Mercedes is making such good products and gotten so good at variations of its base products that we imagine it uses a Forza Motorsport 6 configurator to design new offerings. “Perfect. That’s the Maybach. Click that ‘Armor’ button on the right. That’s the Maybach Guard. Make another one that’s 320 feet long. That’s the Pullman - and probably an extra billion in revenue so far, no? Let’s take a break, I’m wiped out. Oh yeah, click ‘Armor’ again for that Pullman and e-mail all that to Maybach. This scenario makes it tempting to suggest the S-Class Cabriolet is but one mouse action away from the S Coupe - and outwardly, it is. Front-on, you’ll only know this particular car is the cabrio because the cabin is filled with light. Put your finger over a profile image of the S-Class Coupe to hide the roof, and you have the profile of the S-Class Cabriolet.
The Cabriolet possesses the same wide, low, daunting figure that compels us to approach the hardtop - the Evander Holyfield of coupes - with respect, lest we make it angry. The lack of sheet metal above does emphasize the length of the body, which is only eight inches shorter than the sedan, as well as the sculpting on almost every panel. This won’t be to everyone’s liking, but in the eyes of every passer-by in the South of France where we drove it we saw only, “Oui.” Appropriate, seeing that Monaco is this vehicle’s spirit animal. The interior is leather, clean lines, cross-stitching, metallic accents, and climate-controlled AMG chairs as soothing as lullabies. It’s everything we love about the S-Class, plus sunlight. Yet only the daft would think Daimler would miss this opportunity to invest in new technology under the skin. Mercedes engineers can’t help themselves, pathological tinkerers who would happily upgrade a beer garden with Magic Lager Control and Bratwurst Assist Plus. There’s a 187-pound weight difference between the finished vehicles, a mere four-percent gain on the S63 Coupe’s 4,678 pounds.
What you have, then, is an S63 Coupe with a three-layer insulated soft-top that can be had in in black, dark blue, beige, or dark red. When closed, the interior is as quiet as a crypt. But you can’t see that from inside the cabin, your living room laid atop a very fast set of 20-inch wheels. The 5.5-liter biturbo V8 with 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque speaks through the quad-tipped exhaust in a subdued, seismic bass at idle. Mountain roads where sports cars prove themselves must be approached with deference in any 2.5-ton car. But select Sport drive and suspension modes, start flicking the nine-speed transmission paddles behind the wheel, and the S63 Cabriolet will throw down all it’s got between the lines, same as the coupe. AMG models use an exclusive steering knuckle, stiffer subframe mountings, and a larger anti-roll bar. The steering is meaty and direct but still bereft of feeling - that’s what the AMG GT S is for, though. The S63 Cabriolet is made for mountain roads - not for covering them at speed, but for ascending them with imperial mien. You take this car up to your aerie at the top of the hill, or to get the best view of everything you’re going to conquer at the bottom of the hill. In between you cruise the urban boulevards and lose track of the number of affirming nods coming your way. This is Mercedes’ first S-Class convertible four-seater since 1971, and AMG’s first-ever take on one. After 45 years away from the game, Mercedes has re-entered at the top - before you get to really spendy English fare - and remain alone there. The only company it will have will come when that Daimler exec and his designer return from lunch.
A consistent use of lightweight construction techniques has enabled the development engineers to keep the weight of the new M-Class on a par with that of its predecessor, despite more equipment. The links on the front and rear axles, for example, along with the bonnet and wings, are made out of light and yet very strong aluminium alloys, while the cross member for the instrument panel is made of magnesium. 0.92, predecessor 0.94). Painstaking simulations undertaken with the digital prototype, along with final touches added in the wind tunnel, ensure a perfect flow of air around the vehicle. The "energy-transparent vehicle" development tool, created in-house by Mercedes-Benz, was piloted as part of the M-Class development process. The outstanding opportunities presented by this method, which can detect the possibilities for optimisation in even the most minute component, will be exploited on all new model series in the future. The idea for the "energy-transparent vehicle" stemmed from the failure in the past to verify or demonstrate clearly the many factors affecting consumption and the interaction between fuel-saving measures.
Using the "energy-transparent vehicle" tool, the engineers can now detect detailed potential optimisation measures by breaking down energy flows into cause and effect and analysing energy interactions within the entire vehicle. The process draws on complex, highly precise metrology which records some 300 energy-relevant measurement points with a sampling rate of up to 1000 measured values per second. Every minute some 2.4 million measured values are generated, which can subsequently be analysed to reliably pinpoint optimisation potential. The process is complemented by energy simulation models which are validated by means of the measured variables. This enables the energy efficiency of individual major assemblies and components as well as the entire vehicle to be analysed and quantified. Once the specialists have identified a vehicle component with energy shortcomings, they team up with the relevant specialist departments to devise solutions. This cooperation focuses on design, or the properties of the materials used in individual vehicle components such as wheel or axle bearings. In addition, modified control strategies can also produce the desired outcome.
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