This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
Beautiful looks
Fantastic interior
Comfortable optional air suspension
What's not so good
Diesels rattle under acceleration
Unintuitive infotainment system
Tight rear seats
Find out more about the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (2015-2017)
Is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (2015-2017) a good car?
The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet is well worth a look if you’re after a stylish drop-top that’s comfortable, comes with a fantastic interior and makes you feel good about life. It’s based on the standard C-Class Coupe, which is reviewed separately.
The Cabriolet’s cabin looks just as elegant as its swoopy exterior. Bundles of posh trims, metal switches and neat silver air vents help make it look far more sophisticated than the rather drab BMW 4 Series Convertible. Build quality isn’t quite up there with the airtight Audi A5 Cabriolet, but top-spec AMG-Line models feature unvarnished ash wood inserts that look great and feel suitably solid.
All models come with man-made Artico leather seats as standard that do a fantastic job of mimicking the optional £800 real-leather upholstery. Less convincing, however, is the standard seven-inch infotainment screen. It sits on the dashboard like a knock-off iPad and isn’t as easy to use as the systems you’ll find in a BMW or an Audi. Much better is the upgraded Comand Online system – offered as part of the £2,995 Premium Plus pack.
There’s plenty of space in the front and the seats come with enough adjustment for six-footers to get comfortable. Space in the back is a little cramped for equally tall adults, but there’s a reasonable amount of legroom and the front seats slide forward electrically so it’s not too tricky to climb in.
The boot is identical in size to the 370-litre BMW 4 Series Convertible but it’s slightly tighter than the 380-litre loadbay you’ll find in an Audi A5 Cabriolet. There’s enough space for a small suitcase and a few soft bags with the roof folded down, and unlike some convertibles, you can flip the back seats down in a two-way (50:50) split to carry longer items.
If you’re looking for a comfortable cruiser, pick either a Sport model or a version fitted with the optional £895 air suspension. It’ll help the C-Class Cabriolet glide over most potholes without breaking a sweat. The lowered sports suspension fitted to AMG-Line versions is stiffer, less comfortable and doesn’t suit the Cabriolet’s wafty character anywhere near as well.
With the roof up, you’d hardly tell the C-Class Cabriolet had a soft top – it really is that quiet on the move
Even entry-level C200 petrol models feel nippy enough and will return around 35mpg. The diesel models are slightly more frugal – C220d versions can return around 51mpg in the real world, but they rattle rather loudly when you accelerate hard – not what you want from a laid-back drop-top.
A range of optional driver assists help make the C-Class Cabriolet hugely relaxing to drive. The £1,695 Driver Assistance Pack will help it accelerate, brake and even steer for you on the motorway and in heavy traffic – provided you keep your hands on the wheel.
Euro NCAP awarded the standard C-Class saloon an impressive five-star safety rating in 2014 – expect the Cabriolet to offer very nearly the same level of protection. Its numerous active safety systems are designed specifically to prevent avoidable collisions, too – handy, because the last thing you’d want to do is dent one of the most stylish and relaxing convertibles on sale.
To find out what sort of offers are available on the C-Class, click through to our deals page.
How much is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (2015-2017)?
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (2015-2017) has a RRP range of £37,015 to £80,075. The price of a used Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (2015-2017) on Carwow starts at £15,770.
How practical is it?
The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet is remarkably practical for an open-top car. It will seat four adults in reasonable comfort and the boot’s not too bad, but there could be more storage in the cabin
The rear seats are pretty spacious, but you need the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast to get there with any degree of grace
Boot (seats up)
285 - 360 litres
Boot (seats down)
-
There’s just as much space in the C-Class Convertible as you’ll find in the Coupe version. Both front seats come with height and electric lumbar adjustment as standard so you’ll be able to get comfortable, even if you’re over six-foot tall.
Jumping in the back is no more graceful than in the Coupe, however – unless you fancy leaving the roof down and jumping over the door Dukes of Hazzard style. The front seats slide forward automatically (if very slowly) to give your passengers as much space as possible to climb in. Once onboard, they’ll find there’s a reasonable amount of knee and legroom and – if they’re under six-foot tall – just enough headroom to get comfortable.
AMG Line models with their black fabric roof lining feel quite dark and dingy in the back. Combine this with small rear windows and your passengers may start to feel a little claustrophobic on long journeys.
There’s nothing better than folding the roof down to let in more light, however. Just make sure you warn your taller friends to lean forward first – the thick roof fabric extends over the rear headrests as the mechanism tucks itself away.
Fitting a child seat is surprisingly easy in the C-Class Cabriolet. The electric front seats slide forward far enough to give you plenty of space to fit the seat and the clearly marked Isofix anchor points come with covers that fold out of the way as you attach the base.
The Cabriolet’s door bins are big enough to hold a large water bottle each and you’ll find a large storage bin with a 12V socket and USB port under the central armrest.
