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Mercedes-Benz E250 2013 Review

Mercedes-Benz E 250 convertible is a classic Benz soft-top with styling that looks great whether the top is up or down. 

VALUE

The E250 convertible is all class with quality leather finishes, an elegant and understated dash arrangement. Power seat settings are on switches on the doors, easy to find and use compared to those unseen switches on the side of the seat in other marques.

The satellite navigation works well, although we found the voice commands didn’t always work, probably due to the extra road and wind noise entering through the soft top.

TECHNOLOGY

While the ‘250’ in the name might suggest otherwise, the engine is a 1.8-litre four cylinder unit that’s turbocharged to add a lot more grunt than you probably expect. Naturally there’s some turbo lag but it’s minimised by clever engineering.

Get the engine on song and over 2000 rpm and the E250 really takes off. Acceleration from rest to 100 km/h is in the high seven-second range. More importantly, the in-gear acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h lets you overtake safely in a minimum distance.

The use of a seven-speed automatic transmission aids in the engine’s ability to deliver, providing low gearing for around town and to get the engine revs up when overtaking, then slipping into high gears for lazy highway cruising. The tall gearing also help reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

Most owners will find the big convertible using about seven to eight litres per hundred kilometres on the open road, a figure that will rise to a still reasonable eight to eleven litres around town.

DESIGN

We like the swooping bonnet and prominent grille and the rear end is set off by a subtle ‘ponton’ bulge over the rear wheel arches.

The E 250 is a four seater with each seat tailored to individual passenger comfort. The front seats are spacious and have multiple adjustments that provide exactly the sort of pampering we love in a car of this class. Immediately you sit in the front seat the E 250 seat belts are delivered just next to your shoulder via an extension arm.

The back seats aren’t too bad for legroom though there is usually the need to compromise with those in the front. Entry to and from the back seats isn’t easy - not an unusual problem in this class of vehicle, but we have experienced worse.

Head room in the back is low enough to cause hassles for those on the tall side but is great for kids - probably the main occupants in a car like this so that’s seldom going to be a problem. These comments are for the E 250 with the roof closed - with it open the sky is the limit in headroom.

Boot space isn’t too bad with the top up, naturally some space is lost when the top is down. Check for yourself before buying, but a sensible choice of luggage makes the E 250 more practical than you might anticipate.

SAFETY

This big Merc convertible has a five-star ANCAP crash rating. It has no fewer than nine airbags, including a pair of headbags in the front seats.

Roll-over protection includes two bars behind the rear seat backrests. If the crash detection electronics sense danger the bars are rapidly deployed upwards to proved head protection. The sturdy windscreen pillar can also absorb a lot of crash loading.

VERDICT

Combining elegant class with the prestige of a Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star and you get a practical convertible for not a lot over $100,000 - a good price for this class of car.

RANGE
E250 CGI 1.8-litre petrol two-door convertible: from $107,850 (automatic)
E350 3.5-litre petrol two-door convertible: from $131,600 (automatic)
E500 5.5-litre V8 petrol two-door convertible: from $188,635 (automatic)
E250 CDI 2.2-litre diesel two-door convertible: from $111,450 (automatic)

Mercedes-Benz E250 Convertible 
Price: from $107,850
Engine: 1.8-litre 4 cylinder turbo, 150kW/310Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic, RWD
Thirst: 7.1L/100km

Pricing guides

$26,990
Based on 39 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$18,990
Highest Price
$39,950

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
E400 3.0L, —, 7 SP AUTO $34,100 – 40,590 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2013 E400 Pricing and Specs
E400 3.0L, —, 7 SP AUTO $30,360 – 36,630 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2013 E400 Pricing and Specs
E500 Elegance 4.7L, —, 7 SP AUTO $36,300 – 43,230 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2013 E500 Elegance Pricing and Specs
E500 Avantgarde 4.7L, —, 7 SP AUTO $36,300 – 43,230 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2013 E500 Avantgarde Pricing and Specs
Ewan Kennedy
Contributing Journalist

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Pricing Guide

$18,990

Lowest price, based on 28 car listings in the last 6 months

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Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.