The Nurburgring in the cold, damp fall isn’t the most natural habitat for a convertible unless it’s a Mercedes-AMG CLE 53. The latest CLE convertible’s well-insulated top should keep the worst of the German weather out, and the combination of AMG chassis tuning and a powerful new V6 engine means it ought to be no slouch around the famous former-F1 track.
To recap, we’ve already been formally introduced to the regular Mercedes CLE in both coupe and convertible forms. The CLE is based on the C-Class sedan platform but replaces both the old C-Class and E-Class Coupes and Convertibles, being sized somewhere between the two. But Mercedes hasn’t officially unveiled the AMG-fettled versions of either body style, meaning these latest spy shots are our best indicator yet of what’s coming to dealers next spring.
While previous AMG CLE spy shots showed prototypes wearing heavy disguise, these new images leave very little to the imagination, allowing us to see the aggressive shape of the front bumper’s air intakes, the flared fenders, and also the four circular exhaust tailpipes that are specific to the 53 model (the 63 will get four square tips).
Related: 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet Shows More Of Its Topless Silhouette
The C-Class sedan downsized both its previously-V6-powered C43 and V8-engined C63 to four-cylinder powertrains that deliver plenty of power but the C63 in particular has received lukewarm reviews despite delivering 671 hp (680 SP). But according to EPA documentation seen earlier this year, the CLE 53 will retain 3.0-liter V6 power, while adopting the mild-hybrid engine from the latest GLE 53 mated to a 4Matic all-wheel drive system. That would give it 429 hp (435 PS) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm), or the same power as the previous CLE 53, but 29 lb-ft (39 Nm) more torque.
So where does that leave the CLE 63? The EPA document didn’t list it among its 2024 models, suggesting it won’t appear until the 2025 model year, but we’re expecting that to get a plug-in hybrid version of the 53’s V6 that could theoretically be worth around 700 hp (710 PS) and over 800 lb-ft (1,084 Nm) of torque.
