Mercedes-Benz clearly wants you to enjoy some top-down motoring, pollution and smog aside. They have gone ahead and launched two cabriolets, the C300, priced at Rs 60 lakh, and the S500 Cabriolet, at an S-Class-sized Rs 2.25 crore price-tag. Not to enthused about driving an open-top S-Class? Mercedes sells the S500 Coupe in India too, and that is an hefty Rs 40 lakh cheaper.
At Rs 60 lakh, this the C300 Cabriolet will be the cheapest cabriolet in Mercedes’s Indian range. Next up in the price ladder is the SLC43 AMG and the E400 Cabriolet. For that price, you get a C200 sedan, but with the 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four in a different state of tune, producing 242 bhp against the 184 bhp it makes in the sedan. The dimensions of the Cabriolet is also exactly the same as that of the sedan, with an identical wheelbase, length and breadth. The differences are in the length of the front door, more spacious footwells for the front passengers, less legroom for the rear seats and a fabric roof that folds away at a touch of button. Like the sedan, the engine is paired with the 9G-Tronic transmission, and with producing 37.8 kgm of torque, the C300 is capable of hitting a hundred kph from standstill in 6.4 seconds. While it still a C-Class inside, it does get upgraded materials, optional equipment and more customization options as standard. Also standard are LED headlights which adapts to weather, lighting and driving conditions, the AIRSCARF system which blows hot air through vents near the seat head rests, parking assist, memory seats, and a belt-feeder which extends the seat-belt holder when the door is closed and the car detects the ignition key.
The S500 Cabriolet shares its technical specifications with the Coupe, with the 4.7-litre V8 petrol powering both. The engine produces 449 bhp and a quite ridiculous 71.4 kgm of torque. All that torque, coupled with a 9G-Tronic gearbox is enough to heave this 2.1-tonne cabriolet to 100 kph from zero is 4.6 seconds. Although it is as wide as an S-Class sedan, it is smaller and the wheelbase is shorter, although it is still a proper four-seater and rear legroom is the best this side of a Rolls Royce cabriolet. Standard features include variable dampers with air-suspension, different damping modes, 23-speaker Burmester surround sound system, heads-up display, a 360 degree camera view, AIRCAP wind deflector and even the seams of the fabric roof has been designed to cut down on wind noise. There are few optional stuff too, like Swarovski crystals embedded in the headlights, night vision cameras, massage and ventilated seats. Interestingly, while the Coupe is 40 lakhs cheaper, the 577 bhp S63 AMG Coupe is 40 lakhs dearer than the S500 Cabriolet.
Mercedes has also launched an updated E400 cabriolet, and priced it at Rs 76 lakh, with all prices being ex-showroom.
