THEY say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
So I suppose Mercedes-Benz should be very flattered by the latest coupe-cabriolet from Renault.
For the German car maker started the modern trend of building cars with solid roofs that cleverly fold up and disappear into the boot to give all the virtues of a convertible, with its SLK.
Now the trend is growing, but the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet is definitely one of the sleekest, most attractive around.
It also has the added bonus of being the only one which has a glass roof, so the interior is light and airy whether you have the roof up or down. And this glass absorbs virtually all the sun's energy so passengers don't get too hot.
Developments like this - in this case by Karmann - could mean fabric roofed cabriolets could soon be a thing of the past.
Certainly the transformation from coupe to cabriolet in the Megane would take some beating. It's all done at the touch of a button - and better still it only takes around 20 seconds.
When you first see the car it is hard to believe that such a large roof can possibly fold up and disappear under the boot lid - but it does.
And the fact that the roof is so large has the added bonus that the boot has to be large too, to accommodate it. So when the roof is in place the luggage space is enormous and unlike with most cabriolets you will have no problem with the largest of suitcases. Even with the roof lowered, boot space is not too bad.
The Megane Coupe-Cabriolet is also a full four seater, although the rear seat backs are a little upright and the legroom, while acceptable, would not be suitable for anyone very tall.
Having said all that I completed one round trip of some 250 miles without any complaints from the rear seat passengers, who were both around average height.
Coupe-Cabiolets are available with both petrol and diesel engines although I opted for a diesel model. My test car had Renault's 1.9-litre Dci unit under the bonnet, which comes with a superbly slick, six speed gearbox.
The combination of the two meant unexpectedly lively performance and very little diesel noise - even with the roof lowered. In fact several passengers had to ask me whether the car was diesel or petrol powered.
It also meant brilliant fuel economy. Not once during the week did the average drop below 48 miles per gallon, which is good by any standards.
On the road the Coupe-Cabriolet is very comfortable indeed, certainly for front seat passengers, and the ride is impressive.
Road holding too is almost sportscar like, which makes this diesel fun to drive and the small turning circle makes it easy to live with when it comes to multi-storey car parks.
As with all Meganes there is no ignition key, simply a "credit card" which you push into a slot in the dash and then push a button to start the engine.
My Privilege specification model had the hands-free card system, which means that as long as you have the card in your pocket you only have to touch the door handle to unlock it and lightly press a centre button on the handle to unlock it.
Once inside the car there is no need to put the card in the slot. You just push the start button and the engine fires. It all helps if you are in a rush or return to the car with an armfull of parcels.
Also unusual on the Megane is the aircraft style handbrake, which protrudes from the centre armrest.
Renault has given a lot of thought to making this car easy to live with and you get a lot of storage space, nooks and crannies. There is one between the front seats and one in each of the front doors - hidden under padded armrests.
Privilege models come with climate control rather than air conditioning as well as a dash-mounted six CD player. So even though at £20,000 the Coupe-Cabriolet is not cheap - you get a lot of car for your money and certainly one that gets you noticed.
FAST FACTS
Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet 1.9DCi Privilege
Price: £20,000
Mechanical: 120 bhp, 1,870 cc 4cyl turbodiesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max Speed: 124 mph
0-62mph: 10.9 secs
Combined mpg: 51.4
Insurance Group: 8
CO2 emissions: 146 g/km
BiK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12yrs antirust; 3yrs paint