Bucket Seat: Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet

With the new CLE Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its long tradition of four-seater open-top dream cars. Expressive design, intelligent technology and upmarket equipment guarantee driving pleasure at an exclusive level. This new model is based on the sporty CLE Coupé. However, the classic fabric acoustic soft top and additional high-quality details give it a character of its own. The CLE Cabriolet combines dynamic driving characteristics with a high level of everyday comfort for year-round open-air enjoyment.

Open-air fun any time of year

The AIRCAP® electric wind deflector system and the AIRSCARF® headroom heating system are standard equipment. Both systems have been further developed. They make open-top driving in cool outside temperatures more pleasant. AIRCAP® consists of two elements: the wind deflector on the windscreen directs airflow over the occupants’ heads. It extends at the touch of a button. The automatic wind deflector behind the rear head restraints reduces turbulence more efficiently. AIRSCARF® produces even warmer airflow around the necks and throats of front-seat occupants – even in unfavourable wind conditions.

The standard-fit fabric acoustic soft top also contributes to the year-round usability of the CLE Cabriolet. It is available in the colours black, red or grey. The multi-layer structure with extensive insulation provides the basis for the best thermal comfort in all seasons. It also reduces wind and driving noise. The soft top opens and closes within 20 seconds up to a road speed of 60 km/h. For the first time, it is powered exclusively by electricity, making it even quieter. The standard-fit powered roller divider automatically separates the folded soft top from the remaining luggage compartment.

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 15 to 40 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 choice of colours offered for the sun-reflecting leather and nappa leather are: black, macchiato beige/black, tonka brown/black, power red/black and white/black. The standard AVANTGARDE Line offers ARTICO/MICROCUT 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 creates a particularly personalised and immersive music experience with Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio close to the ear. This premium sound system has a total of 17 loudspeakers.

Generous space inside

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. The dimensions are: 4,850 millimetres long, 1,861 millimetres wide, 1,424 millimetres high and a wheelbase of 2,865 millimetres. Rear passengers in particular benefit from the extra 25 millimetres on the wheelbase. Among other things, they have 72 millimetres more knee room and 19 millimetres more shoulder and elbow room. This makes the vehicle significantly more spacious than the C-Class Cabriolet.

With a volume of 385 litres (295 litres with the top down), the boot is extremely practical for everyday use. If required, this is extendable using the folding rear seat backrests. Customers can conveniently fold them down from the boot in a 60:40 split. Access to the luggage compartment is contactless and fully automatic with HANDS-FREE ACCESS. KEYLESS-GO is also part of standard equipment. The vehicle doors lock and unlock by touching the door handle.

Exceptionally interactive and customised

The entertainment offering is highly interactive and personalised. The third generation of the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system enables third-party apps. The MBUX Entertainment package is optionally available via the Mercedes me Store. It includes internet radio, music streaming and a data package from a selected third-party provider.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, MBUX also offers a new level of personalisation 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 do this on the central display and the resulting routines appear under the “My routines” menu heading.

Dynamic and comfortable driving experience with a powerful, top-of-the-range six-cylinder engine

The chassis of the new CLE Cabriolet enables 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 fitted as 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 optional DYNAMIC BODY CONTROL suspension facilitates a highly adjustable driving experience ranging from extremely sporty to comfortable through continuous, adaptive damping front and rear. The active suspension individually controls the damping characteristics for each wheel in conjunction with the engine, transmission and steering characteristics. This takes into account the driving situation, speed and road conditions. The DYNAMIC SELECT switch gives the driver a choice between a comfortable or firmer, sportier setup.

All engines are mild hybrids. Each has an integrated starter-generator and 48-volt on-board electrical system.

“Sublime, that’s the word that I would use to describe the all-new CLE model offerings that we have made available to our customers. These are the cars that people dream about, and they do not disappoint. We have come in very competitively with our pricing and customers have unmatched choice in terms of crafting their desired CLE model to their specification.” Alex Boavida. Vice President Sales and Marketing MBSA.

