Verdict
At RM738,888, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs RM420,000 more than the RM318,888 MINI Convertible, but it serves a very different Malaysian brief. Its 3.0-litre plug-in hybrid has 362 hp, 500 Nm and a claimed 100 km EV range from a 28.6 kWh battery, while the MINI’s 2.0-litre petrol unit makes 204 hp and 300 Nm. The S-Class is quicker at 5.2 seconds to 100 km/h and far roomier, with five seats and a 350-litre boot. The MINI is the much smaller, four-seat open-top choice with a useful head-up display and lower RM379 annual road tax.
S-Class
Pick the Mercedes-Benz S-Class if you need five-seat limousine space, plug-in hybrid running and 362 hp performance.
Convertible
Pick the MINI Convertible if you want a compact four-seat convertible at RM420,000 less with far lower annual road tax.
Key differences
- Price: Mercedes-Benz S-Class RM738,888; MINI Convertible RM318,888.
- Power and torque: Mercedes-Benz S-Class 362 hp and 500 Nm; MINI Convertible 204 hp and 300 Nm.
- 0-100 km/h: Mercedes-Benz S-Class 5.2 seconds; MINI Convertible 6.9 seconds.
- Length and wheelbase: Mercedes-Benz S-Class 5,289 mm and 3,216 mm; MINI Convertible 3,879 mm and 2,495 mm.
- Seats and boot space: Mercedes-Benz S-Class five seats and 350 litres; MINI Convertible four seats and 215 litres.
- Annual road tax: Mercedes-Benz S-Class RM2,128; MINI Convertible RM379.
S-Class
- 100 km claimed EV range from a 28.6 kWh battery
- Five seats, 350-litre boot and 3,216 mm wheelbase
- Air suspension, rear massage seats and 15-speaker Burmester audio
- RM420,000 dearer to buy
- RM2,128 annual road tax versus RM379
- 5,289 mm length is 1,410 mm longer than the MINI
Convertible
- Convertible body in a compact 3,879 mm package
- Head-up display fitted
- RM379 annual road tax
- 204 hp and 300 Nm trail the S-Class's 362 hp and 500 Nm
- Four seats and a 215-litre boot versus five seats and 350 litres
- Manual front-seat adjustment versus the S-Class's powered, heated and massage seats
| Price & overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | RM738,888 | RM318,888✓ |
| Body type | Sedan | Convertible |
| Segment | Luxury | B-Segment |
| Assembly | CKD | CBU |
| Ownership | ||
| Road tax / year | RM2,128 | RM379✓ |
| Powertrain | ||
| Engine Tech | 24-valve DOHC with Electric Twin-scroll Turbocharger, Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift | 16 valve, DOHC, variable intake and exhaust cam timing, variable intake valve lift, twin-scroll turbo |
| Capacity | 2,999 cc | 1,998 cc |
| Horsepower | 362 hp✓ | 204 hp |
| Torque | 500 Nm✓ | 300 Nm |
| Fuel | Petrol Plug-in Hybrid | Petrol |
| Bore | 83 mm | — |
| Compression Ratio | 10.5 | — |
| Number of Motors | 1 | — |
| Motor Horsepower | 147 hp | — |
| Motor Torque | 440 Nm | — |
| Battery Capacity | 28.6 kWh | — |
| EV Range | 100 km | — |
| Charging Rate (AC) | 11 kW | — |
| Charging Rate (DC) | 60 kW | — |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Conventional Automatic | Dual-clutch Automatic (Wet) |
| Transmission Name | 9G-TRONIC | 7-speed Steptronic Transmission |
| Gears | 9 | 7 |
| Transmission Manufacturer | Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) | — |
| Driveline | Rear Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive |
| Performance & Efficiency | ||
| 0-100 km/h | 5.2 seconds✓ | 6.9 seconds |
| Rated Economy | 1 L/100 km | — |
| Top Speed | 250 km/h✓ | 237 km/h |
| Co2 | 22 g/km | — |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 5,289 mm | 3,879 mm |
| Width | 1,954 mm | 1,744 mm |
| Height | 1,503 mm | 1,431 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,216 mm | 2,495 mm |
| Weight | 2,385 kg | — |
| Fuel Tank | 67 litres | 44 litres |
| Doors | 4 | 2 |
| Seats | 5 | 4 |
| Boot Space | 350 litres✓ | 215 litres |
| Front Tyre | 255/40R20 | 215/40R18 |
| Rear Tyre | 285/35R20 | 215/40R18 |
| Spare Tyre | N/A, Tyre Repair Kit | Tyre Repair Kit |
| Factory Tyres | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP | Hankook Ventus s1 Evo 3 |
| Chassis | ||
| Assembly | Malaysia (CKD) | United Kingdom (CBU) |
| Front Suspension | Multi-Link with Air Suspension | MacPherson Strut |
| Rear Suspension | Multi-Link with Air Suspension | Multi-link |
| Front Wheels | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys | 18" Night Flash Alloys |
| Rear Wheels | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys | 18" Night Flash Alloys |
| Steering | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Assist) |
| Chassis Notes | Adaptive Dampers | — |
| Safety | ||
| Airbags | Driver and Passenger, Driver Knee, Rear Passengers, Front and Rear Side, Front and Rear Curtain, Rear Left Cushion | Driver and Passenger, Front Side, Front and Rear Curtain |
| ABS/EBD | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stability Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alarm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immobilizer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbag Disable Function | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child Safety Lock | Manual for Rear Doors | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 Three-point with Illumination and Rear Belt Bags | 4 Three-point |
| Blind Spot Info System | ✓ | ✓ |
