JUST FOR FUN, LET’S LOWER THE ROOF

The E-Class Cabrio comes with a three-layer cloth roof which, when closed, seals the cabin as well as most cars with a fixed roof.  Lowering the top (which is every bit as fun to watch as lowering a hardtop convertible’s top) is a 25-second dance which seems to mesmerize passers-by.

Mercedes offers the E-Class cabrio with two engines in the U.S., namely the 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-8 which came with our test car capable of going from zero to sixty miles per hour  in 6.4 seconds  and a 382-hp, 5.5-liter V-8, which does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds.

In my week with the cabrio, I found the car to be consistently engaging and fun to drive. It kept its composure in all driving situations from city streets to windy roads but it definitely seemed to prefer those windy roads. The smaller V-8 had more than sufficient power in everyday driving, it costs $8,000 less than the big V-8, and it uses less fuel (9.4 l/100 km or 25 mpg versus 10.7 l/100 km or 22 mpg).  A diesel version of the E-Class sedan is scheduled to be available shortly – could a diesel cabrio be far behind?

Inside, the E350 Cabriolet came with comfortable and very adjustable heated and ventilated leather sports seats, the Comand cockpit control system with a 40 GB hard drive and navigation, the superb sounding Harman/Kardon Logic7 stereo, and a good iPod interface (although the cable should be in the center console, not the glove box).  Fit and finish were excellent.  The direct function buttons for radio, navigation, and other features were a nice touch, but they would be far more useful if they were near the cockpit controller as opposed to their current placement on the center stack.

The 18” AMG twin five-spoke wheels added a certain sportiness to the elegant exterior and, in combination with the sports suspension, definitely contributed to better handling as well.

I did have a few bones to pick with the car.  The navigation system tried to send me on a 10 km circular detour (costing an extra 20 minutes) instead of continuing on the major highway I was already on (it wanted me to exit, go south, turn around, and head back north to where I already was; other nav systems have never attempted this detour on this particular route).   While the telematics system works well, placing a call to mbrace, Mercedes-Benz’ in-vehicle services system, causes the car to emit noises reminiscent of a 300 baud modem attempting to make a connection, and these sounds can be rather disconcerting to the driver as they are somewhat unexpected and jolting in the otherwise calm cabin.

These few issues notwithstanding, with the E350 Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz has created a cabriolet for all seasons.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

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