2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet First Drive Review: I’m Sold

Despite my test drive being limited to a few hours in town traffic, I really got sold on the 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet. The car is all about creating a fantasy-world bubble for its occupants and it understands this assignment perfectly. You could be at a stop light in Omaha in October in this thing, drop the top, flick it into Sport+, and suddenly you’re hit with the same rush of adrenaline that you get hearing the Miami Vice theme opening guitar riff.

Mercedes’ discoteca interior ambiance drenches chrome and leather in intense decorative lighting. That plus the curved silver-trimmed wood pieces (or carbon), AMG’s enhanced exhaust note, and of course, infinite waves of fresh air coming in with the roof off make driving the CLE 53 feel like skipping through a cerulean ocean in an outlaw’s speed boat. And speaking of creating fantasies, the car does a decent job curating the weather even with the top open with its deployable “aircap” wind-deflecting aero and neck-warming “airscarf” along with the more familiar cooled and heated seats. Comfortable sporty seating for four adults lets you share this experience with friends and family in a way that most two-door performance cars cannot.

A pure sports car it ain’t, but the CLE 53 creates a uniquely fun experience that’s a little nostalgic without being retro. And even with a fair bit of weight to lug around, it’s plenty fast when you step on the gas.

The Basics

Mercedes-Benz has always been a champion of convertibles; as far as I can remember, the German automaker had something like half a dozen different drop-tops for sale concurrently at one point. The CLE Cabriolet represents a little consolidation there, effectively combining the smallish C-Class and medium-ish E-Class Cabriolets into one practically sized model.

Ultimately, the CLE 53 is a status symbol of sheet metal wrapped around some exceptional engineering. But whether you’re enamored with the brand or grossed out by ostentatious items in general, objectively speaking, this sport-luxury vehicle does a great job splitting the difference between comfort and performance.

The entry-level CLE Cabriolet is the CLE 300, listing around $70,000 with a moderate four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. Stepping up to the CLE 450 increases the starting price to about $76,000, giving you an inline-six and a huge jump in power. The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabrio I drove gets another healthy serving of additional horsepower thanks to AMG tuning and hybrid assistance. It also gets more aggressive suspension and braking options, a cooler driver interface, and artfully executed exterior garnishes at a starting price of around $83,000. All those models can be bought as hardtop Coupes too, by the way.

The rumor is that an upcoming CLE 63 will bring back a V8, but for now, the 53’s turbocharged M256M straight-six claims 443 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque thanks to a new turbo and an improved electric auxiliary compressor. For context, the CLE 450 is good for 375 hp and 369 lb-ft. The AMG variant makes itself known before you even fire it up—if the quad-exit exhaust and gorgeous wheel options don’t catch your eye, the flexed-muscle fenders and heatsink nostril on the hood will. The CLE 53 is 2.3 inches wider than the non-AMG car in the front and 3.0 inches wider at the rear. The hood vent, Mercedes’ people told me, is indeed functional assisting in both aerodynamics and engine heat reduction though the actual opening is only about a third the size of the grille.

A $2,000 AMG Dynamic Plus package is also available, getting you progressively stiffening engine mounts (helps eliminate the need to sacrifice comfort for responsiveness), immense six-piston brake calipers (more stopping power), a “Race” mode that gets you gut-punch launches on demand and a “Drift” mode that locks the car in rear-wheel-drive for power-sliding shenanigans. Otherwise, the car sends power to the front wheels as it sees fit to grab traction—typically you’re gonna want that enabled as it might save your bacon if you overcook a corner. The other option I appreciate is the $550 AMG Real Performance Sound exhaust treatment. We’ll dive a little more into all that next.

Driving the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53

Our CLE 53 road test in Dade County’s suffocating traffic on purgatorial straight roads was not enough to explore the depths of the car’s capabilities, but as my fellow editors replied when I moaned about this to them: “That’s where most of these things will get driven anyway.” That aside, the few blats I did get to make off stop lights and extra laps around roundabouts left me with the impression that the thing would be happy to hang on a proper driving road at an entertaining pace.

But what stood out to me most were ride quality and interior design. I was so impressed by how comfortable the car felt without any of the wallowing softness you might expect from a road boat. Drivers can toggle between comfort mode and multiple sportier modes, while also adjusting an “AMG Dynamics” level dictating overall aggressiveness—or personally set the suspension, engine response, and steering between a few levels of aggression. Even in Sport+, the car didn’t feel nearly as stiff as, say, a more old-school car on coilovers while offering far better responsiveness. Though, again, I’m saying that in the context of mostly casual driving.

Similarly, the AMG Dynamic Plus brakes are very forgiving in city traffic. I don’t know how many laps they’d last on a track, but based on their size alone I’m sure they’d be more than up to the challenge of backroad blasting.

