2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 Cabriolet review

If you’re keen to celebrate spring with a German two door, Mercedes-AMG’s C43 Cabriolet has you covered.

Joining sedan and coupe offerings, it adds boulevard cruising appeal to the range. And the best thing about folding that cloth-top away, in 20 seconds, is the access granted to the howling 3.0-litre twin-turbo six.

The V6 isn’t AMG’s burliest powerplant, with the C63’s V8 still aural manna, but the optional exhaust makes it a crackling, popping, treat in the open air.

There’s an extra 135kg to deal with, but luckily the engine’s a powerful thing, too, feeding 270kW/520Nm into the all-wheel drive system. That power and grip help fling it to 100km/h in 4.8sec, making it only a tenth slower than the C43 Coupe.

But you’ll need to pick between the snarling exhaust note and a cosy neck as the package including the system fits performance seats that delete Mercedes-Benz’s signature neck heaters. Still, the interior’s a nice place to be, with a distinct art-deco look and feel that sets it apart from more clinical BMW and Audi workstations.

Dynamic-wise, a surprisingly sturdy bodyshell and rear-biased all-wheel drive system help it work 225mm/255mm wide contact patches with similar athleticism to the hard-top, but it’s maybe not the best track-day chariot. And it hasn’t transformed the hardtop’s sometimes spine-jolting ride.

It’s priced well at $120K – right in the middle of an Audi S5 or BMW 440i drop top. We predict it’d be the most emotive choice of the three, and maybe the most suited to top-down driving.

Stuck in winter? Pick the optional exhaust, the sound will be warming enough. Even without neck warmers.

2017 Mercedes-AMG C43 specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 270kw
Torque: 520nm
Weight: 1795kg
0-100km/h: 4.8sec
Price: $119,900