If you’ve never read any of my reviews before, I’ll quickly catch you up to the fact that Mercedes-Benz is my favourite brand. I’ve owned almost a dozen of their previous products, and happily, two of them were predecessors of this new CLE.
OK, OK, I admit that I’m not only flexing but also stretching a bit here. My all-time favourite car (not just Mercedes-Benz) was a 2003 CLK 500 coupé, while one my current favourites is a 2001 CLK 55 AMG. I love a two-door Mercedes, I adore their wasteful style, and I especially enjoy them if they’re powered by something senselessly large.
Oh dear.
Not only did the press fleet bring us a rag-top version of the new two-door CLE range, they also had a disappointingly small choice of engines (at this point in time, mid 2025) with an equally dismal amount of cylinders or swept capacity. Your current choice of non-AMG CLE models is limited to a 2-litre turbo-petrol and… that’s it, actually.
Merc’s four models in their price list consist of the CLE 200 with 167kW and 320Nm, or this CLE 300 with exactly the same motor but its turbocharger turned up to 11. This, together with the 48-volt mild hybrid system they all possess, shoves maximum power and torque figures up to 207kW and 400Nm.
Back to those CLK predecessors I own(ed), who initiated a clever strategy the Stuttgart brand came up with in the mid-90’s. They built a two-door version on their accomplished and successful C-Class platform, but dressed it with design and technological trinkets from the more expensive E-Class; theoretically spanning coupé punters from both model series.
Oh, and convertibles too, as both CLK generations were also available with a powered soft top. Gen one went from about 1997 to 2002, gen two marched on until 2009, and its heavy E-Class-biased replacement made it to about 2017 before a full E-Class coupé/convertible range went into service until about 2023.
And so we arrive back at the CLE, which reverts to the original CLK’s recipe of using a good mix of C-Class and E-Class bits to cater to both ranges. They even managed to (finally) capture that in its name, CLE, which includes the letters of both parents. Although “L” usually denotes long wheel-base cars, so technically this should have been called a CCE, CKE or CSE.
CLE rolls off the tongue a bit better though, don’t you think?
So, let me finally tell you about my few glorious days with this 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 4Matic Cabriolet, finished in some sort of black metallic with – jissie bru – lipstick red leather interior. Prices for this CLE 300 Cabriolet start at 1.5m Rand with plenty of room to the top for delicious extras.
Selecting everything we could, the configurator price rose to just over 1.9 million. Also, the AMG pack is non-negotiable in our region. And for the record, the proper AMG version is called CLE53, is only available as a coupé, uses a mild-hybrid 3-litre turbo-petrol in-line six-cylinder and pushes out a healthy 347kW and 600Nm. Yours from about 2.1 million ZAR.
Back to this CLE 300 and thanks to a trick all-wheel drive system, Mercedes claims 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds. We got a blistering 6.2. To add some historical perspective, my own CLK55 (with a fairly superior 255kW) barely managed 6.1.; although I hasten to add that it did so with lit-up rear tyres in first gear.
By comparison, this CLE launched hard and clean.
Another advantage this new car had was a super-smooth but extremely agile nine-speed automatic gearbox, which pairs perfectly with this charged-up and battery-assisted 2L firecracker. By the way, I meant “super-smooth” in its default Comfort setting, ditto for Eco, while Sport or Race grant you that extreme agility I was alluding to.
Top speed is 250km/h, no doubt electronically limited, while average fuel use from the 66L tank is claimed at 7.8L/100, although I often saw ten plus while enjoying this car’s rapid power and grippy traction around my mountainous neighbourhood. It easily dipped to seven on the open road, plus it won’t surprise you to learn that a new CLE steers, brakes and cruises with grace and precision.
One such outing was undertaken by my darling wife (and two-time Benz owner) who loaded some colleagues into the dark drop-top Benz and headed to Cape Town for a day conference. This ended a bit earlier than expected, so the ladies took advantage of a crisp spring afternoon by dropping the roof and coasting along the Atlantic Seaboard in style.
Any concerns? Other than initial roof button searches and some infotainment lessons, the three ladies beamed with admiration for the beautiful Benz. A brief cocktail (and mocktail) outing even saw them secure VIP parking because the valet service instantly recognised the street cred of a jet black Mercedes gently carrying a trio of business women.
Which leads me to my overall impression and a half-hearted attempt to close this review. Of course this car is too expensive and has some frustratingly complicated technology on board. But it’s incredibly refined and well thought out. Yeah, it doesn’t rumble like an old V8 but given a boot full of throttle at the lights, it can certainly give them a proper fright.
On top of that, it can be quiet and comfy or fruity and rude at the press of a button (or swipe of a screen) while offering you every modern safety, luxury or convenience item your heart could desire. Now factor in the performance I just mentioned, plus the front-passenger focussed layout, and the new CLE range is a very worthy descendant of the brilliant CLK series.
