TAKING ROOFLESS WITH THE SMOOTH

AMG CLE53 CABRIOLET SHOWCASES ALL THE UPSIDES OF A CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE

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CONVERTIBLES remain popular, yet there aren't the options out there that there once were.

But Mercedes still sees merit in the drop-top, bringing its CLE Cabriolet into the fold a year ago. And now its AMG arm has come up with the CLE53 Cabriolet.

WHAT'S NEW?

There are lots of classic AMG touches going on here big, blistered arches to accommodate a wider track and larger wheels, while the brakes and suspension have been sharpened.

And there's a trick exhaust to make it sound good. Inside, there's space for four and a folding fabric roof opens at the touch of a button at speeds up to 37mph.

UNDER THE BONNET?

There's a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine with 449bhp and 560Nm of torque.

Driven through a nine-speed automatic gearbox and into the Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel drive system, it gets this convertible from 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 155mph.

Mercedes claims its can achieve just over 29mpg combined, but we exceeded this easily on a long motorway stretch.

However it isn't difficult to get that figure plummeting when you start driving more quickly.