SUPERLATIVE technology, exciting styling and sheer pleasure for four occupants - these are the characteristics of the new CLK-Class Cabriolet, which is being presented to the public for the first time this spring.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the new CLK-Class Cabriolet achieves outstanding figures in aerodynamics (Cd value 0.30), noise comfort and boot capacity (390 litres).

In the area of occupant safety, Mercedes-Benz has made further progress with a high-strength body structure, head/thorax sidebags as standard, adaptive airbags for the driver and front passenger and belt tensioners on all seats.

Comfort is also said to be exemplary in the new Cabriolet, which now offers even more interior space. The newly developed, multi-layered fabric roof is designed for optimal noise damping and operating convenience, opening and closing fully automatically at the touch of a button or by remote control.

The outputs of the four, six and eight-cylinder units for the new CLK-Class Cabriolet range from 163 hp to 367 hp, while fuel consumption has been reduced by up to seven per cent.

Since 1998, the model designation CLK has stood for open-top driving pleasure at the highest level. The technical innovations and attractive design of the latest CLK-Class Cabriolet provide an ideal basis for continuing the success of the preceding model series, which captured the hearts of more than 110,000 male and female customers. In the UK, nearly 9,500 cars have been registered.

The soft top available in black, blue or grey is a new development. It opens fully automatically (also by remote control), disappears beneath a cover in the rear within a few seconds and immediately provides the purest form of open-air driving enjoyment in conjunction with fully lowered side windows.

Neither is any manual operation necessary when closing the soft top, as the hydraulic unit does everything necessary and automatically locks the roof in place on the upper windscreen frame.

The multi-layered lining of the soft top provides outstanding thermal insulation and keeps the interior noise level low.