Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet (2016-2020) Review and Prices

There are few cars which combine open-top luxury with as many high-tech features as the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet. It has an achingly posh interior, is superbly comfortable and, as an added bonus, looks absolutely gorgeous.

Sure, it isn’t anywhere near as aggressive as the sharply creased BMW 8 Series Convertible, but the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet’s simple, flowing lines make it look much more sophisticated.

It’s a similar story inside, where the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet gets a seriously elegant cabin that’s full to bursting with posh-feeling leather, gorgeous unvarnished wood trims and loads of cold-to-the-touch metal vents and switches.

It’s hard not to notice the whopping great infotainment screens, too. These huge 12-inch displays look fantastic and all the menus are easy to navigate through using the scroll wheel on the centre console. It isn’t quite as intuitive to use as the BMW 8 Series Convertible’s system and doesn’t understand quite as many voice commands, but at least you get Apple and Android smartphone mirroring as standard.

The Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet can’t quite match the kudos of a Bentley or Rolls Royce, but it feels just as relaxing to drive and comes with an equally eye-catching cabin.

You can also get it with what Mercedes calls the Energizing Comfort Pack – essentially a pre-programmed display of mood lighting to help you relax. This is little comfort to passengers in the back though, who’ll find the S-Class Cabriolet’s back seats quite cramped – especially with the roof up.

As you’d expect, things start to feel much more airy with the roof down. You won’t hear a great deal of buffeting with the windows up either, and the optional draught shield makes cruising along at motorway speeds feel as relaxing as pottering along a quiet country road.

The most serene S-Class Cabriolet to travel in is the range-topping V12-powered S65 model. It’s quiet, smooth and immensely powerful but consumes even more fuel than the already thirsty S63 V8 version, so you’ll have to fill up more regularly on long journeys.

The best all-rounder in the S-Class Cabriolet range is the S560. It’s smooth, more than fast enough to blast past slow-moving traffic and cruises along almost silently at motorway speeds. Combine this with a super-smooth automatic gearbox, sublimely comfortable suspension and some of the most advanced driver assistance systems of any car on sale, and the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet makes for one seriously relaxing luxury soft-top.