GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet

Packed with AirCap, AirScarf and AirMatic technology, the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet's airy trifecta is designed to make its new entry-level convertible sportier and more lavish – particularly when the top is dropped.

Arriving in Australia from around October-November this year, the all-new C-Class Coupe-based W212 C-Cabrio brings plenty of new technology to the table, including a whiz-bang nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive for the first time.

It also adds an electrically-powered fabric roof (in black, brown, red or blue colours) which takes less than 20 seconds to retract, according to Merc, and works while on the go at speeds of up to 50km/h.

The four-seat, rear-wheel drive convertible is very close to the C-Class Coupe in profile when the cloth roof is fixed in place. The similarities are more than skin-deep, with the two C-Class two-door models sharing the same 4686mm overall length, the same 2840mm wheelbase and the same 1810mm width.

But the re-engineering involved in chopping the top off the coupe doesn't come cheap, and could add a premium of around $15,000 over the C-Class sedan's $60K price.

Rivals in the same space, such as the Audi A5 Cabriolet and BMW 4 Series Convertible are all priced above $80,000.

However, Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy noted that the C-Cabrio does not sound the death knell for the E-Class Cabriolet, which is priced from about $90,000. Instead, he said a new E-Cabrio will be based on the new-generation E-Class sedan and that the C-Class Cabriolet will be priced below it.

"E-Cabrio is coming. This new C-Cabrio won't replace it," he told motoring.com.au. "C-Cabrio is a different price point to E-Cab," he explained. Expect the next E-Class Cabriolet to break cover by 2018.

Making its public debut at the Geneva motor show this week, the C-Class Cabriolet premieres a swoopy new design inspired by the opulent S-Class Cabriolet.

The C-Class Cabriolet also inherits the AirCap and AirScarf systems from its bigger sibling, which Benz says are designed to ensure occupants remain snug and comfy "365 days a year".

The AirCap system is integrated into the vehicle's top windcsreen frame and blows air around the cabin to reduce turbulence, while AirScarf pipes warm air onto front occupants' necks, from hidden air vents in the seat head restraints.

AirMatic air suspension is also available to improve ride comfort. In total 13 different seat upholsteries are available, 12 exterior paint finishes, three roof liners colours, and several trimmings from carbon to aluminium and various woodgrains are also offered, adding plenty of customisation for prospective buyers.

But the new C-Class cabrio is not all about improving comfort and luxury, the car sitting 15mm lower to the ground than the C-Class sedan.

Critically, the C-Cabriolet delivers a useful 360 litres of luggage capacity with the roof up, or 285 litres with the roof down. It has another 12mm of rear headroom compared to the hard-top Coupe and the front-seat occupants lose a barely noticeable 4mm of headroom, though the roofline is 4mm higher at 1409mm.

It carries the same diamond-shape radiator grille, LED headlights and tail-lights and wide shoulders as the Coupe, too, to reinforce the connection. To save weight, its bonnet, boot lid and front and rear wings are all aluminium.

"Our new C-Class Cabriolet is the entry into the world of premium cabriolets from Mercedes-Benz,” Daimler’s board member in charge of research and development, Dr Thomas Weber, said.

“Sporty and youthful in character and styling, it offers unadulterated open-air driving pleasure all year round.”

The Cabriolet’s chassis architecture has been stiffened compared to the Coupe to cope with the inherently lower rigidity of a four-seat convertible, though it still rides on the same advanced five-link rear and four-link front suspension layout.

Standard versions will ride on steel springs and a selective damping system, while the more versatile air suspension system, with a sports-direct steering setup, is an option.

Like the sedan and the coupe, the C-Class convertible is slippery, cutting through the air with a class-leading drag co-efficient of 0.28Cd while the roof is up.
While both the neck-warming airscarf and the Air Cap wind-deflection systems are optional, the standard climate-control system automatically detects whether the roof is up or down and adjusts its air delivery to suit.

Like the coupe, it uses the navigation system to detect when it’s approaching a tunnel and switches to recirculated air, then switches back again at the exit.
All models have Bluetooth compatibility, so a smart phone is all that’s needed to give the car internet capability, including the use of Mercedes-Benz apps for both audio and video.

The higher level for the multimedia system, the COMAND Online set-up, delivers 960 x 540 pixels of resolution, but more importantly an in-built wifi hotspot and faster web navigation.

Benz has given the C-Class Cabriolet a host of parts and systems that leave it pre-engineered for the key areas of autonomous driving, including the ability to brake autonomously at up to 200km/h if it detects a potential crash. It can also autonomously brake at city speeds of up to 50km/h for stationary traffic.

But the heart of the autonomous-style assistance systems comes with the optional Driver Assistance Package, which merges data from across the car to deliver active radar cruise control, with both self-steering and start-stop capability, and the ability to autonomously brake for pedestrians.

It also has every optional thing from the 360-degree surround view camera system to the adaptive high-beam assistant, which throws a dark blanket over oncoming traffic, allowing drivers to remain on high beam.

If all that fails, the C-Class Cabriolet protects its occupants with a pair of adaptive airbags and thorax/pelvis bags for the driver and front-seat passenger, a knee airbag for the driver and the top edges of the front doors have in-built side airbags as well.

Invisible to the outside eye, there are two rollover protection bars sited behind the rear seats, below the level of the waistline and out of sight. Powered by two pyrotechnic cartridges, they are engineered to explode upwards if the car rotates beyond the point of no return in a rollover accident.

And on top of the usual range of engines, comprising five petrol and two diesel engines ranging between 115 and 245kW, Mercedes-AMG has also come to the party with the rip-snorting C 43 model.

Powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6, the speedy drop-top generates 270kW and 520Nm, enabling it to sprint to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 250km/h.

The C 400 version shares the C43 AMG’s basic 2996cc V6 powerplant. Its performance is lower, at 245kW and 480Nm, though is still reaches 100km/h in 5.2 seconds.

Both V6 versions use 4MATIC all-wheel drive to get their traction to the ground and share the nine-speed Mercedes-Benz automatic transmission, which is optional across the range (but likely standard in Australia).

An entry-level C 180 model (115kW) that would provide a price-leading vehicle is unlikely for Australia, according to McCarthy. But a hard-core twin-turbo V8 is very much on the radar.

"The C 180 is unlikely at this stage," he said. "I'm not saying there won't ever be a 180, but it's not in the mix at the moment."

McCarthy said we can expect a wide range of engine types for the C-Cabrio including the C 200, C 250d, C 300, C 43 AMG and C 63 AMG, meaning the flagship V8 model will be available for those want the full-noise experience.