Bucket Seat: Lexus LC Convertible

When it comes to luxury, Lexus know what they're doing. The intricacy and details that goes into their models surpasses the standards in most German models let alone European ones in general. They spend time on perfection rather than rolling out what seems "right" and its because of this their models always feel special, none so than the recently launched LC Convertible which touched down on our shores last week. The bespoke luxury drop-top forms part of the LC Coupe line up, powered by a roaring naturally aspirated V8, all fitted into that jaw dropping modern design which now features a folding cloth top. The design is nothing short of extraordinary, with sharp lines and edgy creases, tear-drop like lights with classy edgings make it one beautiful car to look at. With the Coupe being so gorgeous and having those sweeping lines with the roof line, the designs didn't have an easy task for cutting the roof off and tying in a foldable one but they've managed to do a stunning job. Tadao Mori, Chief designer had this to say, "Few convertibles are stylish and elegant when the roof is open and when it is closed. We put maximum effort into realising the same beautiful roof line for the LC Convertible as for the coupe". The folding roof boasts an extra fold in the soft top to fit in the space between the rear suspension towers, creating a character line running form the front to the back. 

There is only one model for the LC Convertible and that is the LC 500, as mentioned before it boasts a very throaty naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine with direct injection, this in turn produces 351kW of power at 7100rpm and 540Nm of torque at 4800rpm. The 10-speed automatic gearbox has been recently-retuned with the revised chassis to leverage the best from the highly rigid GL_L rear wheel drive platform, and enable smooth ride comfort to coexist with excellent dynamics. The LC 500 Convertible can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.7 seconds, the car has a claimed fuel economy of 12.7L/100km and a C02 emissions figure of 290g/km. 

The interior of the LC 500 Convertible is ever luxurious as any high-end Lexus models, sporting only the finest materials and textures. The cabin is well laid and very kitsch, with impeccable craftsmanship that offers a level of opulence that intensely focuses on driver and passenger comfort. The instrument cluster features a LFA-style 8.0-inch digital screen with slide-out meter ring. A 10.3-inch multimedia screen with Lexus Remote Touch-pad. 13-speaker Mark Levinson Sound System, Dual-zone climate control, 10-way power electric seats with driver memory settings, heated and ventilated front seats, sports pedals and retractable door handles which make up just some of the features that are a standard on this model. 

The Lexus LC 500 Convertible comes standard with a best-in-class 7-year/105 000km warranty and full maintenance plan. This approach from Lexus illustrates the belief Lexus has in its vehicles master craftsmanship and outstanding build quality. Price on this bad boy is R2 345 000. 

Bucket Seat: BMW M4 Competition Convertible

This week saw BMW unveil the topless version of their most controversial model yet, the BMW M4 Competition. With the M3 and M4 already being acclimatized to the market, there still are some who still get uncomfortable looking at the large grille. Yes it is in your face and rather different from the brand but come now guys, its time to build a bridge, for me and many others, it looks great and the performance speaks for itself so lets forget about your opinion on the cosmetic aspects. Needless to say there was always going to be a performance model of the M4 and thank the heavens because BMW have opted to re-introduce the soft top. I mean, no offence to the hard top on the previous model but if you've ever driven the 4 Series with the folding hard top, you would know how much extra weight is added to the rear when folded as well as the car just not feeling hundred percent balanced. The only good thing I could speak about the folding hard top was that it looked cool while being opened or closed, almost like a transformer but that's about it for me. 

Anyway, lets not dwell on the past and look to the future with the all-new M4 convertible and my isn't she a beauty. BMW say that this is a new generation of top-class high performance sports car for the premium midsize segment. At the heart, the new M4 convertible retains the M TwinPower Turbo 3.0L inline 6-cylinder beast that powers its siblings the M3 and M4 Coupe, delivering 375kW and 600Nm of torque which propels the can from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds! Doing that with the roof down must be another level of thrilling and probably will give new meaning to the term "feeling the wind in your hair". The engine is a high-revving one so you will be able to hear the sweet symphony of the exhaust even better with the convertible. 

