By: Denis Droppa
Trieste, Italy - When I asked Rolls-Royce why they opted for a fabric roof instead of a steel one for the Dawn convertible launched a few months back, they said it was because nothing beats the romance of hearing raindrops pattering on a soft top.
When I posed the same question to Mercedes-Benz last week about their just-introduced C-Class Cabriolet, they said a fabric roof allowed for more boot space than a folding hard top, and was also lighter.
You have to love the Germans for their hard-nosed practicality even when it comes to an emotive car like a cabriolet. Still, it would be disingenuous to claim there was no passion involved in creating the first-ever open-topped version of a C-Class, as Merc’s press release does use guardedly gushing expressions like ‘sensual purity’ and ‘youthfully fresh appeal’ to describe its new car.
Some cars look ungainly when the roof’s chopped off, with sides that look too big, but this Merc pulls off its striptease act with flair, and deeply recessed lines running along its flanks prevent it from looking slab-sided. The Cabriolet also gets a ‘diamond’ grille to give its front end a more exclusive facade, along with clear-cut LED high performance headlamps and larger air intakes. The topless C-Class sits 15mm lower than the sedan for a more pressed-down look.
Pretty and practical
The design is suitably attention-grabbing judging by the positive reactions of passers-by at the sun-licked Adriatic coastline of Italy and the scenic mountains of Slovenia where the car’s international media launch was held last week. It is likely to go down similarly well in upmarket beach locales like Camps Bay and Umhlanga when it arrives here in October just in time for our spring.
The electric roof takes about 20 seconds to open or close, and it can be done at driving speeds up to 50km/h so it’s not necessary to find a place to stop when a sudden rainstorm beckons. An Aircap electric draught-stop system and Airscarf neck-level heating mean that open-air driving isn’t necessarily restricted to the warm months.
The boot is surprisingly large for a cabriolet, swallowing 360 litres of luggage (285 with the roof open), but at the cost of a cramped rear seat where adult passengers will have the charm of open-air driving quickly replaced by the contemplation of deep vein thrombosis.
There is only praise for the elegance of the cabin. The real metal (not metal-looking plastic) components in the cockpit really raise the quality and appeal of the C-Class interior.
The cabrio technicalities
From the shoulders down the Cabriolet’s the same car as the hard top C-Class coupé, with all the same high-tech safety and gadgets, except that it’s around 120kg heavier due to body strengthening to make up for the loss of a roof. The resulting torsional rigidity’s very impressive. The C300 Cabriolet in particular felt rock solid and was the most comfy riding of the three versions I drove on the launch, delivering the typical road-smoothing glideability that the C-Class sedan has become renowned for.
The C43 AMG and C63 AMG derivatives, due to their firmer suspension, developed a slight trace of scuttle shake on bumpier roads but still felt notably solid for roofless cars. Their rigidity also made for very confidence-inspiring handling in Slovenia’s mountainous curves.
The C300’s 2-litre four-cylinder turbo engine wields 180kW and 370Nm and is lively enough for most situations with its claimed 6.4 second 0-100km/h sprint and 250km/h top speed. It lacks any vocal charisma though, unlike the 375kW/700Nm C63 AMG S which is a roaring ball of fury with a deep-throated V8 war cry.
Both these derivatives will be sold here, as will the C43 AMG S which is powered by Merc’s recently-launched V6 3-litre turbo engine. With outputs of 270kW and 520Nm and a 4.8 second 0-100 ability it packs plenty of power without the brutality of the C63, and also makes a charismatically hoarse sound.
The C43 is the only version with 4Matic all-wheel drive, the others all pushed along by their rear wheels. Transmission options are 9-GTronic auto or six-speed manual. Also coming to SA will be the C200 and C220d versions.
Prices will be announced closer to launch time in October.