Mercedes-Benz Drops Gloves With New C-Class Drop-Top

GENEVA – Mercedes-Benz has the Audi A5 Cabriolet and BMW 4-Series Convertible set squarely in its sights with its fifth dedicated open-top model, the new C-Class Convertible.

Revealed Monday at a media reception on the eve of the 2016 Geneva auto show, the new 4-seater gives the C-Class lineup three individual models for the first time since its addition to the Mercedes-Benz range in 1993. The new convertible joins the fourth-generation C-Class sedan and second-generation C-Class Coupe, launched in 2014 and 2015, respectively, in what represents a renewed assault on the German automaker’s premium-brand competition.

“Our new C-Class Cabriolet is the entry into the world of premium cabriolets from Mercedes-Benz,” says Thomas Weber, head of R&D for parent Daimler. “Sporty and youthful in character and styling, it offers unadulterated open-air driving pleasure all year round.”

The new, price-leading convertible is destined for North American showrooms later this year.

Powered by a 362-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0L V-6-powered C43 4Matic, the convertible all-wheel-drive flagship model from Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance-car division, the new C-Class Convertible builds off the recently launched C-Class Coupe. Both will be produced at Mercedes-Benz’s Bremen manufacturing facility in Germany.

The sportier of the current generation of C-Class models share a platform architecture and mechanical package. The commonality between the two also is reflected in their dimensions, both stretched to 184.5 in. (4,686 mm) in length and 71.3 in. (1,811 mm) in width.

Predictably, the likeness extends to the exterior styling, with the new C-Class Convertible endowed with the svelte design and traditional 2-door layout as the recently introduced C-Class Coupe.

Mercedes-Benz says the multilayered fabric hood of the C-Class Convertible was designed to mirror the curvaceous roofline that graces the C-Class Coupe.

Yet while the two more recent C-Class models share a similar profile and structured body-side detailing through to the trailing edge of their long doors, the new open-top receives a more upright rear window and more defined trunklid than its fixed-roof sibling owing to the added space required at the rear to stow its hood.

The electrically operated structure, which is claimed to provide class-leading aerodynamic efficiency with a drag coefficient of just 0.28, automatically folds and stows beneath a plastic tonneau cover within the upper section of the trunk in a claimed 20 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph (50 km/h).

Trunk space is put at 12.7 cu.-ft. (360 L) with the top raised and 10.1 cu.-ft. (286 L) when the top is stowed. This compares with the 12.5 cu.-ft. (354 L) luggage capacity of the C-Class Coupe.

In a move allowing longer items such as skis or snowboards to be transported within the new convertible at all times, a compact stowage process allows the rear seats to be folded in a 50:50 split when the hood is either up or down.

As with the larger S-Class Convertible, customers can order the fabric hood in standard black or optional brown, blue or red hues.

With the top up, the C-Class Convertible offers 0.2 ins. (5.1 mm) less front headroom but 0.5 ins. (1.3 mm) more rear headroom than the C-Class Coupe, with which it otherwise shares its interior appointments.

Among them is a navigation system capable of detecting when it is approaching a tunnel and switches the standard climate-control air conditioning from fresh to recirculated mode, then switches back again at the exit.

All C-Class Convertible models receive Bluetooth compatibility, allowing Internet capability, including the use of Mercedes-Benz apps for both audio and video functions via a smartphone.

Also included is a range of autonomous-driving technology, including a system that allows it to brake autonomously at up to 124 mph (199 km/h) if it detects a potential collision. Unique to the new open top within the C-Class lineup, albeit optional, are Mercedes-Benz’s neck-warming Airscarf ventilation and Air Cap wind-deflection systems. In an example of the detail into which the automaker has gone with the development of its latest soft-top, the air-conditioning system has been programmed to detect whether the hood is up or down and automatically adjusts its air delivery to suit.

Mercedes-Benz has made a number of modifications to the platform of the C-Class Coupe in the creation of the C-Class Convertible, including the adoption of additional stiffening within the floor section of its aluminum and high-strength steel structure.

A reinforced windshield and two sturdy rollover bars that deploy from behind the rear seats when sensors detect a possible rollover compensate for the lack of a fixed roof structure, providing the new model with what Mercedes-Benz describes as class-leading safety credentials. As with the C-Class Coupe, it boasts seven airbags as standard.

The new C-Class Convertible rides on a 4-link front and 5-link rear suspension with steel springs and a selective damping system. Like its fixed-roof sibling, an air suspension with a sports-direct steering setup, is an option.

Rolling on standard 17-in. alloy wheels, it has the same ride height as the Coupe, sitting 0.6 ins. (15.2 mm) lower than the C-Class sedan.

The new drop-top also bolsters the number of dedicated Mercedes-Benz convertible models to five, complementing the E-Class Convertible – a new model of which is due out in 2017 – the recently unveiled S-Class Convertible as well as the 2-seat SLC and SL.

The new C-Class will offer the choice of up to four turbocharged engines, including three gasoline and one diesel unit, in eight differing outputs when European sales begin in June.

Included is a base 1.6L 4-cyl. gasoline engine with 154 hp in the entry-level C180 Convertible as well as a 2.0L gasoline engine offering 181 hp, 208 hp and 242 hp in the C200 Convertible, C250 Convertible and C300 Convertible, respectively.

The two 4-cyl. gasoline engines are joined by a more powerful 3.0L gasoline V-6 delivering 328 hp in the C400 4Matic Convertible and, in a more highly tuned state, 362 hp in the range-topping C43 4Matic Convertible, which receives a series of unique styling touches, including more aggressive looking bumpers, wider sills beneath the doors and standard 18-in. wheels.

The sole diesel engine in the new C-Class Convertible lineup, a 2.1L 4-cyl. unit, produces 168 hp in the C220 Convertible and 201 hp in the C250 Convertible.

Gearboxes include either a standard 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic depending on the engine. Along with rear-wheel drive, four of the new C-Class Convertible models, the C200  and C220d, come with the option of Mercedes-Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, with the C400 4Matic and C43 4Matic receiving it standard.

So equipped, the performance leader of the new lineup, the C43 4Matic Convertible, is claimed to boast a 0-62 mph (100 km) time of 4.2 seconds. and limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Details of the planned North American C-Class Convertible lineup are yet to be made official, although Mercedes-Benz officials suggest it will mirror that of the C-Class Coupe with sales centering on the C300 Convertible, C400 Convertible and C43 Convertible.