Just like its hard top sibling, the M4 convertible will be offered in a host of colours and options for the end user to choose from, which includes all the cool stuff like multi-spoke rims, carbon kit, carbon seats not to mention some great textures and trims for that interior. Standard spec includes three-zone automatic climate control, ambient lighting, hi-fi speak system, plus BMW Live cockpit professional featuring fully digital display grouping, cloud based navigation system on BMW Maps and BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. BMW promises an emotionally engaging drive with this new M4 convertible and I'm pretty sure it will deliver. The BMW M4 Competition Convertible M xDrive will be available in South Africa from the fourth quarter of 2021. Pricing yet to be announced. 

 

Bucket Seat: Ford Mustang Ecoboost Convertible

Ever since Ford launched their Mustang locally back in 2016, I've been dying to get behind this iconic American sports coupe. There's no denying the heritage and legacy that comes with the Mustang, we've seen it in movies, TV shows. It's easily one of the most recognizable cars in the world and when Ford South Africa deciding to bring this much loved model to the country, many enthusiasts were keen to see what it was all about. The Mustang was launched with two engine variants, the monstrous 5.0 V8 and the 2.3 Ecoboost engine, now many snubbed the smaller engine saying it doesn't live up to what a Mustang is, that raw American V8 power and while I can understand their point, the 2.3 Ecoboost isn't any slouch as this was the same engine that powered the manic Ford Focus RS. After waiting and praying to drive one, my prayers were finally answered last month as I got to spend a few days with the Ford Mustang Convertible, it was the 2.3 Ecoboost but I was not phased as it was my first Mustang and I was excited like a kid on Christmas morning to get behind the wheel. 

DESIGN

This is the face-lift model of the Mustang that was launched here in 2016, the overall design remains unchanged with subtle enhancements made to the front end, with the lights given more detail and presence than previous. The car is a looker, whether the top is on or off, it gets peoples heads turning. Looking stylish in Lucid Metallic Red, with blacked out Luster Nickel 19" rims, there was no denying that this car looked good. This car is a modern interpretation of the Mustangs of the past and you can make out the iconic design styles as you walk around the car, with the long hood, low stance and wide body, Ford have done an exceptional job on this design. There really isn't a bad angle to this car, trust me, over the four days I had it, I checked, even by the number of strangers that complimented me on the car, it was apparent that it was a firm favourite for many. Moving on the inside, the design remains unchanged with almost the exact same setup as the previous model, what I did like about the convertible is that with the roof open or closed, the luggage space was not compromised, the one thing that did annoy me was the coverings for the exposed sides with the roof down, which was a mission to attach so I just left them off. 

PERFORMANCE

Now the main thing that will get people about this particular model is the engine, as mentioned it does come with the 2.3L Ecoboost motor which is no dud, while it not be classified as "American Muscle" this motor does punch out 213kW and 441Nm of torque. That is impressive numbers, the one downfall to all this is probably the gearbox. The Mustang comes with a 10-speed automatic box which in my opinion is too many gears! While I understand why the V8 motor might need that many gears, for me the Ecoboost would have been so much better with an 8-speed box. On take off the car is a bit front heavy and the gearbox does go in a bit of a shock mode if you floor it, all that torque, power taking its time to come through does have you sitting and contemplating if you're ever going to get going but once you do, trust me you definitely going! This issue was when driving in normal mode, pop it into sport mode and it gets a bit more responsive and it even has a drag race mode which completely takes away all those issues but this is obviously for a straight line boost. Having a car like this with a weekend called for a Sunday breakfast run, something which Im glad I did as this car definitely proved its worth, navigating on the windy roads of the KZN North Coast, I really felt at ease with the Mustang, the heavy chassis kept the car planted, the power delivery was spot on when exiting corners and the breaks were superb. Having a cloth roof didn't even have a major impact on handling or cabin noise but the part that really put a smile on my face was this car taming a Porsche Boxster on the run and that really gave me a new found respect to it. 

