If you're looking at paying over six figures for a high performance luxury Mercedes-convertible model, then don't. Not at least until you've looked at this car, the improved C 63 Cabriolet. Jonathan Crouch checks it out..
Mercedes' C-Class Cabriolet model line-up is topped off by this improved and now even more desirable C 63 high performance V8 variant. Toupees will need to be very well tied-down indeed.
On the move, this car is everything you'd want it to be, with aural fireworks and spine-tingling acceleration that flings you up the road with urgent, angry aggression. The SPEEDSHIFT MCT auto gearbox now gets 9 speeds and its 'RACE START' function makes it easy to replicate Grand Prix-style starts that'll take 4.2s in the standard 476hp model. Or 4.1s if you go for the uprated C 63 S Cabriolet variant that offers 510hp and 700Nm of torque, enough to pummel a rival BMW M4 Convertible into submission. Both versions use much the same V8, a twin turbo 4.0-litre engine that's impressively efficient for its size. Top speed is 174mph if you opt for the AMG Driver's Package. A rear limited slip differential is standard and you'll need it to properly get the power down through the bends. As before, buyers aren't offered the 4MATIC 4WD sytem you get in the lesser V6 C 43 Cabriolet model, so it's rear wheel drive only; which can lead to a few tense moments when cornering in the wet. C 63 buyers do get adaptive suspension though, one of the elements that can be tweaked via an 'AMG DYNAMIC SELECT' driving modes system that can alter steering feel, throttle response, gearshift timings, stability control thresholds and even the exhaust note via 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Sport+' settings. No matter how you fiddle with these, the ride remains coarse, but the steering's good, the brakes are excellent and the gearshift response is rifleshot-quick. It's an experience to savour.
Think in terms of needing around getting on for £73,000 for your C 63 Cabriolet, once you've allowed for a few well-chosen extras. And there'll be a premium of around £9,000 if you want the uprated 510hp 'S' version. This gets an electronic (rather than a mechanical) limited-slip differential, dynamic engine mounts that offer extra cornering feedback, an extra 'Race' mode for the auto gearbox and bigger 19-inch wheels featuring larger brake discs and red callipers. Inside a C 63 S, you'd get grippier AMG Performance seats and an even classier AMG steering wheel that blends DINAMICA microfibre with the standard Nappa leather for a DTM-style feel. Should you want to go further, you could also specify a powerful Burmester surround sound system or, for those wanting a soundtrack straight from Affalterbach, the option of a variable AMG exhaust. There's also the incredible LED Intelligent Light System to consider. We particularly like the sensitive climate control system that adapts itself whether the car is being driven with the roof up or the roof down. A key option you really have to have on this car is the 'Cabriolet Comfort package'. This gives you two key features; the electric AIRCAP draught stop system that reduces the interior turbulence for rear passengers at the press of a button. And the AIRSCARF neck-level heating set-up for the driver and front passenger. Alternatively, there's also the option of a retrofitted manual folding draught stop behind the front seats. This noticeably stops draughts in the front seats.
We're sure that there must be very good reasons why you would buy AMG versions of Mercedes convertible models like the SL and the E-Class cabriolet but right here, right now, in considering this C 63 Cabriolet, we can't readily think of them. Yes, the ride on this car is rather over-firm - but that's about it. If you can put up with that, then this model gives you everything you could want in a super-fast open-topped sporting Mercedes. And that makes it a very desirable thing indeed.
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