| ISOFIX | Available for 2 Outer Rear Seats | Available on Front Passenger and Outer Two Rear Seat |
| Autonomous Braking System | Yes, with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection (up to 130 km/h) and Evasive Steering Assist (up to 108 km/h) | Yes |
| Lane-keeping Assist | Steering Correction | Warning Only |
| Collision Warning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seatbelt Reminder | All Seats | All Seats |
| Safety Notes | Pre-Safe, Pre-Safe Impulse Side, Driver Attention Monitor with Eye Tracking | — |
| Lighting | ||
| Headlamps | Adaptive LED Projector with Matrix High Beam (Digital Light with Projection Function) | LED Projector |
| Taillamps | Full LED | Full LED |
| LED Daytime Running Lights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear Foglamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wing Mirror Turn Indicators | ✓ | — |
| Cabin | ||
| Front Seats | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Memory, Heating and Massage Functions; Pillow Headrests; Passenger Seat Adjustment from Rear Seats | Manual Adjustable |
| Rear Seats | Power Adjustable Outer Rear Seats with Memory, Heating, Ventilation, Massage and One-touch Recline Functions; Folding Rear Pillow Headrests with Built-in Neck Warmers; Powered Ottoman and Leg Rest for Left Seat with Massage Function; Centre Load-through | 50:50 Split-folding |
| Front Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control with Air Balance Perfume System and Ioniser | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Rear Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control | — |
| Sunroof | Panoramic, Tilt and Slide | — |
| Power Sockets | 4 Front USB-C, 6 Rear USB-C | 1 Front, 1 Wireless Charger, 2 USB Front |
| Interior Lighting | Map Lights and Active Ambient Lights (64 Colours) | Map Lights and Ambient Lights |
| Cup Holders | 2 Front, 2 Rear | 2 Front, 2 Rear |
| Sun Shade | Double Sun Visors, Powered Rear Windscreen and Rear Door Window Sunshades | — |
| Audio | 12.8" OLED Touchscreen Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Augmented Reality Navigation; 11" Rear Entertainment Displays; 7" Rear Android Tablet; 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound System (710 Watts) | 9.4" OLED Display with MINI OS, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Harman Kardon Sound System |
| Convenience | ||
| Power Windows | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch |
| Engine Start | Keyless Push Button | Keyless Flip Switch |
| Locks | Keyless Operation with Pop-out Door Handles | Keyless Operation |
| Auto Start/Stop | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Headlamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Wipers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, Stop and Go and Speed Limit Assist | Active Cruise Control |
| Paddle Shift | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Audio Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Tilt | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Telescopic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electric Steering Adjustment | ✓ | — |
| Boot Operation | Powered with Contactless Operation | Remote Control Activation |
| Parking Sensor Front | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Parking Sensor Rear | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Reverse Camera | Yes, with 360-degree Camera | Yes, with 360-degree View Monitor |
| Auto Parking | Yes, Parallel and Perpendicular | Yes |
| Folding Wing Mirrors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Head-up Display | — | ✓ |
| Power Door | Soft Close Function, All Doors | — |
| Hill Start Assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instrument Cluster | Full LCD Monitor | Full LCD Monitor |
| Parking Brake | Electronic | Electronic |
| Convenience Notes | MBUX Interior Assistant, Fingerprint Scanner, Front and Rear Qi Wireless Chargers, Rear Wireless Headsets | — |
| Warranty | ||
| Warranty Mileage Manufacturer | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Warranty Mileage Extended | — | Unlimited |
| Warranty Manufacturer | 4 years✓ | 2 years |
| Warranty Extended | — | 4 years |
| Warranty Notes | 8-year/160,000 km Battery Warranty | Repair Inclusive extendable up to 5 years |
Specs shown for the selected variant of each car. ✓ marks the better figure where lower/higher is objectively better. Road tax: West Malaysia, private registration.
Used S-Class & Convertible for sale
S-Class vs Convertible FAQ
Is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or MINI Convertible better?
The S-Class is better for passenger space, performance and plug-in hybrid capability: it has five seats, 362 hp and a claimed 100 km EV range. Choose the MINI Convertible for open-top motoring, compact dimensions and a much lower purchase price.
What is the price difference?
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs RM738,888 and the MINI Convertible costs RM318,888, a difference of RM420,000.
Which is cheaper to run in annual road tax?
The MINI Convertible is cheaper at RM379 per year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs RM2,128 per year, so the MINI saves RM1,749 annually in road tax.