The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet runs the same engine as the bigger E-Class derv yet is smaller in size and cheaper in price. Done deal? Not really.
What’s new?
Open-top cars, aka convertibles or cabriolets, aren’t popular in Thailand due to the obvious reason of the climate.
However, there are some fans who do occasional roof-down driving when the rare opportunity emerges. Moreover, these coupe-based cars do have visual appeal with their bespoke coloured soft-tops.
Which is why the country’s leading luxury brand continues to import the rag-top versions of the C-, E- and S-Class to satisfy a small niche.
The latest one from Mercedes-Benz is the E-Class Cabriolet, as tested here in E300 petrol form stamped with AMG Dynamic trim. It has the same 245hp turbocharged four-pot and nine-speed automatic as in the E300 Coupe.
Interestingly, the smaller C300 Cabriolet runs exactly the same drivetrain as in its bigger E-Class derv yet is smaller in size (4,686mm length vs 4,826mm) and lighter in weight (1,690kg vs 1,780kg).
And coupled with a 950,000 baht price disadvantage, can the 5.19 million baht E300 Cabriolet do any favours with its equally blunted on-paper performance stats?
What’s cool?
Sure, the E-Class Cabriolet may bear a similar face with nearly all other Mercs currently on sale. As well, there’s nothing really special about the way its roof has been designed in visual terms.
However, it must be said that this particular cabrio has nicely balanced proportions, be it when roof up or down. And yes, you can easily note that it’s a bigger car than the C-Class equivalent.
It gets even better inside. The E-Class adopts the brand’s latest digital widescreen on the dashboard housing all essential info rather than the traditional layout found in the C-Class.
And apart from feeling more modern and hi-tech, the interior of the E-Class Cabriolet appears more exquisitely finished contributing to a more luxurious feel.
Six-footers, as well, can sit in the rear seats without scraping their heads with the ceiling when the roof isn’t down. Headroom can be an issue if it was the C-Class Cabriolet.
What’s not?
There are three main things that will always remain downsides in soft-top cabrios: relatively upright backrests for rear occupants, compromised boot space when cruising roof-down and some lack of external noise suppression during roof-up driving.
But on the contrary, the E-Class Cabriolet manages to make these issues quite trivial, meaning that fans of open-top cars can still find it to be reasonably well-engineered and comfy enough.
Compared to C300 Cabriolet, the E300 Cabriolet will always be the inferior one when it comes to performance. The 0-100kph times speak for themselves: 6.4sec vs 6.6sec.
Once again, you really don’t feel that the E300 Cabriolet is any lousier than the C300 Cabriolet in a straight line. In fact, the bigger of the two still manages to be amply quick in the real world, with Sport mode aiding for better responsiveness.
Buy or bye?
Performance isn’t obviously a main reason people buy cabrios for, especially when we’re talking about those with four-cylinder power and not V8 AMG steroids.
Which is why it’s safe to say that the E300 Cabriolet is just as good to drive as its C-Class counterpart without being really cumbersome to handle on the overall.
In fact, the bigger footprint of the E-Class Cabriolet seemingly provides for a better balance between handling and ride, the latter aspect being quite important for poseurs.
Moreover, the open-top 2+2 notion in the E-Class is made better with proper comfort for four with a more opulent and contemporary interior to match.
If it comes to cabrios costing already in excess of four million baht, forking out an extra million shouldn’t be of any harm to potential buyers. Yes, we’d buy it over the C-Class Cabriolet.
PRODUCT-POSITIONING THE GERMAN WAY
In BMW speak, the 4 Series is the sporty alternative to the 3 Series. Which means that the 6 Series, spun off the 5 Series, is the rival for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. Actually, it isn’t exactly like that.
Rather than playing a straightforward game with numbers, the 6 Series actually scaled up the price ranks to contest the Merc SL in open-top Convertible form, as pictured above, priced from some 10 million baht with just six- and eight-cylinder power.
This means that the E-Class Cabriolet is actually without a rival. The 4 Series Convertible and Audi’s A5 Cabriolet are direct answers for the smaller C-Class Cabriolet.
It’s still unknown how the 6 Series model lineup will carry on. But two things are for sure.
First, BMW has already confirmed the pending 8 Series family, including Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe, that will indirectly replace today’s 6 Series models.
Second, BMW has just revamped the 6 Series range this year with the introduction of the Gran Turismo (GT), kind of a high-roof hatchback version of the 5 Series.
