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Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet review
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Quote:
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet review
It's all about supreme open-top luxury in the flagship convertible of the Mercedes-Benz lineup.
Toby Hagon
12 April, 2016
Mercedes-Benz's flagship S-Class convertible provides opulent open-top motoring. Photo: Daimler AG
It's a convertible, but not as we know it. Or, at least, not as we've known them.
The S-Class Cabriolet is Mercedes-Benz's new drop-top flagship, the first top-shelf four-seat convertible from the German luxury brand since 1971. Utilising the bones of the S-Class – Benz's most lavish limousine – it's all about style, space and the ultimate in luxury, with the ability to have the roof down adding to the experience.
Indeed it makes a sumptuous statement. It starts with the styling, which largely mimics the roof silhouette of the coupe it mostly shares a body with. Rather than a folding hard-top – as with the two-seat SLC and SL models – the S Cab gets a multi-layered folding soft-top.
From the outside the fabric top instantly screams convertible, with up to four roof colours giving the choice of how you show off the lid.
Our test drive was in the south of France, through the glamourous holiday towns of Monaco, Nice and Cannes. The perfect place to sample what will be one of the most exclusive Mercedes-Benzes on the market.
Inside, is a blend of elegance and attention to detail with a roof that's as close as a folding hard-top roof as we've ever experienced in a convertible. You can choose between six different roof liner trims, including Alcantara. Throw in 28 leather choices and 14 exterior colours and the S is tailor made for most (expensive) tastes.
Designers momentarily considered four doors for the S-Class Cabriolet, something hinted at with the Ocean Drive concept from 2007. But space was a limiting factor. While the prospect of easy rear access and more rear legroom was appealing, the extra length it added to the car meant a longer, more involved roof and a bigger boot to fit all that roof once it was folded. It simply wasn't going to work, at least not with the proportions that are key when you're shelling out upwards of $360,000.
Even with two doors there's no shortage of space. Up front the seats are soft and sumptuous. Craftsmanship is beautiful, from the sweep of carbon fibre or wood across the dash to the elegant metal surfaces touching everything from the Burmester speaker grilles to the top of the electronically retractable wind deflector.
Those in the back are cocooned in seats with slightly more upper body lateral support than those up front. With someone tall up front, though, leg room is good rather than exceptional. Still, there are rear air vents, some elegant storage areas between the seats and a folding arm rest to continue the luxury theme.
It's immediately apparent many hours went into the acoustics and aerodynamics. At 100km/h-plus with the roof down there's still the rustle of wind above, but the front cabin is remarkably unruffled. Deploy the electronic front and rear wind deflectors and it sends more air over the heads of those inside, while still maintaining the all important UV rays above. Those extra wind deflectors do nothing for the look, though, especially at the front; it's a strip partially floating above the top of the windscreen. They also add a decent dose of wind noise to the equation. But it achieves its target of significantly reducing wind rustle in the rear, making life more pleasant for all involved.
Roof up (an operation that takes a bit less than 20 seconds) and the refinement equation is even better, with things such as double glazed windows helping keep most frequencies at bay. Engineers claim the same sound levels as the Coupe at speed, albeit with a subtley different sound due to different frequencies making it into the cabin.
Because the S Coupe was designed from the outset to also be produced as a convertible engineers ensured the requisite bracing to account for the lack of a roof structure was accounted for in the basic design. The only additional bracing for the Cabriolet is under the bonnet. That means weight isn't as much of a penalty as we expected, and the extra 85kg is put down purely to the motors and mechanisms to operate the roof.
The biggest compromise with the S-Class Cabriolet is boot space. The sizeable cavity of the Coupe is diminished courtesy of a storage box that accommodates the roof once folded. A large suitcase is out but some softer weekend-away bags will be fine.
Yet there are more pleasant surprises in store from the S, especially once you hit the road. It's a big car, and a heavy one at just over two tonnes, but it's surprisingly adept. Nicely weighted steering is impressively responsive, teaming with 20-inch tyres to capably attack corners.
The Cabriolet misses out on the innovative Curve cornering function of the Coupe, which droops the air suspension on the inside of the corner to gently tilt the car into the bend, countering leaning. And there's no chance of it arriving, either, because engineers say the larger suspension components won't fit into the soft-top body. Even without that additional control, the S is superbly competent.
But it's the ride that gives the S Cabriolet its effortless character. Even in the sporty AMG models there's a plushness few luxury cars come close to, ably suppressing all manner of imperfections. And there's beautiful body control, with the S gliding from one corner to the next, squatting and settling nicely over undulations in the process.
Effortless is also a way to describe the performance. The base 4.7-litre V8 in the S500 Cabriolet musters plenty of mumbo (335kW and 700Nm), with hearty mid-rev response and a graceful delivery through a nine-speed auto. The V8 noise is also in keeping with the luxury ambitions of the car and while it's muted (moreso than in the S-Class Coupe) it's still discernible.
The S63 AMG, with its bigger V8 (430kW and 900Nm, with a seven-speed auto) is noticeably quicker and with a far more pronounced bark, but the extra punch is rarely needed for most cruising. There's piles of effortless grunt and potent carbon ceramic brakes that stop brilliantly and better reduce fade compared with the steel setup in the 500. Unleash the engine through a tunnel or with a rock wall alongside and the noise is satisfyingly amplified.
Despite the temptation to splash out on the AMG – and ordinarily we'd launch at the prospect - for our money we'd be more than happy with the S500; the S-Class Cabriolet is one of those cars where less is more.
It's easy to see the S Cab being cross shopped with a Ferrari or Porsche, albeit without the harder edged go-fast focus of those cars. More logical competitors – where the emphasis is on luxury rather than pace – would wear a badge from Rolls-Royce or Bentley.
Its strengths lie in its all-round comfort and ability. It's resolutely stuck to its guns on focusing on luxury over sportiness – and all for the better. It backs it up with lashings of luxury and refinement that ensure a supremely comfortable means of travelling with the roof down. That it is so convincing with the roof up in some ways makes the S Coupe redundant.
2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet price and specifications
On sale: September, 2016
Price: From $360,000 (estimated), plus on-road costs
Engines: 4.7-litre V8 (S500); 5.4-litre twin turbo V8 (S63 AMG); 6.0-litre twin turbo V12 (S65 AMG)
Power: 335kW; 430kW; 463kW
Torque: 700Nm; 900Nm; 1000Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic (S500); 7-speed automatic (S63 AMG, S65 AMG); rear-wheel drive
Fuel use: TBA
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12-04-2016, 04:17 PM
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