What's the news?
Mercedes-Benz will give the new C-Class Cabriolet its first public airing at the Geneva Motor Show this week and we have all the details, from the diesel entry-level versions to the range-topping AMG C 43 variant. The four-seat convertible goes into battle with the BMW 4 Series Convertible and the Audi A5 Cabriolet when it launches later in 2016.
Exterior
You'd be forgiven for mistaking the new C-Class Cabriolet for its rather more expensive sibling, the S-Class Cabriolet, as it draws heavily on it for styling inspiration, in the same way the C-Class Coupe apes the S-Class Coupe. That's a very good thing. The C-Class Cabriolet is dimensionally more or less identical to the coupe it's based on, with a 4mm increase in height due to the shape of the new canvas folding roof. Opening or closing the top takes less than 20 seconds and it can be done at speeds of up to 50km/h. The roof can be had in four different colours, complementing the 12 paint colours - including a matt finish option.
Although Irish market trim levels have yet to be confirmed, it's expected that an AMG Line will be offered featuring sportier looks thanks to deeper bumpers, AMG side sills, a 'diamond' grille up front with pins in chrome and 18-inch alloy wheels. As standard, all Cabriolets will feature 17-inch rims. The Mercedes-AMG C 43 gets a distinct look even from those AMG Line cars, as previewed by the C 43 Coupe. http://www.completecar.ie/car-news/article/5810/Mercedes-launches-junior-AMG-coupe
Interior
Oddly, though there's 4mm less front headroom in the Cabriolet, rear passengers get an extra 12mm of height. The boot, meanwhile, holds 360 litres of luggage, reducing to 285 litres when the roof is folded down (in comparison to 400 litres in the C-Class Coupe). That can be extended by folding down the 50:50 splitting rear seats. The sport seats are based on those in the Coupe too and they can be upholstered in heat-reflecting leather, in five different colours. There are automatic seat belt 'extenders' as standard, but the neck-warming 'Airscarf' system is optional, offered in conjunction with the anti-buffeting Aircap feature on the windscreen frame, which can be deployed at the touch of a button.
Mechanicals
While it's assumed that some variants of the new C-Class Cabriolet will be 'special order' only in Ireland, there's a lot of choice in the line-up. Kicking things off is the C 220 d and C 250 d, both powered by the venerable 2.1-litre turbodiesel, producing 170hp/400Nm and 204hp/500Nm respectively. Emissions are as low as 116g/km. Propping up the petrol line-up is the C 180, powered by a 1.6-litre unit producing 156hp and 250Nm of torque. It's the slowest model, with 0-100km/h in 8.9 seconds, but also the most efficient petrol variant, emitting 135g/km and using 6.0 litres/100km on the combined cycle.
Above that in the range are the C 200, C 250 and C 300, all sharing the same basic turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. They produce 184hp/300Nm, 211hp/350Nm and 245hp/370Nm respectively. The quickest is the C 300, which manages 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds and is limited to 250km/h. Two high-performance models sit above that, powered by twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engines. The C 400 makes 333hp and 480Nm, which is enough to propel it to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds, while the Mercedes-AMG C 43 Cabriolet reaches the same speed in 4.8 seconds thanks to outputs of 367hp and 520Nm.
Four-wheel drive (4Matic in Mercedes world) is optionally offered on the C 220 d and C 200, but standard on the C 400 and C 43. The latter two also feature the nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox as standard, which can be specified on all other engine variants. Like the C-Class Coupe, the Cabriolet sits 15mm lower than the C-Class Saloon and can be fitted with Airmatic air suspension with adjustable damping.
Anything else?
The C-Class Cabriolet comes with several high-tech safety systems, including semi-autonomous driving features. Attention Assist now has adjustable sensitivity, while Collision Prevention Assist Plus is standard, including Adaptive Brake Assist, which can autonomously apply the brakes at speeds up to 200km/h. The optional Driving Assistance package, meanwhile, features Distronic Plus with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot, along with Pre-Safe Brake and Active Lane Keeping Assist. All very clever stuff we don't have room to go into here. If you'd like to know about them in more detail feel free to use the Ask Us Anything section of the site.