Streamliner

I agree, they are very nice cars. But as an S Class, one would have hoped they would seat four adults comfortably, which they will not. If the SL did not exist, I'm sure this new S Cab would spark more interest. But with the SL in the line up, with a retractable hard top, with the same engine choices and most S Class features, and with what I feel are much better "looks,"--for substantially less money, I feel that this new Cabriolet has missed the mark on several levels and in the end, makes no sense for anyone, unless they have kids they want to put in those rear seats. I believe I read that MB has already made the decision to not offer the S Cab when the all new (W223?) model line comes out in about four years. It would appear that they have come to conclusions similar to mine. Oh well.

RJC

Here's the rub on MBs part, if the coupe doesn't really sit 4 comfortably (it does once you're back there, but getting out is a challenge in the coupe) then how is/was the cab supposed to accomplish this, and all while storing the top in the boot? Getting out of the back seat of the cab is easier vs the coupe but only with the top down. The cab should have been a longer wheelbase version if they planned on marketing it as a true 4 place vehicle, but I believe it was offered as a open top version of the coupe.

sound 8

I took my SL63 AMG in for service, whilst looking at the S550 cab a sales
guy appeared and practically forced it down my throat, he said they had
3 in stock and a demo for sale, then he said he would give me 28k for my
SL, on yer bike I thought. It is a lovely car but not enough room in the back,
and I still have my 600 which does have LOADS of room in the back, and a
SL for the sunshine.

Wolfman

Re. the cab being an S-Class, don't get hung up too much on the name; it's branding for the model family, nothing else. It doesn't equal space for the rear seats.

Customer will pick a good looking car over a practical car and this is what you see here. IMO the S-Class coupe is a beautiful car and the cab following the same design lines looks still great, just a bit clumsier perhaps. It's not a dedicated convertible design, so there are some compromises. Just like the Bentley and RR.

You may just be making assumptions based on your personal needs while MB will likely make them on market research...

Also, in terms of sales all these cars sell in such small numbers that it's virtually impossible to see any trends.

The reality is that the car market is just very different now. Convertibles don't loose sales to other coupes or roadsters, they loose them to luxury SUV's or some idiotic SUV coupes.

Germancar1

Wow, you missed it. I said TRYING to flip them. That period is of course over for this car. Read man.

Clearly you all don't understand much about how the market works. Any new car that comes out like this will have a few out there used by non MB dealers. Most of them listed weren't even used.

M

Germancar1

More misinformation. How in the world do you know what MB has decided for the next S-Class? Now that's BS.

I see them around so they make sense for someone. The S Cabrio is actually more practical because it will seat at least 3 or 4 in a pinch, the SL cannot. Nor does the SL have all the tech of the S Cabrio and the SL is about 5 years behind in design, inside and out. Funny how your dislike of a car renders you blind to the facts. You frankly just don't know what you're talking about, trying to pass off all this speculation as facts. Now if you have proof of these things then by all means post it.

M

Streamliner

Wolf, I disagree. Take me for example. After it was announced, I was positive that I wanted a new S550 Cab, but after seeing it and driving it, I went for an SL instead. Mine happened to be used, but that's another story. You could have had a new S Cab as well, but you also went for an SL. Seems to me that in both of our cases, the S Cab DID lose sales to the SL. In addition, I believe that the S Cab will lose sales to the Bentley Continental convertible, even though there is a substantial price difference.

Wolfman

My comment about luxury SUV's is unfortunately not my opinion but a change in buyer tastes. Statistically speaking...

I personally like smaller cars better for convertibles and the S-Class cab is just too big and drives that way too. That said, I am looking to replace the SL with the AMG GTC roadster. We'll see when they are here

Re. the Bentley, to me that car is just too ancient and I just couldn't fall in love with the looks, drive, exhaust or even the seats. Loved the craftsmanship though.
But there really is no price differential to the S-Class Cab. While the MSRP is higher on the Bentley, the lease deals on them are so great, they put them on par with the S (at least a few months back)...

RJC

How much more rear legroom is in the Bentley vs the Benz?

apbc2

I think part of the problem with the S-Class cab is the rear quarter blindspot. With the roof up the visibility is awful. People who buy these cars drive them with the roof up most of the time.

The SL has good visibility with roof up or down. SL is also much less expensive, and relatively cheap to lease. Not the case with the S-Class Cab (either 550 or 63).

I think Bentley is having a hard time selling CGT convertibles as well. Dealers are heavily discounting those as well.

