Mercedes Cabriolet - A Topless Star

The new C-Class Cabriolet impresses drivers with its sporty yet cosseting character.

Life, as they say, is full of compromises. You cannot have everything your way. But we always want to have it all anyway. Hence the saying: “Having your cake and eating it, too.”

Cars are full of compromises as well. Most coupes, for instance, are fun to drive, but they tend to be impractical and have a bumpy ride.

Mercedes-Benz, however, seems to have eliminated the need for compromises with its new C-Class Cabriolet.

This is the first time that a topless model is joining the carmaker’s C-Class range. The previous “C-Class Cabriolet” was actually the E-Class Cabriolet, which uses the platform of the last-gen C-Class.

The C-Class Cabrio has plenty of road presence. It has an athletic stance and an elegant face, but its rear end is somehow unappealing to me.

What is attractive, however, is the car’s cabin. The swathes of metal trimmings and soft leather upholstery deliver the luxurious feel one would expect from a Mercedes.

Most four-seater convertibles are short on backseat space, but thanks to the car’s 2840mm wheelbase, rear occupants – even those up to 1.8 metres tall – enjoy generous legroom. The only bugbear is that the backrests are too upright and cannot be reclined.

The use of a soft-top instead of a hard-top means the roof takes up less boot space. The C-Class Cabrio has a maximum luggage capacity of 360 litres with the rear seats up, and the backrests can be folded down to accommodate longer items.