Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet

Drop-top S550 and S63 AMG set for Frankfurt motor show stage

Remember the elegant Mercedes-Benz 220 convertible from the 1950s? How about the gorgeous early ’60s 220 SE cabriolet? Perhaps a 280 SE convertible is more your style. Well, Benz is back in the full-size four-place convertible business with the 2017 S-Class Cabriolet, making its debut at the Frankfurt motor show later this month. The company says this is its first open-top four-seat flagship since 1971.

The car looks like, well, an S-Class convertible. The black radiator grille dominates the front end, as do the two large air intakes in the bumper. The LED headlamps can be had with optional Swarovski crystal turn signals and daytime running lamps. From the side, the car looks like the S-Class Coupe with the top closed, and the multilayer top (it can be lowered in less than 20 seconds at up to 37 mph) is available in black, dark blue, beige and dark red. You can also raise and lower the top with the key. Mercedes says that with the top up, the convertible gets close to the coupe’s interior quietness thanks to things like the enhanced upholstery matting, multilayer construction and double-glazed glass.

Benz’s new convertible has all the S-Class sedan’s techno wizardry -- such as AIRMATIC air suspension, PRE-SAFE Brake with pedestrian detection, distronic cruise control, active lane assist and … you get the idea. The convertible adds what the company calls a “comprehensive warmth and wind protection concept including intelligent climate control.” That means the car boasts air deflectors to keep air out of the cockpit, as well as the AIRSCARF neck-level heating system and heated armrests, in addition to front and rear seat heaters. Sounds pretty draft-free to us; driving will tell the tale.

The S550’s V8 produces 449 hp and 516 lb-ft, while the AMG version, the S63 4MATIC cabriolet, has a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 pumping out 577 hp and 664 lb-ft, good enough for a 3.9-second 0-60-mph sprint.

Around 60 percent of the convertible’s body is shared with the coupe. To stiffen the S convertible’s chassis, Mercedes engineers developed an aluminum/magnesium luggage compartment bulkhead and aluminum rear floor. Of course, there’s comprehensive rollover protection: When the yaw-rate sensors detect trouble, the airbag controls send a signal to the protection system behind the rear head restraints. The roll bars are extended with pyrotechnics (we’re not kidding) using a gas generator.

The S-Class Cabriolet arrives next spring as a 2017 model. Prices haven’t been announced yet. Our guess? Expect the new luxury liner to run from around $135,000 to $170K for the AMG version.