If you're turning 50, this test is for you, is the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabrio the gift you deserve?

It's curious how our body asks for something different with each decade. At 18, we were eager to get our driver's license to get behind the wheel of anything that fell into our hands, whether it was our parents' 'stolen' car or our first car paid for with the sweat of our brow during typical summer jobs. As we grow - our wallet does too - so do our ambitions. The decade of 50 arrives in total fullness and what better time than that to buy a convertible Mercedes signed by AMG.

One of those cars that illustrated our high school folder or our wallpaper. More than a car, it's an aspirational goal. Any product from Affalterbach is, in fact. The factory of Mercedes dreams has been creating that kind of car that any 18-year-old and any mature 50-year-old man would dream of for decades. A car like the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabrio is all you need to face the last great decade of your life. Later you can also enjoy it, but you and I know that everything will be different.

If life has treated you well, you can afford it. The minimum price of this Mercedes convertible is 108,000 euros. With its 'four little things' well placed, its cool wheels, and its little details, you won't pay less than 120,000 euros. It's a good figure, but hey, you deserve it. Celebrating the arrival of 50 with this car in the garage is much better. Some call it the crisis of 50, but we all know it's envy that speaks. The envy of not being able to have a car like this to make getaways with your partner and to show off to your friends and family at any social event. Now doesn't it seem so expensive?

When we reach 50, we often hesitate between a motorcycle or a convertible. Definitely better the car. First for safety if you've never been on a 'two-wheeler' before. Also for comfort. It's not the same to take a trip sitting on the leather of an AMG seat than on the heated seat of a motorcycle. Even in the car, you can travel with your children if you want. There are four seats much more usable than I thought. In the back seats, with the top up, adults up to 1.75 meters tall can fit without dying in the attempt. Even the trunk is large. Your two suitcases fit. And a golf bag too.

A car like the CLE 53 Cabrio is a much better purchase than any motorcycle, believe me. I'm a biker, I've always been, but at 50 I wouldn't hesitate. Mercedes knows what it's doing. The CLE has the perfect design. Balanced, with its good elongated nose, its cabin in the center, and its cut-off rear. A formula that never goes out of style no matter how many trends come along. The soft top improves the look, especially when it's down. The process takes 20 seconds and can be done at a maximum of 60 km/h.

As the unwritten rules of convertibles dictate, the top should be down on 9 out of every 10 trips you make. No excuses. Mercedes has prepared everything for when it gets cold, including climate-controlled seats, more powerful heating than usual, and its famous 'air scarf'. A warm jet that surrounds your neck so you don't get sick. It's worse when it's hot - something to protect the roof is essential - than when it's cold. You can even travel at 120 km/h without the wind bothering much. You can hold a conversation at that speed.

There is a front diffuser (over the windshield frame) and a rear one (between the headrests of the seats) that reduce the air effect in the cabin. Obviously, it's not as comfortable as traveling in a Class S, but at cruising speed, it's really surprising how little the fact of being without a roof can bother. You enjoy going calmly. I would even say more than if we floor the accelerator. It's then that the turbocharged inline six-cylinder block and 3,000 cubic centimeters make themselves felt. A good chunk of aluminum of German origin.

The Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabrio offers its fifty-something customers 449 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque, aided by a small additional 48-volt electrical system. A technical trick that achieves the ECO label from the DGT, but that does not mean any savings - at least not noticeable - in terms of gasoline consumption. The torque delivery is strong, stable between 2,200 and 5,000 revolutions. The management is derived to a 9-speed torque converter automatic transmission. A transmission well known for its good and bad points.

The downside is that it is too slow in the most common driving formats. The Comfort program limits the throttle response a lot. You have to push the pedal down a lot for the gearbox to interpret that need for power. You have to switch to the Sport programs, especially Sport+, to find that aggressive response that one expects from a product whose front logo is signed by Affalterbach. The declared power does not correspond to the behavior of the car. It's undoubtedly what I liked the least. That and what it consumes. It's almost impossible to go below 9. Too much for the times we live in.

Look, don't get me wrong. The car runs and runs a lot, but as a good mature product, it only shows its claws from time to time. I insist that Mercedes knows what it's doing. It offers a powerful convertible, well-equipped, classy, and with a practical touch, but above all, it thinks about the comfort of its occupants and their need to appear without putting their lives in danger. The CLE 53 is comfortable, but it's not radical. You can feel its weight as its 2,110 kilograms indicate. A high figure that accompanies a performance that is too soft.

A few weeks ago, I tested the new Audi S5 Sportback. It's a completely different car, but it still has its similarities. The Ingolstadt one seemed to me a more balanced car. Almost the same power, but a different grip. More forceful in the four-ring one than in the star one. How is that possible? Well, because the five-door S5 weighs almost 100 kilograms less. It's not much of a difference, but you can feel it. Overall, I found it to be a better car, although I insist on the differences that separate both models. Their performance figures are almost identical, but the feeling behind the wheel is very different.

With the Audi, you feel like flooring it on a winding stretch. With the AMG, you don't. It's not that it can't, but the car transmits a feeling completely different. The throttle and transmission response invite you to relax and enjoy the journey. Taking the top down and cruising on any type of road enjoying the good life after decades of work. You can't ask for more, although honestly, I don't think it's worth spending so much. For much less money, you can have the same experience with a CLE 300 Cabrio. You lose almost 200 horsepower that with the AMG you will rarely use and save almost 30,000 euros (for the motorcycle).

The problem is that it can't handle those moments when we want to let loose (if there's still hair on the roof). The problem is that it doesn't encourage it. It doesn't urge you to be bad, to enjoy its stable and to stretch each gear to the max. Not even the noise that comes from the exhaust transmits that feeling. If we really want that kind of driving and that experience behind the wheel after 50, we inevitably have to get our hands on a V8 convertible. Right now, the only one available is the AMG SL Roadster for 230,000 euros.

I think Mercedes has missed a good opportunity to offer us the perfect sports car for the decade of 50, but unfortunately, we are faced with another powerful and comfortable Mercedes. The power is there, but there's no desire to unleash it. It will always be better than an electric convertible, that's true, but I think there are more interesting alternatives on the market like the Porsche 718 Boxster. Don't underestimate its four-cylinder engine. It offers the perfect combination for a fifty-something birthday. A real sports car, one that urges you to bring out the bad side without forgetting the luxury and recognition that a Stuttgart brand offers.