Melina and her Mercedes-Benz C-Class CabrioletThis week we are meeting Melina Mihaylova and a beautiful Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet! Melina was born in Bulgaria, but is now living and working in London. Melina’s day job is veterinary surgeon and her creative outlet is her lifestyle blog called Mell’s World where she shares interesting features on her life and loves across beauty, lifestyle, travel, family and fast cars!
Melina has loved cars for most of her life. She clearly appreciates style and quality so she drives a current generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet. This model debuted back in 2014 and was a return to form for the German brand in the compact executive segment. The C-Class range quickly gained notoriety for refinement and interior elegance. The breadth of the range also means more options for customers with the new C-Class available as a saloon, estate, coupé or cabriolet.
In this interview Melina tells us more about where her passion for cars began and an interesting story of how she and her husband found their C-Class Cabriolet!
1. Can you introduce yourself to our readers in a few sentences?
My name is Melina but mostly I go by Melly or Mell. I’m a veterinary surgeon and I’ve got a lifestyle blog – Mell’s World. Recently upgraded to a mom as well, so I guess that will be affecting my car choices in the future as well! I’ve loved cars pretty much for as long as I can remember. When I was around 2-3 years old my Christmas wish was “4 expensive cars”, which at that time meant literally any little model car. My biggest dream was one with a remote control, which I never got, as they were very hard to find at that time in Bulgaria (where I was born). So I think I will be using my little boy as an excuse to fulfil that dream of mine! Otherwise, I got my driving license pretty much the moment I was legally allowed to and have been loving my time behind the wheel ever since.
The C-Class is known for its refinement and interior elegance – check out that cabin!2. What car do you drive?
At the moment we’ve got two cars – ‘17 Mercedes-Benz C220d Cabriolet and one epic little ‘06 Fiat Panda. Me and the husband don’t have “my car” and “your car”, however unlike me, he’s not really bothered by what he drives as long as it gets him to where he needs to be.
3. Why did you buy this car?
The Mercedes – we wanted a fun car. That was pretty much it. In the UK, contrary to popular beliefs, the weather is perfect for a convertible – not too cold and not too hot. So considering it was just me and the husband cruising around the country, the Merc was the best possible choice. I absolutely love it and it was actually funny how we bought it. We liked the model but many dealerships refused to sell one to us without a meeting or a test drive. However, at that particular time, both me and my husband were super busy at work (and let’s face it, it’s a brand new car, not much can be wrong with it), so in the end we found a place in North Wales willing to just sell the car and ship it to us from their showroom. And that’s how we bought a car via email.
4. What do you like about it?
I love the quality of the car – the materials, the interior, the comfort…the moment you get in it you feel super relaxed and luxurious. It’s not a car for speed and racing, although it can be quite nippy when you switch to Sport+ mode and push the pedal. It’s a car for cruising down the coastline with the roof down, enjoying the sun and the breeze. In the same time it has a bit of a dark and twisty spirit to it with its black seats and obsidian black paint. I just love it!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_rYDpcDhgG/
5. Is there anything you would change about it?
I would probably get a petrol instead of diesel if I had to choose again. And if I could change anything about the design, I’d make the boot opening larger as it’s embarrassingly small and can barely fit anything through it.
6. What’s in the glovebox?
Sunscreen! And wet wipes for the dashboard and the windows.
7. Favourite memory of the car?
Driving down the seaside in Devon. That car is designed for such places!
8. Three words to describe your car?
Comfortable. Relaxing. Dark.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet: Comfortable; relaxing; dark9. What do you think about the current line-up of Mercedes’ cars?
I actually love their new A-Class. I had the opportunity to drive two of them in the last year and I think they’ve done great! If I needed a comfortable city car, that would have been my choice. I’m quite excited about the EQC but sadly still haven’t had a chance to try it out and compare it to the competitors Tesla Model X and Audi’s e-tron that I’ve tested, but hopefully we’ll rectify that soon!
10. We know you love your Mercedes, but if you could add one more car to your garage, what would it be if the budget was unlimited?
Nissan GTR. No doubt about that! I’ve loved that car since like forever and it’s just something I’d love to own one day. There are plenty of other exciting expensive cars I could pick but in this case it’s not really about the money (you can find a GTR at the price of the Merc easily). It’s about the sound that it makes and the way it looks and drives. I had the pleasure to test one and I am not ashamed to admit I had tears in my eyes when I got to rev the engine!
The iconic Nissan GT-R, another favourite of Melina’sMany thanks to Melly for taking part in this interview! You can follow Melly’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
Would you like to find out more about the Mercedes-Benz C-Class range? Check out a Changing Lanes review!