Night Package (R 17 100) further darkens key exterior elements for a more aggressive look. Overall, I feel that Mercedes-Benz has nailed the design of the CLE in both coupe and cabriolet guise.
Interior
Nappa leather black seats are inside the CLE press car, which are beautiful, but are also a R60 000 option. The Multifunction sports steering wheel in Nappa leather (L5C) feels great. Ergonomics are excellent, and most features have been digitised intuitively. Similarly. the MBUX multimedia system with its central display is fast, has good resolution and is responsive. One can raise the screen when the top is down to avoid excessive reflections. The interior design is beautiful, but there are some poor-quality materials inside given the list price.
Drivetrain
Powering the CLE 300 is the M264 E20 DEH LA 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 190kW and 400Nm of torque with an additional 17kW of power courtesy of the EQ Boost 48-Volt system. This is paired with the brand's 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox.
Driving Impression
Safety
Mercedes equipped the CLE with a long list of safety features. Despite not yet testing the CLE range in a crash test, with the E-Class and C-Class that this model slots in between having achieved 5-star Euro NCAP ratings, it's safe to assume that even this drop-top version's safety in the event of an incident will be exceptional.
Fuel Economy
Claimed fuel consumption figures for this model are 7.8 L/100km, so our combined figure of 8.4 L/100km for the week was a pleasant surprise!
Pricing*
The starting price for the CLE 300 is R1 542 062. Still, the final cost can quickly climb with the Premium Plus Package (R 104 900) and Driving Assistance Package Plus (R 45 200) as just two examples. The key rival for the CLE is the BMW M440i xDrive cabriolet, which features the glorious B58 in-line six-cylinder engine despite having a slightly higher list price(R1 606 286).
*Pricing includes a 5-year/100 000km maintenance plan
Verdict
The Mercedes-Benz CLE cabriolet is a niche product, with two doors, a relatively lofty price tag and all the quirks that come with drop-top motoring. All things considered, the 300 4Matic model tested was surprisingly dynamic, frugal and practical, thinking it was used for the daily commute and to haul golf clubs to and from the course for a couple of days.
I rarely found it inconvenient, with space for rear occupants, provided they're not giants, a reasonable boot and loads of comfort. I only utilised the infinite headroom twice during my week with the car, considering we're close to winter in Johannesburg, and my general sentiment is that the coupe would suit me perfectly. If you're in the market for a premium cabriolet, the CLE ticks all of the requisite boxes, and even some that it shouldn't have to!
