Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2010 review

Mercedes-Benz has drawn a full house for its E-Class family with the arrival of the soft-top convertible. The final member of the E stable joins the sedan, coupe and wagon to give those who enjoy open-top touring an option that doesn't involve any risk to a loose-fitting toupee.

Like the Coupe, the Cabriolet owes a good deal of its DNA to the C-Class platform rather than the larger and newer E-Class underpinnings. However, again like the Coupe, there is little lost in the exchange and in the case of the drop-top much gained by way of new comfort features.

Fit-out and equipment

The headline technology for the Cabriolet is the all-new Aircap which joins the company's proven Airscarf system to keep occupants snug and unruffled through even the coldest weather. While the Airscarf (unveiled in the SLK a couple of years ago) blows warm air across the back of the neck from vents in the top of the seats, Aircap works by creating a virtual roof with directed airflow from the top of the windscreen over the passenger compartment. This is facilitated by a mini wing which rises 6cm from the top of the windscreen at the touch of a button to ensure cold external air is forced up and over the passenger compartment.

An additional benefit is that the less disturbed air flowing through the cabin reduces wind and road noise, making it easier for occupants to carry on a conversation.

Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says the decision to develop the E-Class Cabriolet with a soft-top rather than the more up-market folding metal roof, pioneered by Mercedes-Benz six years ago and now favoured by many manufacturers, was driven by customers.

"Customers told us that they wanted a soft-top to differentiate the car more clearly from the Coupe," McCarthy says. "The customers wanted it and we wanted to satisfy those needs."

The four-layer roof developed for the E-Class is as good, if not better, than any on the market. Noise insulation is excellent, the styling in no way detracts from the look of the car with smooth flow lines across the roof and an elegant storage solution into its own compartment behind the rear seats that allows a couple of airline roll-on bags and several soft sportsbags to be comfortably stowed in the boot. At 20 seconds to stow or deploy it is not the quickest available but it can be operated up to 40km/h.

Across the range the cabriolet is serviced by a brake package that is both strong and durable. A run through Victoria's twisting alpine roads showed that even in the nose-heavy V8 the last application of the brakes was as effective as the first.

The speed sensitive rack and pinion steering in both cars has a nice meatiness and a comforting directness that transmits input from the driver to the wheels in as timely a manner as feedback is sent in the other direction. It is not as sharp as the BMWs but more than adequate for what will mostly be a boulevard cruiser.

On the safety front the Cabriolet wants for nothing with a full suite of active and passive acronyms. There are nine airbags, electronic stability control, brake assist, adaptive brake lights (which glow brighter in an emergency stop), Pre-Safe (which prepares the car for a collision when sensors deem one unavoidable), adaptive high beams and distronic plus cruise control.

Not a personal gripe, but some drivers with smaller hands may find the steering wheel a bit chunky.

Variants and pricing

Mercedes will launch the E-Class Cabriolet in Australia with two models, the 285kW and 530Nm 5.5-litre V8 E500 ($186,950) and the 200kW and 350Nm 3.5-litre V6 E350 ($139,950). A 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol version, the 150kW and 310Nm E250 CGi will arrive in May for $105,950 while a 150kW and 500Nm 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel completes the engine linup when it arrives in July.

"Demand for the diesel engines is definitely growing," McCarthy says. "In the SUV models diesel makes up the majority of sales while for the passenger vehicles it is up to almost a quarter of all cars sold."

Driving

At the first Australian drive of the Cabriolet in Melbourne this week the Cabriolet's new comfort technology was given a stern test on a cold and wet Victorian morning. It passed with flying colours. There is a noticeable decrease in wind buffeting within the cockpit with the window-mounted deflector deployed and a consequent improvement in the ability to hold a conversation. It is not quiet, but it is quieter.

While the comfort factor of the roofless E-Class is the wow factor being pushed by Mercedes, the driving synamics of the car are being allowed to slip quietly through ... and that's a mistake because this is one of the best examples of just how to make a convertible behave like a coupe.

A coupe-like construction philosophy for the body — strength and more strength with a traditional b-pillar construction up to the waistline of the car, extra stiffening of the windscreen frame to rollover standard — which works in concert with the pop-up rollbars behind the passengers, and stronger chassis cross-bracing all culminate in an ability to toss the E-Class freely into corners without fear of body or chassis torque threatening to unload the wheels.

The only engines on hand for test this week were the V6 and V8, of which the eight is certainly the pick for any with a need for power and deep pockets to match. The seven-speed automatic box is a good match to both engines, for differing reasons.

In the V8 fat torque curve means that maximum attack is never too far away and the ability to dump a couple of ratios quickly gives the cabriolet a lightness of being that belies its rather hefty 1840kg kerb weight. In the V6 the call to action is not as immediate but the ability to cruise effortlessly in the higher gearing does mean the hit at the bowser is not as severe with an average combined economy of 9.8 litres per 100km seemingly very achievable.