The interior layout, controls, design, and displays offer a lot to like at any speed. Mercedes-AMG uses pretty much the same steering wheel on every model, and it does a solid good job looking clean while having a lot going on. The wheel rim size and girth are just right, and the animated satellite toggles for drive modes and exhaust loudness look cool and are easy to access. I’m less impressed by the plastic spokes with touch-sensitive buttons—things like stereo volume and infotainment controls are run by inputs that feel like the number buttons on a microwave. Not a dealbreaker, but I’m not a fan.

The cabin creates a fun atmosphere in a way so many modern cars have seemingly forgotten how to do. I’m not just talking about the material choices and colors, but the console, the dash, the door pulls, and most of the details surrounding the occupants feel artful and characterful. The main gauge cluster and infotainment center are screens, but Mercedes does a good job making the displays and operating system more visually interesting and unique than just a computerized picture of a tach and speedometer (though that is still a toggleable option).

The Burmester stereo is acceptable but not exceptional. The AMG Real Performance Sound is a far more interesting acoustic accomplishment. To try and create an earnestly exciting exhaust note for the car’s occupants without terrorizing the neighborhood or violating noise pollution rules, Mercedes has this optional system that hooks up a sensor to the exhaust and effectively amplifies the sound in the cabin. I’ve heard quite a few artificially augmented exhaust notes at this point, and I have to say this one is my favorite so far. I always feel a little silly amusing myself with any simulated performance enhancement, and it seems especially odd to pump any sound into the cabin of a convertible. But simply put, the loud mode sounded “real” to me. I’m sorry I can’t share it, my iPhone just didn’t do it any real justice.

Another major sound this car has to deal with is wind noise. With the top and windows up, it’s not library quiet, but it’s a heck of a lot more peaceful than a Miata with the roof buttoned on. The top drops in about 20 seconds, and with everything fully open it’s still not hard to have a conversation at 40 mph without speaking up. Rolling up the windows makes it very comfortable to chat at town speed, but activating the aircap, Mercedes’ name for the little spoiler that pops out of the top of the windshield and the mesh net that comes up out of the back, decreases cockpit air turbulence considerably. Mercedes’ people kept telling me how much quieter the aircap makes the cabin—I didn’t notice that much of a noise reduction over just windows up, but it definitely brought down the hair-blustering interior breeze.

And finally—I’ve made a few references to this being a four-seat car, and indeed, at six feet tall I was able to set the driver’s seat in a normal position and sit behind myself comfortably. Rear passengers don’t have any room to sprawl; they’ll be tucked in tight, but comfortably, not scrunched up egregiously. I’d be happy to ride back there for a couple of hours.

Personally, I think many people underrate a usable back seat. Being able to take your spouse, plus another couple, out together helps you get a lot more use out of a secondary car (which a convertible often is). And it’s a total game-changer if you have kids. Cargo space is pretty scant, though. Four people’s weekend luggage would not likely fit in the trunk.

Quick Verdict

No driving enthusiast would consider the CLE 53 a hardcore sports car, but there’s more than enough power and agility to have fun with this on a spirited ride. This AMG’s real value proposition, though, is being a remarkably practical impractical car. It’s a two-door with a cloth roof, but you can take three friends for a long ride. It’s taut and responsive when you want to dart out of traffic or up an on-ramp, but doesn’t punish you over potholes or real-world roads. No, it doesn’t have the visceral energy of a true, lightweight sports car, but the older I get, the more I appreciate balanced vehicles like this.

True four-passenger two-door sporty convertibles were never exactly common, but it wasn’t that long ago when a decent range of such cars existed for drivers in different tax brackets. Now with the Audi A5 Cabriolet and Chevy Camaro recently riding into the sunset, we’ve pretty much only got the Ford Mustang and Mini Cooper starting under $40,000, and Bentley Continental GTC and BMW 8 Series in six figures for real big spenders. Merc’s CLE here only has one true direct rival: the BMW 4 Series. In terms of performance specs and price, this AMG CLE 53 variant kind of slots between the M440i and mighty M4 Competition. A Mustang GT Convertible actually offers more power, and a V8, and an optional manual transmission for considerably less money—but as much fun as those can be, the elevated sophistication, luxury, and curbside gravitas possessed by the Germans more than justifies the premium if you can afford it.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet is objectively successful as a sporty, pleasurable touring car. Whether or not it’s good value for money depends on how much you have (doesn’t it always). The car isn’t so life-changing as to warrant stretching your budget or giving up restaurants to get one. But if it fits your budget, it’s hard not to enjoy. It’s certainly made me recognize how good modern convertibles can be.

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