By:IOL Motoring Staff
Geneva Motor Show - As promised, Mercedes-Benz has kicked off festivities at Palexpo with the C-Class cabriolet.
Scheduled for release in Europe at midyear and in South Africa during September 2016, it's the first C-Class convertible, and will be offered with the AirCap automatic draught stop system and AirScarf as options for those chilly Highveld mornings.
Also available will be the new 9G-Tronic automatic transmission and Airmatic air suspension as well as all the latest in infotainment and gizmotronics.
The cabriolet has been designed, says Mercedes-Benz, to mirror the profile of the coupé; the only difference is that the soft top is slightly more domed. It's 4mm higher at its highest point, while providing 4mm less headroom in front and 12mm more over the rear seats. Where you really pay the penalty for drop-top motoring, of course, is in boot space; it's a respectable 360 litres with the roof up, but shrinks to 285 with the top stowed.
The standard fabric soft top comes in basic black but there's an optional multilayer acoustic soft top for quieter running that can be ordered in dark brown, dark blue, dark red or black. Either way, it opens or closes in less than 20 seconds at up to 50km/h.
The interior is based on the C-Class sedan, but with a fresh “barchetta” interpretation, including heat-reflecting leather trim in five colour choices and an elegant matt-silver chromed switch on the centre console for operating the roof mechanism. The front sports seats are borrowed from the coupé, complete with automatic belt extenders.
RIDING ON AIR
The topless C-Class comes with steel springs and a selective damping system, set 15mm lower than the sedan; an optional sports suspension with firmer springs and damping includes variable ratio sports steering is available - or you can specify air suspension with electronically controlled, continuously adjustable damping all round.
The C-Class cabriolet will launch in Europe with a range of six petrol and two diesel engine choices - all turbocharged, starting with the 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre C180, and including the two-litre 135kW/300Nm C200, 155kW/350Nm C250 and 180kW/370Nm C300, topped off by the all-wheel drive three-litre V6 C400 with 245kW and 480Nm.
The two diesels, each a two-litre turbofour, are the 125kW/400Nm C220d and the 150/500Nm C250d; all eight engine options will be available with the new 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, and the C200 and C220d will also be offered with all-wheel drive.
AMG
Then there's the range-topping C43 AMG, with its three-litre twin-turbo V6 tuned for 270kW from 5500-6000 revs and 520Nm from 2000-4200rpm, standard-fit 9G-Tronic transmission and rear-biased all-wheel drive, as well as a special front axle and stiffer suspension bushings all round. Affalterbach quotes 0-100 in 4.8 seconds and a governed top speed of 250km/h.
GADGETS
Standard kit on all C-Class cabriolets includes attention alert and collision prevention assist with adaptive brake assist, options include the radar-based Driving Assistance package, as well as parking assist, a 360 degree camera, and adaptive high-beams.
The new cabriolet's specially developed climate control adapts to whether the top is up or down. With it up, it works the same as in the coupé, but with the top down it blows warmer air over your hands on the steering wheel and de-activates the air recirculation system.
The sound system includes bass speakers in the firewall for resonant, full-spectrum audio even with the top down, while the standard navigation system not only gives you traffic updates in real time but also features an animated compass and a 'drive show' with trip information for passengers similar to the on-screen presentations on an airliner.