It’s difficult to anticipate the mood of a city whose name invokes “sadness,” but a group of visiting Canadians discovered a sure means for dissolving frowns in recent days along the beach-strewn shores of the Adriatic.
We oiled up with SPF and dropped our tops – again and again. And again. And when we felt chilly, at the lift of a finger warm air was gently blown over the napes or our neck. We managed to avert all goose-bump crises with marriage vows intact thanks to the superb attention to detail at Mercedes-Benz.
The German luxury brand debuted its much-awaited C-Class suite of cabriolets in this northeast Italian coastal city. Sharing a border with Slovenia, Trieste’s winding city streets climb high into the mountains and give way to Slovenia’s lush rural landscape, which is ribboned with narrow roads that dissolve into hairpin curves and stone walls. It was the perfect place to exercise the shiny new Cabriolets, which have been designed to preserve Mercedes’s venerable driving experience while ensuring passengers’ comfort at every turn (hence the warm air on the neck, but we’ll get there).
The mere sight of this entry-level luxury convertible is artful; from most angles, it looks identical to the C-Class Coupe, which is to say alluring, refined, curvy where it counts but sharp enough to be taken seriously.
Extra care has been taken to ensure the look of the soft top isn’t wonky, and it shows. The car is actually beautiful with the top up – and looks sharp in all four roof colours – but it is at its best with the top down, a 20-second task that can (and should) be done while moving up to 50 km/h. Key here is that the drive and ride are fantastic. There’s no shakiness, weird vibrations, none of the de facto instability that was once unavoidable in cars with no roof.
Among the four models available in Canada, there is a wild amount of horsepower to choose from. We tested the C300, C43 AMG and the C63AMG; none felt underpowered and each tempted us to alter drive modes as city roads became challenging mountain landscapes with variable speeds. And it paid off: both the C300 and C43 were quiet, pleasant cruisers in Comfort mode, but switching to Sport and Sport+ amped up our enjoyment – and the smile-provoking sound effects – of a swooping, technical course through a string of small, Slovenian hamlets. The C63 was a well-mannered brute with a most excellent growl. Through towns with low speeds, it was work to keep its nearly 500 horses in check. But if you’re buying a true sports car – and the C63 is one – the effort will be a pleasure.
The message here is that the C-series offers a lot of diversity under one hood and will appeal to a range of drivers. It is thoughtful about passengers, too. Automatic climate control works to keep riders comfortable by accounting for outside temperatures; heated and ventilated seats do their part. But the scene-stealer is Airscarf, the push-button feature that literally blows warm air out of the front headrests at neck level. An odd feeling at first, one gets used to the sensation. And if it means we can keep the top down longer on cool nights and even stave off the cabriolet’s hibernation for winter, we’ll be even more tickled.
You’ll like this car if ... You want a drop-top that doesn’t force a compromise on driving experience or comfort.
TECH SPECS
Base price: TBD. The non-convertible coupe starts at $48,100, so expect to pay that and more
Engines: 2.0-litre four-cylinder, 3.0-litre V-6 twin turbo, 4.0-litre V-8 twin turbo
Transmission/Drive: 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic/4MATIC all-wheel drive (both C 300 and C 43 AMG); AMG Speedshift seven-speed sport transmission/RWD (C 63 and C63S)
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): TBD
Alternatives: BMW 3-series/4-series cabriolet, Audi A5/S5 cabriolet, Infiniti Q60 cabriolet; Lexus IS 350 C
RATINGS
Looks: Sensual, refined, playful. Like its hard-top brethren, this cabriolet has a long, muscular front end, a neatly tucked rear and its trim will turn heads.
Interior: Standard leather seats come with Airscarf, a neck-warming feature, but the upgraded sports seats with integrated head rests are worth it for a next-level saddle experience. Cabin is quiet with the top down and exceptionally noiseless with top up.
Performance: With four models that range from 241 horsepower in the C300 to more than 500 in the C63S AMG, there is no shortage of power here.
Technology: With loads of driver assistance and multimedia features as standard, the C-Class pulls away from the pack with its Aircap technology, a double-vented system that, when activated with the top down, pops up a wind screen behind the rear passenger seat. A second pane rises at the top of the windshield.
Cargo: With the top up, two carry-on suit cases plus another small bag or two easily fit in the trunk. The rear seats fold nearly flat to accommodate golf clubs, snow boards and longer items.
THE VERDICT
9.5
This cabriolet more than upholds the legacy of the entry-level C-Class family. Without compromising the driving experience or passenger comfort, its on-board technology works to maximize top-down opportunities.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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