Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabrio

Lovers of the sun, rejoice. Come September, you’ll have another excuse to slather on the SPF 30, don the shades and soak up the rays. Just five years since Mercedes-Benz rolled out its sleek Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet, the automaker is launching a redesigned version of the drop-top beauty, and it’s more enjoyable than ever.

Much of the pleasure comes from refinements made to its convertible top. Unlike hardtop SLK and SL siblings, the Mercedes-Benz CLK relies on a cloth top-but that top is now fully automatic, powering up or down in 20 seconds. Its three-layer design allows less noise into the cabin than in the outgoing model (less heat escapes, too). Mercedes vice president Michael Kramer calls the Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabrio “the lowest-noise soft-top cabrio in the world.” Though at highway speeds we found the top does generate some wind noise, mostly around the windows, we can’t argue.

We also found top-down driving produces surprisingly little buffeting, almost none with the windows up and the folding “windbreaker” in place over the rear seats. We could maintain a conversation at normal levels at upward of 50 mph.

Kramer said a retractable hardtop Mercedes-Benz CLK, with a “vario-roof” like Mercedes’ other roadsters, will likely replace the soft-top down the road. For now, the challenge of making a power-folding hardtop for the four-seat Mercedes-Benz CLK is too difficult and expensive, says Kramer.

The redesign benefits back-seat passengers, too. Because the car has grown-in length (2.8 inches), wheelbase (one inch), width (0.7 inch) and height (1.3 inches)-Mercedes says rear occupants get more than an inch more elbow room and 1.7 inches more knee room.

Based on the coupe launched in the United States last fall, Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolets will come in three variants, all using a five-speed automatic transmission. The base Mercedes-Benz CLK320 draws power from a 215-horsepower 3.2-liter 18-valve V6, while the uplevel Mercedes-Benz CLK500 uses the 302-hp eight-cylinder. Topping the range is the exclusive Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG, pumping out 367 hp at 5750 rpm and 510 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm from its 5.5-liter V8. Mercedes says the Mercedes-Benz CLK55 will reach 62 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Only 1000 or so lucky Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabrio shoppers will get the chance to experience that exhilarating sprint, however, as Mercedes expects only 10 percent of the 10,000 units slated for the United States to fall to AMG. The 320 will make up 50 percent of the model split and start around $50,000, with stickers on AMGs topping out around $80,000.

First seen in Geneva, the Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet makes its North American debut at the New York show.