This year's edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show will go down as one of the busiest for Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG. Together, they launched four new models, a new concept, and also a new smart if we're to extend our area of interest.
It's easy to put the two new four-seating cabriolets in the backseat behind the Concept IAA, but after all the show's glitz will be swept and thrown in the dustbin, these two cars will still be rolling on the streets, making their owners very happy.
And those they'll be passing by, too, as the new S-Class Cabriolet is one beautiful looking car. It's easy to dismiss it as simply a roofless S-Class Coupe, but the truth is making a convertible these days is a lot more complicated than that. For one thing, the Cabriolet version is longer than the Coupe, a modification needed to make room for that folding roof.
With the Mercedes-Benz S-Class firmly planted as the world's best-selling luxury saloon, expanding the luxury range comes as a natural progression. The S-Class family now numbers five models, with the regular S-Class sharing the table with the long wheelbase version, the Maybach, the Coupe and now the Cabriolet.
This latest addition to the range is the first luxury four-seater from Mercedes-Benz since 1971, a gap of over 40 years that ended at this edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. With its intelligent climate control, multi-layer soft top and top technology borrowed from the S-Class, the new Cabriolet "sets the new benchmark for convertibles in the luxury sector".
But let's not start comparing apples with posher apples and hear what Dieter Zetsche had to say about the car: “The new S-Class Cabriolet may not become our bestselling car, but I am certain it will be one of the most coveted. I think all these new products make it very clear that Mercedes-Benz is maintaining full-speed ahead.”
When launching, the S-Class Cabriolet will only be available in two models: the S500 Cabriolet and the AMG S63 4MATIC Cabriolet. While they both use V8 engines, the AMG version gets a 5.5-liter biturbo one with 585hp and 900 Nm (663lb-ft) of torque - hence the necessity for the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.
Very soon now we'll start spotting these two cars on the roads and see how they pass the real life test there. Because here, in Frankfurt, we'd give them a nine out of ten, just so we allow some room for (not really needed) improvements.
And those they'll be passing by, too, as the new S-Class Cabriolet is one beautiful looking car. It's easy to dismiss it as simply a roofless S-Class Coupe, but the truth is making a convertible these days is a lot more complicated than that. For one thing, the Cabriolet version is longer than the Coupe, a modification needed to make room for that folding roof.
With the Mercedes-Benz S-Class firmly planted as the world's best-selling luxury saloon, expanding the luxury range comes as a natural progression. The S-Class family now numbers five models, with the regular S-Class sharing the table with the long wheelbase version, the Maybach, the Coupe and now the Cabriolet.
This latest addition to the range is the first luxury four-seater from Mercedes-Benz since 1971, a gap of over 40 years that ended at this edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. With its intelligent climate control, multi-layer soft top and top technology borrowed from the S-Class, the new Cabriolet "sets the new benchmark for convertibles in the luxury sector".
Not afraid of words
That's a bold claim, considering how motor show colleagues Rolls-Royce have just unveiled a new convertible of their own called Dawn that promises pretty much the same thing.But let's not start comparing apples with posher apples and hear what Dieter Zetsche had to say about the car: “The new S-Class Cabriolet may not become our bestselling car, but I am certain it will be one of the most coveted. I think all these new products make it very clear that Mercedes-Benz is maintaining full-speed ahead.”
When launching, the S-Class Cabriolet will only be available in two models: the S500 Cabriolet and the AMG S63 4MATIC Cabriolet. While they both use V8 engines, the AMG version gets a 5.5-liter biturbo one with 585hp and 900 Nm (663lb-ft) of torque - hence the necessity for the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.
Very soon now we'll start spotting these two cars on the roads and see how they pass the real life test there. Because here, in Frankfurt, we'd give them a nine out of ten, just so we allow some room for (not really needed) improvements.