The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet is a superbly refined and beautifully finished convertible. If a drop-top cruiser is on your wish list the C-Class is definitely worth a look at as it’s up there with the best of them.
Performance from the diesel engine may not be electrifying and it can be a bit noisy at times, but take it easy and the Mercedes shines. It feels like a miniature version of the flagship S-Class convertible but at half the price.
The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet is a wholly conventional-looking four-seater drop-top. However, that doesn’t mean it blends into the background, because Mercedes has found its design mojo. This car stands out with its combination of swooping lines and neat detailing. It largely shares the C-Class Coupe’s elegant lines, albeit with a fabric roof in place of that car’s tin-top.
Up front, the grille is adorned with a large three- pointed star (which houses some of the sensors for the electronic driving aids), and there is a pair of LED headlamp clusters with distinctive daytime running lights. Curves arch back from the nose, along the car’s flanks to the tail, where the rounded rear and slender lamps complete the look.
Overall, the C-Class Cabriolet resembles a shrunken version of the S-Class Cabriolet, while choosing this AMG Line model adds a sharp bodykit, 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and a diamond-finish grille. The soft-top can be ordered in a variety of contrasting colours for no extra cost. The roof is a little slower to operate than rivals’, taking 18.3 seconds, but you can do this at speeds of up to 37mph.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Inside, the car has the same upmarket feel as the C-Class saloon, with plenty of metal switches and high-grade plastics throughout. You get Mercedes’ familiar tablet-style infotainment screen on top of the dash, controlled via the COMAND wheel ahead of the central armrest, and the Cabriolet adds a bank of three switches behind that for the roof, Aircap and four-window opening controls.
Aircap is the manufacturer’s name for the wind deflectors on top of the windscreen header rail and behind the back seats, and it’s fitted as standard on the Cabriolet. The Airscarf neck heater is also included, as are heated seats, sat-nav, those LED headlights and Artico synthetic leather. If you want more luxury, Mercedes offers Premium and Premium Plus packages that add goodies such as LED ambient lighting, a high-end Burmester stereo and memory seats.
Roof-down cruising in the C-Class Cabriolet is enjoyable at any speed, courtesy of the Aircap system. While the raised windscreen header rail looks a bit unsightly when it’s up, and does generate some wind noise at high speeds, it deflects airflow over the cabin so effectively that you can cruise on the motorway and remain untroubled by buffeting.
Combine Aircap with the deflector behind the back seats when you have all the windows raised, and the C-Class is remarkably refined when driving with the top down. It’s the same story with the roof up, as the multi-layered hood is quiet even at motorway speeds.
The C-Class Cabriolet is agile in corners. Its low centre of gravity and sports suspension mean it’s eager to change direction, although the Mercedes does resort to understeer when pushed hard. There is also some movement in the chassis thanks to the loss of rigidity resulting from the removal of the roof, so it doesn’t feel quite as entertaining to drive as its main rival the BMW 4 Series Convertible. The 4MATIC all-wheel drive system makes its presence felt only in slippery conditions and is a useful addition to the range.
Engines
There is a range of engines available in the drop-top Mercedes C-Class but the most popular will be the C 220d’s 2.1-litre diesel. It fires up with a bit of a rattle, but it soon settles into a quiet thrum at idle. With the roof down, the four-cylinder is a bit vocal, but it’s not intrusive enough to be distracting, while the smooth-shifting nine-speed auto helps the motor turn at low revs at higher speeds.
The Mercedes’ nine-speed auto delivers crisp shifts and is standard on all models except the entry C220d and AMG version; they use a seven-speed box.
Above the entry-level C220d diesel sits the C250d, which uses the same engine boosted to from 168bhp to 201bhp. On the petrol side, there’s the C200 with its 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and the C300 that increases the same unit’s output to to 242bhp.
If you feel you need even more performance, Mercedes-AMG can help. The line-up opens with the C 43 4MATIC with its 362bhp 6-cylinder unit and then you can step up to the full-fat C 63 with its 470bhp 4.0-litre V8.
The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet uses the same platform as the C-Class saloon, so that car’s five-star Euro NCAP rating applies here. You still get seven airbags, while park assist, tiredness recognition and city braking are all included. Rollover protection is also deployed if the worst should happen.
If you specify the £1,695 Driving Assistance Package, blind-spot assist, lane keeping and adaptive cruise control are added to the kit list. Mercedes’ dealers were rated more highly than Land Rover’s in our Driver Power 2016 satisfaction survey, but a 20th-place finish isn’t great. Still, the network ranked ahead of those of BMW and Audi.
Warranty
Like all Mercedes, the C-Class cabriolet comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.
Servicing
Mercedes offers a service plan on the Cabriolet for £35 per month, but this works out at £1,260 over three years.
If you’re going or a convertible, some sacrifices are always going to have to be made. Firstly, the Mercedes C-Class drop-top only seats four people rather than five but at least you can get two adults in the back. The front seat can be electronically slid forward to make access easier. Up front, the convertible is identical to the coupe, so you get the same amount of storage areas and cubbies.
Size
The convertible is identical in size to the C-Class Coupe, but longer than the BMW 4 Series. The Merc also has a slightly longer wheelbase, which means more space inside.
Leg room, head room and passenger space
Space up front is identical to the coupe, but those in the back will be a little more cramped. Knee room is decent, though, and on par with the BMW 4 Series.
There’s just about enough space for adults in the rear but getting in and out can be a little tricky. However, its made infinitely easier if the roof has been stowed away.
Boot
The biggest issue with the C-Class Cabriolet is the size of the boot. To allow the folding fabric roof to be stowed away, Mercedes has had to reduce the size of the luggage space quite dramatically. When the roof is down, space is reduced to just 260 litres – a huge drop form the 480 litres you can get in the saloon.
As with the hard-top cars in the Mercedes C-Class range, if you want rock bottom running costs your best bet is the range of diesel models. The entry 168bhp 2.1-litre diesel returns a claimed 62.8mpg and 121g/km of CO2. Despite the C250d delivering 201bhp it returns an almost identical 61mpg and emits 121g/km but it is more expensive to buy.
The petrol engines are, of course, smoother - but they do cost more to run day-to-day. The most efficient is the C200, capable of 47mpg and CO2 emissions of 136g/km. Above that sits the more powerful C300, but economy drops to 42mpg and 151g/km.
Insurance groups
Insurance groups start at 31 for the C220 d Sport and rise to 48 for range-topping the Mercedes-AMG C63 S
Depreciation
Residual values of 45% for the C220d are nothing to write home about, and pretty much average for the class.
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