Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet - the return of open-top S-Class style and comfort

The Mercedes S-Class cabriolet has returned, after 44 years.  A full-size open-top 4-seater was last seen on the S-Class cabriolet in 1971.

Large cabriolet with space for 4 and S-Class luxury

What a great idea – travel in style and luxury enjoying open air driving with ample space for 4 adults.  Though, this has been the reserve of other Mercedes models like the smaller E-Class cabriolet, and other makes of large cabriolets.  Now the S-Class cabriolet reintroduces the idea of S-Class space and luxury into the joy of a large open-top car. 

Mercedes S-Class cabriolet based on S-Class coupé

After successfully taking on the world with the new S-Class in 2013, 2014 saw the addition of the S-Class coupé.  Now, in 2015, coinciding with the onset of Spring in the southern hemisphere, the S-Class cabriolet is back.

Building on the S-Class coupé’s design, as can clearly be seen in the body lines and lights, the Mercedes S-Class cabriolet replaces the coupé hard roof with a big folding soft-top. 

The structure has been reinforced to make it exceptionally rigid, as befits a large Mercedes, though these additions (and the extra roof motors and hinges and control units) usually add much more weight.  The S-Class coupé is already substantially weighty… so clever innovations were used in the S-Class cabriolet to keep weight at a level close to the S-Class coupé:  the luggage compartment bulkhead is made of aluminium and – unusual for a production car – magnesium.

Symbolises timelessly exclusive mobility

Mercedes-Benz has a proud lineage of large pre-S-Class and S-Class cars, and this latest addition is said to symbolize timelessly exclusive mobility – many older Mercedes are very collectable (like the 280 SE 3.5 cabriolet, to name but one) seeming to be designed so well that they defy time, still appreciated for their beauty years and years on.  Exclusive it will be, as this a top-class Mercedes with suitably top-class price positioning, above the R 2.5 to R 3 m S-Class coupé price range.

The world’s most comfortable cabriolet?

This is a bold claim from Mercedes.  They substantiate this by listing advanced wind protection with items like Aircap (windscreen-mounted deployable wind spoiler) and Airscarf (blowing hot air out of the headrests) though these are already in E-Class cabriolet, SLK and SL. 

The S-Class cabriolet goes further by using heated armrests, seat heating not just in the front, as usual, but also for the temperature comfort of rear-seat occupants.

Its intelligent climate control also goes a step further, by automatically adapting to closed or open-roof driving, with no intervention from the driver needed.

Automatically-extending luggage compartment cover

As with most cabriolet, convertible and roadster cars, the luggage compartment has a horizontal slide-out or fold-down cover to allow space for the roof, splitting it from the luggage.  This extendable cover can be moved out the way to allow easier off/loading and to give more space if more luggage needs to be transported. 

The problem is, one forgets to close the cover again, which has a sensor preventing the roof from folding down, requiring the driver to stop the car to open the bootlid to close the cover – well, in the S-Class cabriolet this cover is automatically-extending.  Brilliant.

Initial model line-up

At launch, with the car to be shown at Frankfurt Motor Show this month, will be Mercedes-Benz S500 cabriolet and Mercedes-AMG S63 cabriolet.  To mirror the S-Class coupé engine offerings, a flagship Mercedes-AMG S65 cabriolet is surely on its way… perhaps holding it back to create the hype, which will be able to take on other luxury sport brand 4-seater cabriolets.