Words by Yash Sunil
Mercedes-Benz announces the launch of two new convertibles available in the Indian market, the C 300 Cabriolet and the S 500 Cabriolet. The C 300 Cabriolet is priced at Rs 60 lakh and the S 500 Cabriolet is priced at Rs 2.25 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). Both these will be offered alongside Mercedes’ other convertibles like the E 400 and SLC 43 AMG.
The S 500 is powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine churning out 442bhp and 700Nm of torque and is mated to a 9-speed gearbox. This allows it to accelerate from 0-100 in 4.6 seconds and has an electronically limited top-speed of 250kmph. The S 500 is essentially an S-Class coupe sans a roof and Mercedes has done a beautiful job at designing it so. Like every other S-Class, the S 500 too boasts of a whole array of gizmos and driver aids to keep the passengers entertained and safe, like all new climate control system that adjusts the temperature of the car by sensing if the roof is up or folded down, and also comes with a new rollover protection system which deploy the roll bars much faster thanks to the use of a gas generator instead of a spring system.
The smaller, more affordable convertible being launched is the C 300. It shares the same platform with the latest C-Class and is powered by a 2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 241bhp of power and 370Nm of torque mated to the 9-speed auto ’box. The soft-top roof of the C 300 can be retracted or extended in less than 20 seconds and can be controlled remotely via the key-fob. The car also gets the Mercedes-Benz Airscarf technology, which blows a warm breeze of air to the neck so you can comfortably keep the roof down on those chilly mornings.
The C 300 faces competition from the likes of the Audi A3 Cabriolet and the Mini Cooper S Convertible whereas the only real competitors to the S 500 in India would be the Bentley Continental GT Convertible and the (much, much more expensive) Rolls Royce Dawn. Both the C 300 and the S 500 will be sold in India as CBUs.