MotorWeek Road Test: 2011 Mercedes Benz E-Class Cabriolet

Your host for a motorweek john davis well hello and welcome again to motor week we’re glad to have you with us we’ve said before that the e-class is the backbone of mercedes-benz especially in america it’s frequently ranked as the benchmark among midsize luxury cars now to support that image mercedes continues to roll out more models for the new e-class series

The latest being this eclass cabriolet so let’s see if this e keeps our enthusiasm up with the top-down style-wise the transition was a smooth one from hardtop to our 2011 mercedes-benz a 550 cabriolet test car the e coupes expressive lines and sinewy haunches make welcome repeat appearances in taking the steel roof off the elegantly drawn two-door mercedes has

Created a surge of drop-top drama for what they call a four seat four season convertible like the audi a5 cabrio we recently tested mercedes past on a retractable hardtop opting for a traditional ragtop but it’s three layers does a non-traditional great job of soundproofing the fully automatic top opens or closes in about 20 seconds even while driving up to 25

Miles per hour but it wouldn’t be a mercedes without some innovation that prize goes to the air cap automatic wind deflector driver operated the air cap system consists of two primary components an integrated deflector that deploys from the windshield header and a windscreen that rises up between the rear seat headrest the air cap lifts the airflow over the rear

Passenger compartment and along with the screen virtually eliminates buffeting allowing civil conversations between front and back rows even at interstate speeds also contributing to the e cab rios four seasons status is an enhanced air scarf system air scarf is a neck level heating system with air outlets under the front headrest we found it effective enough to

Make late winter top-down driving quite tolerable for the most part the e-class cabriolet is a mechanical mimic of the coupe ae 350 is equipped with the same 3.5 liter v6 producing 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque the e 550 and it’s 5.5 liter v8 generates 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque both engines drive a 7-speed manual mode automatic but

Despite the four seasons motto there is no all-wheel drive system and the track r550 camarillo rocketed from zero to 60 in 5.1 seconds and shot through the quarter-mile in thirteen point six seconds at 105 miles per hour despite 120 added pounds cabrio times compare well with the coupe power is abundant throughout the rev ban and ships are as quick as they are

Smooth moreover the e cabrio also felt almost as sullivan torsionally stiff as the e-class hardtop with its familiar front strut suspension and rear multi-link setup this convertible loses nothing in the way of agility or responsiveness the cabrio did well in stopping power to average hulk’s from 60 to zero or just 123 feet with rock-solid stability on normal roads

Again our cabrio felt is planted and nimble as its eclass brethren the cabrio combines an athletic driving experience with a superbly comfortable ride free of rattles and cal shake the only thing we noticed was a slight vibration in the steering wheel at higher speeds like the coupe the cab rio’s for place cabin unites traditional benz luxury with a moderate dose

Of performance character burl walnut trim on a dark surround of the five gauge cluster immediately catches your eye the standard nicely bolstered front seats are covered in weather resistant leather with 10-way power and four-way lumbar up front advanced safety technology includes a tension assist which alerts you if it suspects you’re getting drowsy and adding to

The normal airbag compliment comes to front pelvic airbags plus one more for the drivers knee also standard is mercedes latest command interface which oversees the audio system bluetooth and available navigation like the coupe the cab rio’s rear seats are tight in legroom but smaller adults will be just fine and while the seats don’t fold like the a5 cabrio the

E does have a small pass-through to the trunk which is generous thanks to the decision to go with a soft top it’s thirteen point eight cubic feet of cargo space with the top up is just to shy of the coupe and is still adequate with the top down mercedes estimates government fuel economy ratings of 17 city 26 highway for the e350 and 15 city 23 highway for the e

550 on premium fuel are 550 returned twenty point one miles per gallon in real world driving real-world pricing for the e350 starts at fifty seven thousand seven hundred twenty-five dollars or about 9 grand more than the coupe the 550 cabrio starts at sixty-five thousand six hundred seventy five dollars so what do you get when you take a world class coupe and pop

The top off well a world class convertible of course the 2011 mercedes-benz e-class cabriolet arrives for the same caliber of presents technology amenity and yes driving prowess as its coupe counterpart now add to that the innovative air cap and the benchmark for luxury convertibles just went up again you

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MotorWeek Road Test: 2011 Mercedes Benz E-Class Cabriolet By MotorWeek