Mercedes CLK500 Cabriolet

Forget yoga, meditation or hypnosis - when it comes to relaxing and chilling out, few cars can beat a drive in Mercedes' new CLK500 Cabriolet. Simply drop the top on a sunny day, and your blood pressure will tumble as the miles roll by. It should be available on the NHS.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Mat Watson

March 2003

Forget yoga, meditation or hypnosis - when it comes to relaxing and chilling out, few cars can beat a drive in Mercedes' new CLK500 Cabriolet. Simply drop the top on a sunny day, and your blood pressure will tumble as the miles roll by. It should be available on the NHS.

These aren't quite the driving dynamics we'd expected, though. The rear badge tells everyone that the model is powered by a 306bhp 5.0-litre V8, and our test machine had the optional AMG styling kit to add extra aggression. Surely it should be exciting and thrilling, not relaxing?

But this newcomer is designed to be the ultimate cruiser - whether you choose the boulevard or the autobahn. Take the styling, for example. Why the cloth roof rather than the fashionable folding metal top which Mercedes pioneered? Apparently, customers wanted the fabric version so everyone could see they were driving a convertible.

It's not only image that these buyers prize so highly - they also expect comfort. The front seats offer first-class luxury, while the sculptured rears provide plenty of support without being over-firm. There is adequate legroom in the back, too. The new car is 71mm longer than its predecessor and, according to Mercedes, its luggage-carrying capacity is the best in the class. With the roof up, the boot can swallow 390 litres, while intrusion from the folding mechanism takes it down to 276 with the top lowered.

The V8 is ultra-refined, and its huge 460Nm of torque works in perfect harmony with the smooth five-speed auto gearbox to make for effortless progress. But select sport mode and floor the throttle, and the cruiser turns into a dragster which is capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds.

However, since the Cabriolet is about refinement rather than sporty feel, the suspension provides a magic carpet-like ride. Despite this, there's very little roll through corners, and the steering - unlike with the old model - is accurate and has lots of feel. Removing the roof has a side effect, though, giving a hint of body flex when accelerating hard from a bend or driving on rough roads.

Otherwise, the attention to detail on the CLK Cabriolet is exceptional, and the electrically operated hood can be lowered in 20 seconds using the remote control. Forget wind in the hair, though, because even with the special deflector lowered, there is minimal buffeting at motorway speeds.

But all this comes at a price - around ΂£45,000 when the CLK goes on sale in the UK in June. Don't expect your doctor to prescribe one.

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