Thought the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet was dead? Think again.
Reports from a number of European publications in 2020 claimed the C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet would be culled as part of a Mercedes-Benz push to slim its range and cut complexity. These spy photos would suggest otherwise.
The soft-top C-Class doesn’t quite look production ready, but no amount of camouflage can hide the link to its sedan and wagon brothers revealed last year.
Up front, there are slimmer headlights than the previous two-door C-Class, and the body will likely feature slightly crisper lines.
Like the previous-generation car, the 2022 C-Class convertible looks likely to have a folding fabric roof.
Although it has flirted with folding hard roof technology on the SL and SLK, and despite BMW moving to a folding hard-top on the E93 3 Series and F33 4 Series, Mercedes-Benz has stuck with a folding soft-top on the C-Class convertible.
Revealed in March 2021, the new C-Class borrows plenty of technology from the S-Class flagship.
All models use a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system.
C180 and C200 models use a 1.5-litre engine with 125kW of power and 250Nm of torque and 150kW of power and 300Nm of torque, respectively.
A rear-wheel drive C200 sedan does the 0-100km/h dash in 7.3 seconds.
The C300 features a larger 2.0-litre engine with 190kW of power and 400Nm of torque, with a 0-100km/h time of 6.0 seconds.
All engines are capable of providing a quick boost of 15kW and 200Nm due to the mild-hybrid system.
C220d and C300d turbo-diesel models will also be available in Europe.
A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard across the range.
Although plug-in hybrid power will be offered in the sedan and wagon, it’s not yet clear if it’ll be offered on the convertible given the packaging and weight challenges usually associated with drop-top cars.
The interior of the new C-Class is heavily inspired by the S-Class and offers a choice of 10.25-inch and 12.3-inch digital instrument clusters and 9.5-inch and 11.9-inch touchscreens for the infotainment system.
The touchscreen is tilted towards the driver by six degrees and runs the second generation of MBUX, which debuted in the new S-Class.
It supports over-the-air updates and features a fingerprint scanner for unlocking.
