Mercedes-Benz C180 Cabriolet

The Mercedes-Benz C180 Cabriolet is the sensible way to spend a week on Tenerife with the roof down. The 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine makes 156 hp and 250 Nm, paired with a smooth multi-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. It is not a fast car and does not pretend to be: the point is that it pulls from low revs, stays quiet at motorway speed and never feels strained on the long climbs.

Where it differs from the two-seat roadsters is the back seat. This is a genuine four-seater, so two couples travelling together or a family with teenagers can all ride open, and the boot takes two suitcases with the roof up. The fabric top folds away electrically in around twenty seconds and can be operated while rolling at town speed, which matters on an island where the weather changes between the coast and the mountains.

The cabin is classic C-Class: light leather upholstery against dark trim, the round turbine air vents, a free-standing central display, a proper analogue-style instrument binnacle and dual-zone climate control that keeps working with the roof down. Electric mirrors, cruise control and the usual Mercedes airbag and stability package are all there.

This is the car for guests who want the cabriolet experience without the noise and without the compromises - a honeymoon, a wedding, a photo shoot, a week of island driving for four. In the MandryCabrio fleet it is the comfortable middle: more usable than the Z4, calmer than the Mustang, and priced so that an open roof is not a splurge. It is a partner car, so dates are confirmed with the supplier before a booking is final.

Our Tenerife guide puts it on the routes where comfort beats sharpness: the TF-1 along the south coast, the TF-21 climb to Teide National Park taken at an unhurried pace, and the green north run to La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz and the laurel forests above La Laguna, where an open four-seater is exactly the right tool.