There are two cupholders in the front and two in the back but they’ll struggle to hold anything larger than a soft drinks can. The glovebox isn’t exactly commodious, either – you’ll have to remove the owner’s manual to carry a large water bottle.
The Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet isn’t quite as practical as the Coupe but, with the roof up, it’ll carry 370 litres of luggage – that’s identical to the BMW 4 Series Convertible and only 10 litres down on the Audi A5 Cabriolet.
The boot opening is reasonably wide – if not quite as square as what you’ll find an A5 Cabriolet – but it’s still big enough to make loading a suitcase easy. Mercedes fits a folding divider to help you gauge how much space to leave in the boot should you wish to fold the roof down. There’s just enough room for a small suitcase and a few soft bags with the roof tucked away.
You can also fold the rear seats forward in a two-way (50:50) split to carry long items – an unusual feature for a convertible. With them in place, however, a baby stroller and a few soft bags will fit easily, providing you’re happy to leave the roof up.
There are a few tethering points, a netted cubby and even a folding plastic crate to stop smaller items rattling around in the back but there’s only enough space under the floor to hide away a few small valuables.
What's it like to drive?
The C-Class Cabriolet is just relaxing to travel in as the Coupe but a BMW 4 Series Convertible is more fun to drive
Mercedes has done a fantastic job of making the C-Class Cabriolet nice and quiet with the roof up but it’s spoilt slightly by some rather rattly diesel engines
You can get the C-Class Cabriolet with two petrol and two diesel engines and as high-performance C43 and C63 versions tuned by AMG, Mercedes’ racing division.
Pick a C200 or a C300 petrol model if you don’t cover very many miles. Both are smoother than the diesel versions and quieter around town, too. Even the entry-level 184hp C200 model – that costs around £1,500 less than the most affordable diesel – feels pretty nippy and it’ll return around 40mpg.
C300 models with 245hp will sprint from 0-62mph in a fairly rapid 6.4 seconds – compared to the C200’s 8.2 seconds – but are a little thirstier as a result. With gentle use of the accelerator they’ll return around 35mpg.
Pick a diesel model if you regularly travel long distances. The 170hp C220d will return around 51mpg but rattles rather loudly when you accelerate hard. The more powerful C250d has performance more befitting of a Mercedes convertible – it’ll accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds – but sounds just as noisy and returns similar fuel economy.
You can also get your C-Class Cabriolet as a rapid C43 or C63 model. These versions are powered by 367hp V6 and 476hp V8 petrol engines respectively and will both sprint from 0-62mph in less than five seconds. They’ll do just as good a job of emptying your wallet as they will messing up your hairdo, however – the fastest C63 model will set you back more than £70,000 and will struggle to return 25mpg.
Make sure you pick a model with an automatic gearbox. Both the seven and nine-speed versions are far smoother than the rather notchy manuals and suit the C-Class Cabriolet’s relaxed character very well indeed.
Mercedes has done an excellent job of making the Cabriolet just as comfortable and very nearly as quiet to drive as the Coupe.
It’ll cope with rutted British roads without shimmying or rattling like convertibles of old and – with the roof in place – it even does an impressive job of muting wind noise and tyre roar. There’s even a special spoiler (that Mercedes calls a Wind Cap) above the windscreen that works alongside a rear-mounted wind deflector to stop you being buffeted on the motorway.
The suspension fitted to entry-level Sport models is supple enough to absorb large bumps and potholes without feeling quite as firm as sportier AMG Line versions. Even better, however, is the optional £895 Airmatic air suspension system. It might sound expensive but it’s well worth saving up for – it’ll make the C-Class Cabriolet feel as comfortable as possible over fairly rough roads.
You can even raise or lower the fabric roof on the move – so long as you’re not driving at more than 31mph. It’ll only take around 15 seconds to tuck itself away so you can take advantage of even the briefest spots of sunshine.
All C-Class Cabriolets come with a reversing camera and a self-parking system – that’ll steer you into bay and parallel spaces automatically – as standard.
The optional £1,695 Driver Assistance Pack helps make long journeys as relaxing as possible. It not only comes with a bewildering array of safety kit – including Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and Automatic Emergency Braking – but its active cruise control can essentially drive the car for you. It’ll accelerate, brake and steer automatically on the motorway and in heavy traffic around town – provided you keep your hands on the wheel.
All this advanced technology helped the standard C-Class score an impressive five-star Euro NCAP safety rating when it was tested back in 2014. Expect the Cabriolet to offer slightly less protection in extreme collisions than its hard-top siblings, however, and it’s worth noting that the test has been made much stricter since then.
What's it like inside?
The C-Class Cabriolet’s interior is gorgeous – you get sporty circular air vents and lots of plush materials that make it feel a cut above most mainstream machines
