I wasn’t sure Mercedes was capable of building a car like this anymore. Some time ago they kind of lost their way, and started aping BMW’s approach of making all of their cars tech-forward and, ugh, “sporty.” The trouble is that BMW has kind of always been better at this, so they’re in the sticky spot not being good at what they’re trying to do, and they’re not good at what they used to do, either. This 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLE 450 Cabriolet is the kind of car they used to build. It is, in a word, lovely.

Style

A minor problem with modern Mercedes design language is that all their cars look very similar inside and out, which tends to devalue their flagships, but does wonders for cars like this. Save for the optional 20-inch AMG wheels and Night Package – neither of which I care for at all in this application – this car isn’t trying to be something it isn’t. There’s no AMG badges, no stripes, no crackling exhaust, no carbon fiber, just a elegant boat-tail boulevardier. I’m on board.

Substance

Just because it’s not going out of its way to shout about how fast it is doesn’t mean it can’t hustle. Its three-liter turbocharged straight-six engine makes 375 horsepower and 369 foot-pounds of torque, which are more than enough to make this car fly if you’re so inclined. Adaptive air suspension and a stiff, well dialled chassis provides good handling balance with satisfying enough feedback, and the engine can be configured to deliver a surprisingly brawny bellow. Mercedes cars have always been quietly competent performers, this CLE 450 is no different, and that’s the last I’ll say about the topic.

Performance is not the point, even if it can do it quite well. I’d want this powertrain even if I swore to never slay a speed limit ever again. Being a straight-six, it is naturally harmonically sound; all of the active engine mounts, balance shafts, acoustic tuning and noise cancelling in the world will never make a four-cylinder mill feel anywhere near as good as this. It is so surreally smooth and quiet, it might as well be a turbine. 

A critical reader might ask: why not just get an EV if that’s your goal? That’s valid, but I’ll counter that EVs don’t feel like anything at all… which can be nice, at the expense of being completely and totally void of character. This is classical refinement, a result of decades of engineering prowess, and it’s something properly luxurious. It’s luxury that means more than just more screens. Everything has screens now, but this kind of mechanical quality is what you’re paying for with a three-pointed star.

Cost

Quick note on that: this car rings up at $95,000. Not cheap, but not at all unreasonable for something so lovely, and in a rare turn of events, it undercuts a comparable BMW 440i Convertible. Not by much, mind you, but it usually doesn’t work that way at all. 

Comfort

Convertibles aren’t usually this comfortable, either. The ride is fabulous, exhibiting the same measured waft over the road usually reserved for Benzes with an extra 1 preceding the price tag. The seats are ergonomically sculpted, softly lined, and can even give you a massage. Chassis shudders and cowl shakes that are usually endemic to convertibles in at least some degree are absent. 

Perhaps most impressive of all is how quiet it is. Sure the engine is quiet (not characterless), and the body is well insulated from road noise, but the wind turbulence is so well managed it’s a little bewildering. With the windows, windshield wing, and rear deflector all raised while the top is down, you can sail at sizeable speed without having to worry about windage at all. Combined with heated and ventilated seats, plus Mercedes’ signature AirScarf puffing hot air on your neck, you can enjoy the exterior elements without being exposed to any of the harshness that comes with them. It’s incredible.

Assembly

Speaking of harshness, fit and finish has been a persistent issue since Mercedes rolled out this slick looking dashboard with a floating portrait 11.9-inch touchscreen across all of their cars, and creaks and rattles have interrupted Mercedes’s otherwise commendable efforts in quiet. Not so is the case here; it’s the same design as far as I can tell, just more snug and silent, even with the top up, which itself gives up almost no refinement to a fixed roof coupe.

Mercedes infotainment takes some getting used to (and a tolerance for touch controls), but it does work quite well, and offers a lot of flexibility in how you choose to get things done. Everything works well once you’ve got it figured out, and figuring things out is rarely frustrating; I have to concede I never figured out how to fire the heated steering wheel without using voice commands, which thankfully have also gotten considerably better. The Burmester 3D audio system works absolutely beautifully, and Mercedes driver assistance tech is among the best in the business.

A summary

I was driving to work on my second day with this car, enjoying the sunshine, getting a massage, having my neck warmed and my back cooled, listening to the Beach Boys, and it hit me: this feels like a vacation. It’s a rolling resort quietly tending to your every need, making sure that above all else you are relaxing and being refreshed, with an army of horses at your beck and call if needed, heaven forbid. In a 2025 Mercedes CLE 450 Cabriolet, every day is a leisurely day in paradise, and I don’t think I’ve driven another car that nails lovely quite like this does.