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By EWAN KENNEDY
5 April 2010
When
we attended the world launch of the new Mercedes E-Class cabriolet
in Europe in February we were told the global marketing theme
behind this all-new model was: ‘Four People, Four Seasons, One
Cabriolet’.
So what better place to introduce the car to Australia than
Melbourne? All jokes aside, the Victorian capitol did live up to
its four-season-in-one-day reputation; on a scenic route from the
city to Lake Mountain and back we had sun, rain, heat, cold and
fog. True!
Mercedes E-Class cabriolet does have seating for four. If all are
adults then some compromise on legroom between the front seat
occupants is required, but we have met convertibles that are much
worse. Realistically it's probably best that the two in the rear
are in their pre-teen years.
The E-Class cabriolet (which replaces the CLK-Class cab) is
interesting in that it has a soft-top, not the folding hardtop
that's become common in recent years. Mercedes reasons that a car
with a folding hardtop can easily be mistaken for a coupe when the
roof is closed. Besides, if you're driving a soft-top you want
others to have absolutely no doubt what it is...
Mercedes’ engineers have come up with a clever new feature in
their cabriolet; one that's aimed at making it suitable for use
with the top down during all four seasons. Called an ‘Aircap’,
it alters windscreen aerodynamics by forcing the air to move
higher above the car when the top is down. This is achieved by
raising the height of the windscreen header to give a venturi-type
effect that forces air to travel higher over the cabin than would
otherwise have been the case.
Working in conjunction with an air blocker between the rear seats,
the Aircap reduces buffeting inside, this is noticed chiefly in
the rear seats, though there are real benefits to the occupants of
the front seats as well. In the front seats we were able to have
conversations with our voices at only little over the normal
volume. This is a real bonus when you're accustomed to having to
all-but shout in a normal convertible.
Interestingly, the cabriolet can sense whether anyone is sitting
in the back seat and it then tailors the system according to need.
The squared off lines of the latest E-Class work nicely with the
overall shape. Indeed to our eyes it looks even better than the
sedan and coupe.
Our first Australian drive of the new E-Class cabriolet showed
that even on our rough and ready roads ride comfort is good. The
solid feel of the body is most impressive when you consider the
size of the four-seat cabin. Yet the engineers have been able to
achieve this strength with little addition to the weight of the
body – the E-Class cabriolet weighs about 100 kg more than the
equivalent fixed-head coupes.
We liked not only the comfort and quietness offered by this strong
body, but also the good handling dynamics it provides. We found
the cabriolet remarkably sure footed for a large machine that can
provide open-top cruising with so much elegance.
Initial imports to Australia are fitted with a 3.5-litre petrol V6
engine or a 5.5-litre petrol V8. These engines are the latest
developments of the current powerplants and have lower emissions
and fuel consumption. Cleverly, power and torque have both been
improved over that of the outgoing engines in the CLK-Class.
Seven-speed automatic transmissions are installed behind both
engines and have sequential systems for semi-manual gear
selecting. This is achieved by either paddles behind the steering
wheel, or the floor-shift lever.
Coming later are four-cylinder turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel
units.
We road tested both the V6 and V8 engines during the
Melbourne-based drive program. We really loved the way they
responded virtually instantly to throttle response and were happy
to work hard throughout their rev bands.
Frankly, only the revheads need to spend the extra to buy the V8
as the V6 will more than satisfy the general driver. Then again we
really did love the sporting exhaust note of the V8.
Though the 2010 E-Class cabriolet was originally scheduled for
introduction to Australia late in April, Mercedes-Benz Australia
has been able to secure a limited number of cars and these are
available now. They are likely to sell quickly so it might be
worth a quick call to your Mercedes dealer right away to try and
secure yours.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible range, with release dates
and prices, excluding government and dealer charges, is:
E500 V8 (April 2010): $186,950
E350 V6 petrol (April 2010): $139,950
E250 CGI turbo-petrol (May 2010): $105,950
E250 CDI turbo-diesel (Third quarter 2010): TBA
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Marque Publishing Company
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