The combination of a tough segment, no rear visibility and bad rear legroom are all part of the problem.

In spite of all that, I think the S63 Cab is a great looking car, far better looking than the SL.

amir1

While Mercedes won't release sales info, the fact that so many dealers have them in stock (and they sat for a while) does not bode well for the s-cab. There's no buzz about them either. Most if they just a convertible will opt for the sl. It's cheaper, handles better, has a hard top, etc. most will only upgrade to the s-cab if they want more than two seats or if it were some how a very hot/cool car to be seen in which it is not.

Germancar1

Dealers having them in stock can mean they're selling so they have them on hand or they're not selling. NO ONE here knows anything, just a lot of wild baseless theories about nothing. Smart dealers don't stock cars that don't sell.

Where do you measure buzz at? I'd love to know.

M

amir1

Actually, dealers do have cars sit in inventory for long periods of time. Especially specialty cars that are pricey. I visited a local MBZ dealer yesterday and they had a S65 Coupe they were trying to give me a good deal on. It's been sitting there for 6 months. He also had a S65 Cabriolet, but stated that the cabriolet's are selling slow, but faster than the coupes. This is one small dealer in Southern California, so not a true representative of what's happening in the entire US market place. But as more and more people provide similar comments, a pattern tends to emerge. Only MBZ officials know the true numbers. But when I'm offered $40K off the S65 coupe without even trying, and 20K off the S65 Cabriolet, it's not a good sign. Maybe it was just a salesperson providing false information? But he seemed pretty serious to me. While at the dealer, my wife and I checked the rear leg room on the Cabriolet, to see if the comments by others were valid. Sadly, they are. I'm 5'6" tall. I set the seat in a comfortable position for myself and then checked the rear leg room. Only a small child would have been able to sit in the rear seat reasonably comfortably. While it's still a beautiful car, that issue by itself is a serious shortcoming that appears to be costing them sales. (Again, un-substantiated, but rumored)

Wolfman

The whole rear seat legroom discussion appears really silly to me.

The S-Class coupe is a renamed CL and the legroom on these cars have been the same for the last 15+ years. Strange that this is becoming so relevant.

It is clearly not a priority for a coupe for cab or that matter. And please, do not mention Bentley or RR.

amir1

The convertible has a lot less rear leg room than the coupe. That's due to the retractable roof mechanism that takes up some of that space. (I saw both cars side by side yesterday and the difference is significant). Which is why (in my opinion) this issue was not raised until the cabriolet's came out.

Germancar1

Exactly. I've never seen so much about nothing. Like the coupe is so spacious. There isn't even another car on the market like it for less, only much more. They're acting like other convertibles are roomier or that ALL convertibles don't suffer from this. If you want true room you have to get a Dawn.

M

Germancar1

Like I stated before, it goes both ways. Some cars sit doesn't mean that the line isn't selling. Some dealers stock more cars than others, because they can move them. 20K off a car like a S65 Coupe is nothing new or unheard of, it's going into it's 3rd model year so it won't get sticker anymore. No luxury car at that level does after 3 years on the market.

M

absent

All about design.
Leaving quality or performance alone here for a moment and just observing the fact: Ferrari FF and Maserati GT both have significantly more room in the back then either S-Class Coupe or Bentley.
I'm 6'5", 220lbs and can fit in both for a short ride, no chances in Benz.

Streamliner

That's pretty amazing when you think about it: two of what many folks would call Italian "exotic" cars offering more rear seat legroom than two luxo cruisers. I agree with Wolfman that folks just buy what they like, with little thought of practicality, especially in a segment like this. For me, walking into an MB showroom thinking about top down driving, money being no object, it would be the SL over the Cab, all day long.

Germancar1

The FF is almost a wagon and not a convertible, the Maser I'd have to see the measurements to believe that.

M

texex91

Not a fan of the Cab (plus it's winter time, so sales will be slow), but I did pick up a regular S550 Coupe and it's stunning inside and out IMHO.

Quite frankly I don't want a car that are a dime a dozen. If I did, I'd buy a C or E class :-)

Streamliner

An independent dealer next to my car wash has a used cab for sale on their lot: http://www.phillipsauto.com/vehicle-...ca-id-16751158

Such low miles, nearly new on a non-MB used car lot.

Yesterday, I was at MB Laguna Niguel and they had like 7 new S Cabs in stock. Draw your own conclusions.