The C-Class Cabriolet is yet another glam new Mercedes, but is it a fair-weather machine or a sound proposition for everyday use?

TRIESTE, ITALY — By and large, what you want from a convertible — especially a four-seater like the Mercedes-Benz C 300 Cabriolet — boils down to two main things. You want it to look great, and ironically enough, you want it to be a good car when the roof is up.

Nearly all open top cars are huge fun when you fold the roof, after all, particularly if wind-in-your-hair motoring is your idea of a good time. Some people see convertibles and only think of sunburn, sweat and smog, which is fair enough, but there’s no more immersive experience on four wheels.

And the C-Class Convertible does that job beautifully, serving up the sensorial feast that you expect from roof-down driving, but without overdoing it. You can bomb down the ECP without having to shout at your passengers, for instance, thanks to some careful aerodynamic work.

There’s also Aircap (basically a little flap above the windscreen that rises), which looks weird but cuts down wind intrusion so your hair doesn’t look like you encountered a tornado on the way home.

But let’s be honest, most convertibles are driven here with the roof overhead. In that mode, the C-Class is pure Mercedes, meaning it’s quiet and feels pretty uncompromised. Two adults can still fit into the back in reasonable comfort (think of 170cm as a cut-off point for height), with as much space to lounge in as in the aft section of the C-Class Coupe.

That’s not the only similarity between this and fixed head car; the Cabriolet’s lines with the roof overhead follow the same graceful sweep as the Coupe’s, and they have the same slim taillights. Some open-top cars look awkward until you fold their tops, but the Mercedes is a picture of elegance in either mode.

Incidentally, the conversion from closed car to open (and vice versa) takes just 20 seconds in the C-Class, and you can do it at up to 50km/h.

We’ve been told there will be six versions of the C-Class Cabriolet in Singapore eventually. So far only two are here and the range starts with the C 180, a 1.6-litre with 156hp. That’s listed at $222,888 with COE.

Next up are two 2.0-litre models, the C 200 (211hp) and C 300 (245hp), though only the latter is on sale here now. That goes for $281,888.

The other three are high-performance editions, with a Mercedes-AMG C 43 4Matic model on the way with a 367hp, 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo, and 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo models in the form of the C 63 (476hp) and C 63 S (510hp).

We haven’t driven any of them in Singapore, but we did spend time in the C 300 at the car’s launch in Italy. What was immediately clear then is that the Mercedes is far more cruiser than bruiser.

The C 300 gets to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds, which seems pretty quick on paper, but in reality if you want to get going properly you really have to rev the nuts off the engine.

Thing is, the C-Class Cabriolet is much heavier car than it looks like (structural reinforcements to the roofless body add plenty of metal) and you can feel the kilos. The handling is fairly predictable, but you do feel some wiggly movement from the body if you hit a mid-corner bump, and overall it feels noticeably less settled on the move than the C-Class Coupe does.

It’s by no means sloppy, but the C 300 just isn’t the kind of car that prods you into seeking out interesting roads.

That takes us back to our earlier point about how this car is entertaining by virtue of its toplessness, but isn’t hampered by the compromises of losing a roof. Even the boot is a proper one, offering 355 litres with the roof overhead (and 260 litres if you fold it).

That being so, it might well be that the C 180 turns out to be nearly as satisfying as the C 300, for $62,000 less. It needs 8.9 seconds to get to 100km/h, which isn’t nearly as quick, but by and large it delivers the two things you want from a convertible.

NEED TO KNOW Mercedes-Benz C 300 Cabriolet
Engine 1,991cc, 16V, turbo in-line four
Power 245hp at 5500rpm
Torque 370Nm at 1300-4000rpm
Gearbox 9-speed automatic
Top Speed 250km/h (limited)
0-100km/h 6.4 seconds
Fuel efficiency 6.9L/100km
CO2 155g/km
Price $281,888 with COE
Availability Now

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Here’s a quick summary of the C-Class Cabriolet range headed your way