COMFORT

Anyone who knows me, would know I hate driving with the sunroof open or the roof down as I get annoyed with the sun very quickly but with this car, the sun didn't bother me one bit. Every opportunity I got, the roof was coming down for my drive and if it was hot, the climate control helped blow some cool air on me to keep me in comfort, side note- I did get some sunburn while doing this so remember to use sunscreen! With the car having such a low ride height, you'd think this will make things a bit awkward for tall people, not so though, there was ample space for me to be behind the wheel and the seats were super comfy and also had a heater function, though with my seat pushed back to accommodate my long legs, this meant the rear passenger seats served no purpose apart from storing extra shopping. I did manage to get four adults in the car but can't really say it was comfortable for any of us but I guess just being in a Mustang helped us keep our mind off the discomfort. Other creature comforts in the Mustang is the large infotainment screen with Ford Sync 3 which has Android Auto and Apple Car Play, it also came with a Bang & Olufsen Sound System with a 12" sub woofer in the trunk! As an Indian guy this pleased me a lot, I mean a drop top with a cracking sound system?! Who needed a V8 when all you are going to do is cruise along the coast blasting the tunes? 

VERDICT

Overall, there's not much to say besides, IT'S A MUSTANG! Yes. its big, yes its in your face but that is what Mustangs are meant to be. If you want something modest, go buy a Corolla. It was my first drive in a Mustang and it lived up to everything I hoped it would. The fine mix of technology with the old is also great, which doesn't stray too much away from the legacy of the American icon. The styling is on point with great looks and options for you to choose from and customize the look of your Mustang. It still retains that great heritage and as mentioned, even with the Ecoboost motor, you're still getting quality performance that rivals others in its class. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.3L EcoBoost
Gear Box	10-Speed Automatic
Torque	441Nm
Power	231kW
Economy	No one cares, its a Mustang
Price	R930,370

Pictures by @dbn_spotter 

Bucket Seat: BMW M8 Competition Coupe & Convertible

So after numerous leaked imagine, spy photos and renders, the BMW M8 has finally shown its face officially and boy is it a great looking one. The 8 Series has already gained lots of attention since its launch locally and it most certainly does turn heads when its on the road, the presence of it is unmissable, add on BMW's most powerful V8 engine to it and you just have a recipe for all kinds of beautiful. Well, I doubt BMW would want the word beautiful and the M8 to be in the same sentence since this is the ultimate M car from their stable (yes, yes I know the M760Li has a V12) but in sports car terms this is the pinnacle of M cars there is to BMW. 

Along with the M8 Coupe and Convertible, BMW have also shown us the Competition package for both variants. These will include added extras like Individual paint cars, black chrome kidney grille, along with the side gills in the same colour. Mirrors, rear apron inlay and rear spoiler finished off in high-gloss black and exclusive forged 20-inch light alloy wheels in biclour. The Competition pack also comes with an M Sport exhaust system with black tailpipes which from the launch video sounds brutish as hell. 

In the heart of these beasts you'll find the high-revving V8 power plant which as mentioned before is the most powerful V8 produced by BMW, it's a M TwinPower Turbo that develops 441kW and 600bhp for both the M8 Coupe and M8 Convertible. In the Competition, the performance has been tweaked for the 4.4 liter unit, with it producing 460kW and 625bhp. The cars come with an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission which has drivelogic, helping the cars perfect balance and optimal power to wheel ratio is the M xDrive system.  Zero to hundred times for the M8 Coupe are 3.3 second with the Convertible lagging by 0.1 seconds, while the Competition Coupe does it in 3,2 seconds. 

The chassis is model specific and has been designed and tuned with specific demands of track use in mind. One of the features of the chassis that stands out in particular is a newly developed integrated braking system, an M-specific version of which presents the driver with two different brake pedal feel settings. The new range topping models from BMW M will celebrate their world premiers as part of the BMW Group #NextGen event taking place at BMW Welt in Munich on from the 25th of June till the 27th. Now official word from BMW SA on when they will be available locally but I have a suspicion with BMW M Festival due in SA this October, keep an eye out for this one.