Mercedes no longer makes convertibles of the C-Class or E-Class. So if you want a Mercedes’ base open-top car, you’ll have to buy one of these, the 2024 Mercedes CLE Cabriolet. The base price is $65,500, which is more than the drop-top C-Class but less than the E-Class Cabriolet. In the spring, you will also be able to buy it from dealers. The CLE Cabriolet looks a lot like the CLE Coupe, as the name suggests. For example, the headlights, taillights, and shoulder lines are all the same. It looks more sporty than the E-Class Cabriolet and cooler and sharper than the C-Class Cabriolet it replaces. With its split-spoke steering wheel, squircle air vents, and vertical navigation screen, the CLE Cabriolet’s cabin looks more like the SL-Class convertibles. To top it all off, the new CLE Cabriolet comes with the Mercedes Air Scarf and Air Cap, just like the SL-Class convertibles. Front riders can drive with the top down in cold weather, especially in the first one, because there is an air vent under their headrests to keep their necks warm. The second one has an automatic wind deflector behind the back seats and a pop-up wind deflector at the top of the window to move air over the people inside. The CLE-Class Cabriolet has four back seats instead of two, like the SL-Class models. It blends the style of the new SL-Class with the usefulness of the C-Class and E-Class convertibles that came before it. You can buy the CLE 300 4Matic Cabriolet and the CLE 450 4Matic Cabriolet right away. The old model, which cost at least $65,500, had a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that made 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It is linked to a 48-volt mild hybrid system with an integrated starting generator (ISG). The 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine in the CLE 450 makes 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The price is $77,600. The Mercedes CLE Cabriolet improves the brand’s convertible range by replacing two cars that did the same thing well with a more attractive and more affordable option. So get your checkbooks out (I mean, who still uses checkbooks?) Take a cruise if you want to look cool in drop-top, three-pointed shoes. It would help if you got ready (maybe with Apple Pay?) because the CLE Cabrio is on its way to the store closest to you.
