Mercedes S-class Cabriolet revealed

Mercedes has taken the wraps off the new S-class Cabriolet prior to its debut at the Frankfurt motor show. The new S-class Cabriolet marks the return of the drop-top S-class since the previous cabriolet model was phased out in 1971.

The S-class Cabriolet’s styling is similar to its coupé model, with an identical overall length of 5,027mm and width of 1,899mm, essentially making the Cabriolet a soft-top convertible version of the Coupé. The soft-top, as per the company, is the longest seen on any of its cars and can be extended or folded away electrically in 20 seconds at speeds up to 60kph. The roof can also be remotely operated through the key fob. On the boot lid is the Mercedes logo, which acts as a lever to manually open the boot, and is also the cover for the reverse camera or optional 360-degree camera.

Inside, the S-class Cabriolet has all the luxuries of a S-class Mercedes and gives customers the choice of leather interiors and interior colours as well as add-on options such as heated steering, centre armrests and seats. The Cabriolet also gets the option of being equipped with Mercedes’ AIRCAP wind protection system which uses an electrically extending wind-deflector mounted on the roof frame with convex panels behind the rear seats to minimise the turbulence in the cabin. The Cabriolet comes equipped with Mercedes’ new THERMOTRONIC climate control system that uses sensors to automatically adjust the temperature for roof-up and down conditions.

Mercedes has also managed to keep the weight of the new S-class Cabriolet close to that of the Coupé, despite the additional chassis reinforcement. This has been achieved through the use of magnesium and aluminium on the rear body structure.

In terms of safety, the S-class Cabriolet gets a plethora of safety systems found in the other S-class models. These include adaptive high-beam assist, adaptive cruise control with steering function, night vision and autonomous braking and pedestrian recognition. In addition, the S-class Cabriolet gets a rollover protection system, where roll bars automatically rise from behind the rear headrests to keep the occupants safe, in the event of a rollover.

The S-class Cabriolet comes in two guises –  the standard S 500 and the high-performance AMG S 63 guise. The S 500 Cabriolet is powered by a 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 developing 449bhp and 71.38kgm of torque with power sent to the rear wheels. The AMG S 63 is powered by a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 developing 577bhp and 91.77kgm of torque with power either sent only to the rear or to all-four wheels through the German manufacturer’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

The S-class Cabriolet is expected to go on sale internationally sometime in December 2015.