Although it hasn’t undergone an independent crash test, the SL protects occupants well. There are head/thorax and driver and passenger airbags plus a pop-up roll-over protection should the worst happen. Just about every known electronic driver aid is fitted to help prevent the driver losing control.

The hard roof means little sacrifice is made for having a convertible and clever packaging has freed up more boot space when the roof is down with 206 litres available. With the roof up this increased to 310 litres – that’s slightly more than a Ford Fiesta. However alternatives like the BMW 6-Series Convertible offer more carrying space. On the plus side, there are some small storage compartments behind the seats.