Sophisticated C43 Cabriolet oozes sporting flair
About 25 years ago, famed Canadian songstress Anne Murray tossed her car-nut bass player a rather tasty bone. She had just purchased a Mercedes-Benz 500SL, and if I recall correctly, our conversation on a tour bus went something like this:
Anne: “Since you spend most of your time with your face in a car magazine, how would you like to actually drive one?”
Me: “Huh? Sure.” Murray graciously offered to fly me and my girlfriend (now wife) Claire to Nova Scotia to ferry her $120,000, 322-horsepower twoseat dream convertible from her summer retreat back to Toronto. Suffice to say it was quite an adventure, and I wrote an account of our travels that ended up becoming my first published piece of auto writing. So, many thanks to Anne for launching a journalism career that has since showered me with hundreds of dollars — sometimes all in the same year.
Fitting then, that I should be crunching up her Nova Scotia gravel drive a quarter of a century later in a Mercedes ragtop, this time to attend a band reunion that Anne hosts at her bucolic summer spread on the shores of the Northumberland Strait every three years.
The Mercedes I’m bringing to this shindig is a 2017 MercedesAMG C43 Cabriolet. It carries a starting price of $68,800, but as is the case with most premium European automobiles, the chances of seeing a base model are right up there with spying a Sasquatch at the mall. This specimen is optioned up to $85,380.
Things have changed considerably in the world of Benz droptops since 1992. This C-Class might occupy a lower station than her mighty SL, but in “tweener” AMG C43 guise (bridging the gap between the C300 and bonkers 503-hp V8 C63), its twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 barks out a credible 362 hp and 384 pound-feet of torque.
Unlike Murray’s rear-drive ’92 SL that made do with a fourspeed automatic transmission, the C43 runs with sophisticated 4Matic all-wheel drive and a nine-speed 9G-Tronic transmission that bangs off shifts with alacrity.
Twenty-five years ago, the 500SL was the last word in sporting luxury, but could it have ever dreamt of ventilated seats, adaptive damping, cameras and radar that enable autonomous safety and driving systems, or navigation that understands voice commands? Not to mention the optional AMG Performance Exhaust System that sends the most rude metallic braps out the quad tailpipes when, as they say in Maritimes, “you’re comin’ after ’er.”
The matte-finish Designo Selenite Grey paint, at $2,500, could be considered money well spent, as this unusual finish garnered rave reviews wherever we ventured. As did the $1,990 Cranberry Red leather upgrade that adds real zing to the already exquisitely crafted and detailed interior.
As would be expected, with a hot Merc convertible, beautiful weather and a few game band members, some top-down touring around this scenic slice of Nova Scotia was in the cards.
First up was a blast along the north shore to Whirligigs Café in Wallace. Purely for the sake of the passengers, I “exercised” the C43 Cabriolet a wee bit on these winding coastal roads. Selecting Sport Plus mode awakens throttle response, firms up the adaptive dampers, increases steering effort and puts the nine-speed auto into its most aggressive mode. This C43 may be considered “AMG lite” but it is properly swift and it attacks the corners with conviction.
There’s no evidence of turbo lag with this pressurized 3.0-L V6, and it is happy to spin to its 6500-rpm redline.
Factor in the impressively quiver-free structure and you have a four-place GT tanning salon with more than a sprinkling of AMG bona fides. Did I mention the exhaust spits and barks like a rabid pit bull?
Next stop was the Jost Vineyards, a few kilometres up the road in Malagash. A pioneer of the now blossoming Nova Scotia wine industry, Jost is producing some fine vintages.
After a couple days of laughter and lobster, I fired up the Benz and headed down to Lunenburg for the Tall Ships festival. The 2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Cabriolet proved to be the nearperfect companion for this sunny Nova Scotia tour. I say “near” because its ride quality on some of these pockmarked roads is pretty flinty, even in Comfort mode. Point the finger at those optional 19-inch Pirelli P Zero run-flats and a suspension tuned on the smooth roads of Germany.
That annoyance aside, this modern C Class with the AMG badging, genuine sporting flair and the latest of Benz’s luxury/ safety gizmos makes for a mighty
convincing grand touring droptop. And it sipped premium fuel to the tune of 9.5 L/100km for the week. Progress indeed.
Overview: AMG’s lighter strokes create a compelling C-Class Cabriolet
Pros: Stylish, swift, beautiful interior
Cons: Options add up, stiff ride Value for money: Good
What I would change: Find some more compliance in the suspension
How I would spec it: This is very nice, thanks