MERCEDES-BENZ CANADA - With the new CLE Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its long tradition of four-seater open-top dream cars. It combines dynamic driving characteristics with a high level of everyday comfort for year-round open-air enjoyment. The AIRCAP® electric wind deflector system and the AIRSCARF® headroom heating system are standard, and both systems have been further developed. They make open-top driving in cool outside temperatures more pleasant. The standard fabric acoustic soft top also contributes to year-round usability. It is available in black, red or grey. Its multi-layer structure with extensive insulation allows for optimal thermal comfort in all seasons. It also reduces wind and driving noise. The soft top opens and closes within 20 seconds up to a speed of 60 km/h. For the first time, its operation is completely electric, making it even quieter. The folded soft top is automatically separated from the remaining space in the luggage compartment.As the largest convertible in the mid-size segment, the sporty two-door model offers a high level of long-distance comfort for four people. Its dimensions are: 4,850 millimetres long, 1,861 millimetres wide, 1,434 millimetres high and a wheelbase of 2,865 millimetres. Thanks to a 25 millimetre longer wheelbase, the CLE Cabriolet is significantly more spacious than the C-Class Cabriolet. Rear passengers, for example, benefit from 14 millimetres more leg room, 22 millimetres more shoulder room and 17 millimetres more elbow room. With a volume of 385 litres (295 litres with the top down), the trunk is extremely practical for everyday use. If required, this space is expandable using the folding rear seat backrests. Customers can conveniently fold them down from the trunk in a 60:40 split. The trunk can also be opened contactless thanks to HANDS-FREE ACCESS as standard. KEYLESS-GO is also part of the standard equipment. The vehicle doors lock and unlock by touching a door handle.
Sporty luxury in a class of its own
The freestanding 12.3-inch fully digital instrument display and the 11.9-inch driver-oriented central display in portrait format are eye-catchers in the interior. The latter can be electrically tilted from 12 to 32 degrees to prevent distracting glare when the soft top is down. Another highlight is the optional dynamic ambient lighting. Bands of light sweep from the cockpit over the doors and rear side panels to behind the rear seats. This stylish wraparound feel is enhanced by two further details: the top of the dashboard, the beltlines and the soft-top stowage lid are upholstered in black man-made nappa leather effect. Added to this is the chrome trim that runs around the entire passenger compartment.
To prevent the optional leather seats from heating up too much in the summer, they have a special coating which reflects the sun's near-infrared rays. As a result, the leather remains up to 12 degrees cooler in direct sunlight than untreated standard leather. Even with the top closed, the interior heats up less thanks to the cool seat covers. The standard AVANTGARDE Line offers ARTICO man-made leather in black. The front seats, developed exclusively for the CLE, have an integral sports seat design. In conjunction with the optional Burmester® 3D surround sound system, they each have two loudspeakers level with the head restraints. This premium sound system has a total of 17 loudspeakers.
Exceptionally interactive and customized
The entertainment offering is highly interactive and personalized. Thanks to artificial intelligence, MBUX offers a new level of personalization with automated convenience functions. At market launch, customers will be able to use templates for standard routines. Examples include "Cold days" (seat heating switches on at a certain outside temperature) or "Date night" (romantic music plays via Bluetooth audio; the ambient lighting turns pink). Users access the templates via a carousel in the central display. They can also create their own routines by linking several functions and conditions. They are able to do this on the central display and the resulting routines appear under the "My routines" menu heading.
Dynamic and comfortable driving experience
The chassis of the new CLE Cabriolet provides driving pleasure on winding roads. At the same time, it offers exceptional ride comfort on long journeys. The comfort suspension, which has been lowered by 15 millimetres, is standard. It combines a supremely comfortable ride with responsive, sporty handling. A sports suspension with an amplitude-selective damping system is available as an option.
The Mercedes-Benz CLE 300 Cabriolet available in Canada offers a 2-litre inline 4-cylinder mild hybrid engine with integrated starter generator (ISG). The ISG also includes a 48-volt on-board electrical system that ensures functions such as coasting, boost and recuperation.
Sophisticated aerodynamics for maximum ride comfort
Open-top models such as the CLE Cabriolet face particular challenges in aerodynamic development. In addition to low aerodynamic drag, comfort properties take centre stage. These include reduction of draughts for all four passengers as well as acoustic comfort, which reduces annoying wind noise. Although the standard AIRCAP® reduces unwanted air turbulence when open, it is also a potential source of noise. Extensive fine-tuning in the wind tunnel led to an optimised design of the AIRCAP® system, which reduces noise to a minimum. The airflow is largely responsible for the final shape. This applies to the louvre geometry, the design of the radii and shapes in detail, the flow through the mesh fabric and the interaction with the rear wind deflector. Artificial heads and near-field microphones record all sounds precisely. At the same time, a dummy for analysing draughts measures the air currents close to the passengers' bodies. Both measuring instruments use data analysis to quickly and accurately detect and eliminate sources of error.
The requirements for the opening and closing of the soft top are also stringent. This function must work smoothly at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The soft-top system is subjected to even higher speeds in the wind tunnel. This is to ensure that the design functions reliably even in headwinds. No twisting or turning of any components is allowed, in order for them to reach the correct end positions. In addition, the entire system must seal acoustically. This includes the kinematics with its many moving parts, the gasket joints and all side windows including the guides. A new feature in the CLE Cabriolet is the seamless one-piece cover as the outer closure. In order to capture the acoustic contribution of the soft top, all body joints right up to the door handles are meticulously masked. The fabric roof must also retain its properties up to a top speed of 210 km/h, even if the wind load deforms it slightly at top speed ("ballooning,") at which the soft-top seals then have to work hard. Overall, the wind noise level has been further improved compared to the previous models.
Driving in the rain is also part of the specification. This is because the side windows must remain free of water film so that the view to the exterior mirrors is clear. However, the soft top has no rain gutters or rain mouldings like vehicles with a fixed roof. Precision work on the windscreen frame, the A-pillars and the exterior mirror covers of the CLE Cabriolet ensures that the rainwater is channelled so that the views to the mirrors remain as clear as possible.
Extensive safety equipment
Like all Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the CLE Cabriolet meets all high internal safety requirements, which go beyond the legal regulations and are based on real-life accidents. Thanks to specifically reinforced bodyshell structures, the four-seater has a high level of structural safety even without a fixed roof. Added to this is the rollover protection system. Together with the rigid A-pillars, it is intended to ensure survival space in the event of an imminent rollover. The restraint systems also offer a high level of protection in the event of an accident. The new centre airbag between the two front occupants and the PRE-SAFE® system, which can prepare the occupants and the vehicle for an imminent collision, also comes as standard.
Numerous driving assistance systems, some of which have been further developed, can support drivers and thus relieve them. The standard equipment includes ATTENTION ASSIST, Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Speed Limit Assist and the Parking package with reversing camera. The Driving Assistance Plus package is available as an option. It includes more than 10 latest-generation assistance and safety systems.
Technical Specs at a Glance
| | | CLE 300 4MATIC Cabriolet |
Displacement | cc | | 1,999 |
Rated power | hp | | 255 |
at | rpm | | 5,800 |
Additional power boost | hp | | 23 |
Rated torque | lb-ft | | 295 |
at | rpm | | 2,000-3,200 |
Additional torque boost | lb-ft | | 151 |
Acceleration 0-100 km/h | s | | 6.6 |
Top speed | km/h | | 210 |
