2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet First Impressions

When automakers invite you to test their products, it’s almost standard procedure to take you to an enchanting location. A location that often eclipses the car itself. This time, I found myself travelling to the Spanish isle of Majorca to put Mercedes’ latest cabrio through its paces.

The significance of the Cabrio, other than the obvious wind-in-your-hair aspect, is that it allows more than two people to enjoy the ride.

First off, you have to be blind not to appreciate the new, angular lines of the E-Class. And even that argument doesn’t hold up, as you can still touch its sculpted profile and marvel at its subtlety. The elegant E-Class distinguishes itself by evoking the Mercedes-Benz heritage. A high dose of class is always part of the package, but on the current generation, the designers created a body with a lot more fight in it. The cabrio version is the latest member to join the E family, rounding things out the way Mercedes used to back when the cars all came in various versions.

Between E and C
The Mercedes engineers stuck with a winning and intelligent formula. In order to maintain reduced production costs, they used the C-Class platform instead of the E-Class one. While the dimensions are smaller, the number of changes that needed to be made was limited. But the point is moot, as the Cabriolet is pure E-Class. In fact, other than said platform, it boasts the same level of luxury, the same powertrains and, of course, the same style.

The significance of the Cabrio, other than the obvious wind-in-your-hair aspect, is that it allows more than two people to enjoy the ride. This is a true four-seater that, contrary to most of the competition, comfortably caters to every occupant. To ensure that you can fully enjoy all the pleasures the car has to offer, Mercedes-Benz included two gadgets that are proving their worth. Number one: the AirScarf, a simple heater built into the base of the front headrests that bathes the neck in a flow of hot air and allows you to extend the open-top driving season by a few weeks.

Number two: the AirCap, a wind deflector that is making its automotive debut and is mounted on top of the windshield, creating a dome over the car and limiting air turbulence in the cabin. Simple, ingenious, and standard, both systems can even be deactivated according to your needs.

The AirScarf is a heater built into the base of the front headrests that bathes the neck in a flow of hot air and allows you to extend the open-top driving season by a few weeks.

Sturdy top
Mercedes-Benz has not succumbed to the trend it launched, choosing to maintain the use of the soft top rather than a hard retractable one. Not only does it not ruin the car’s profile, it doesn’t modify the best-in-class Cd of 0.28 either. Twenty-three millimetres thick, it filters out all noise and gives the distinct impression that you’re cruising around in roof-covered coupe. At the first hint of sunlight, 20 seconds are all you need to drop that top while maintaining a speed of 40 km/h. Highly insulated, the car has no trouble tackling all four seasons. The other advantage of the soft top is the fact that it doesn’t amputate trunk space. In the case of the Cabrio the numbers are impressive: with the top up, the trunk offers 390 litres of space, and with the top down it only gives up 90 litres for an impressive total volume of 300 litres.

The atmosphere inside has reached the highest peaks of luxury.

If you’re worried about how safe a soft top actually is, well, know that Mercedes did their homework. During the rollover tests, the Cabrio achieved the same safety score as the Coupe. The A pillar is obviously reinforced and the roll bars are automatically deployed if the car is in imminent danger of overturning. What’s more, the seven air bags will absorb any impact in case of misfortune.

From A to Z with a stop at E
The atmosphere inside has reached the highest peaks of luxury. It’s all about luxury, luxury, luxury – and lots of comfort. Identical to the coupe but different from the sedan, its dash presents the same rigid lines typical of Mercedes-Benz models. The only fly in the ointment, which really isn’t one, is the absence of a reverse camera. However, the sensors surrounding the car get the job done.

Obviously, all of Mercedes-Benz’ latest and greatest do-dads are on board, from simplified navigation to the PreSafe accident prevention system, from the Attention Assist drowsiness detector to cruise control. It’s all there.

The seats go above and beyond in terms of comfort, offering excellent support even during aggressive manoeuvres. The steering wheel offers a good grip and is a joy to handle.

True to tradition, a V6 (E350) and V8 (E550) are both on offer.

Engine-wise, no one will be surprised to fin the same mills that power the Coupe. True to tradition, a V6 (E350) and V8 (E550) are both on offer. The V6 and its 268 ponies is impressive, turning out great performances for the average driver and proving hyper flexible yet surprisingly fuel efficient: I didn’t exceed 6.5 litres per 100 km during my test.

Though the sublime purring of the 382-hp V8 is thoroughly enchanting, ah, when you hit that gas pedal, it’s pure ecstasy. For those of you hoping for AMG versions, the automaker has confirmed that it has no plans for them for the E-Class Coupe and Cabrio – a shame.

You have to be blind not to appreciate the new, angular lines of the E-Class.

Both engines are coupled with an automatic 7G-Tronic transmission perfectly suited to the car. The steering perfectly directs the Cabrio, creating superb dynamics. The suspension virtually thinks for you, flawlessly absorbing the road’s irregularities while stepping up to the plate when cornering. As a Mercedes, the car features a myriad of driving assist systems that, while remaining discreet, actively protect occupants.
Outstanding
In short, the E-Class Cabriolet is the very definition of exceptional. During my road test I was utterly unable to find anything wrong with the car, this veritable marvel of German engineering. I don’t want to say it too loudly, but Mercedes-Benz may just have found the recipe for automotive perfection. We’ll find out when the sales prices are revealed.

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Tags: 2011, e-class cabriolet, e350, Featured, mercedes, Mercedes-Benz