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The 2.0-litre, 4-cyl engine packs in quite a lot and offers a fun-filled drive
Performance – There’s a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol engine under the hood which unleashes a maximum of 245 horses at 5500 RPM and 370 Nm of twist from 1300-4000 RPM. The engine feels extremely refined and NVH levels are splendid. The mill also sounds pretty sweet at high RPMs though you miss out on the exciting blip sounds that come packaged with bigger engines. The engine has good power delivery and it pulls without any effort right from the lower RPMs. The turbo kicks in smoothly and acceleration is powerful when you mash the throttle. The free-revving engine goes all the way to 6500 RPM without complaining.
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The engine has very good performance for city and highway driving alike
The engine-gearbox combo offers a smooth driving experience
0-100 km/hr comes up in a quick 7.03 seconds (VBOX) while the claimed top speed is 250 km/hr. The engine makes the C300 fun to drive and performs flawlessly whether you want to cruise down the highway or give it the beans throughout. Being a good cruiser, 100 km/hr in 9th gear comes in somewhere near the 1500 RPM mark. Talking about gearing, Mercedes has plonked in the 9G-TRONIC gearbox which is again super smooth and does its work quietly. There are the usual driving modes on offer like Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ along with another Individual mode. Eco and Comfort are best suited for in-city jaunts and relaxed drives on the highway while the Sport modes keep the engine running at slightly higher RPMs so that you can accelerate quickly and always be in the power band. Sport+ also makes throttle response more sensitive. The Individual mode helps you tweak the suspension and steering settings based on your liking.
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The C300 has a splendid ride while handling is good too if you don’t intend to push it aggressively
Driving Dynamics – The Mercedes C300 Cabriolet doesn’t get an Air Suspension but even the regular suspension does a very good job on our pothole-laden and uneven road surfaces. Since this is not an out-and-out performance car, the ride is plush and the softly sprung suspension makes sure the passengers are always comfortable. Ride remains composed at high speeds too. The steering is precise but could have done with more feel and the C300 doesn’t feel as eager on the corners as other performance cars. Sure, it will keep you entertained but it will also remind you that it is more of a luxury cruiser and less of a performance vehicle. The 17-inch Pirelli Cinturato P7 225-section tyres have nice grip but they tend to make you realise around the corners that you could’ve done with better rubber since these aren’t performance-oriented. No complaints on the braking front though, with stopping power being more than adequate.
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On the safety front, it goes without saying that these cars get a gazillion features
Safety and After Sales Service – In terms of service, we’ve said it time and again that Mercedes has one of the best service when we talk about luxury automakers. The Mercedes C300 Cabriolet is loaded with safety features like PRE-SAFE, NECK-PRO head restraints (front), ATTENTION ASSIST, dual stage airbags at the front along with front sidebags, windowbags, pelvis bag and knee bag, PARKTRONIC, Cruise Control with SPEEDTRONIC, ABS with BA, ADAPTIVE BRAKE, ESP and TPMS.
