Monday 11th January 2010

E-Class Cabriolet Unveiled

The boss is bullish as Merc presents its latest rag-top

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There's snow on the ground here in Detroit, but it's not as chilly as Heathrow was when we left Blighty on Sunday morning. So perhaps it's not such a silly place to launch a new convertible.

The brand new Mercedes E-class cabriolet seems even less out of place in wintry Detroit when you consider the lengths M-B engineers have gone to in order to make sure all four occupants can 'take the air' in comfort.

The key new technology employed is called AIRCAP, a system that - at the press of a button - raises a wind deflector above the windscreen and creates an island of tranquillity beneath the turbulence rushing over the occupants' heads.

With the latest AIRSCARF neck level heating and what's claimed to be the most refined soft-top in the business when the roof is raised, Mercedes reckons the new E-class cabriolet has a lot more to offer than the CLK cabrio it replaces.

With the AIRCAP system retracted, the Cabriolet's attractive lines are unimpaired by wind-deflectors behind the seats, but the deflector does look a little odd when raised.

Still, with seven airbags and the most safety equipment in its class, the new four-seat Cabrio could bring a new meaning to fun motoring for families.

The new E-class Cabrio will go on sale in the UK in March at around £32k, a little less than the CLK.

With the SLS AMG gullwing, and a pair of hybrids in the ML450 and S400 to display alongside the new 'E' Cabrio, Mercedes clearly feels it is on a bit of a roll.

"We enter this new decade like one of my favourite comic book characters - the Hulk," said M-B chief exec Dieter Zetsche at the Detroit press conference.

"We're strong, we're green, and we're ready to roll!"

[superpippo]

cool car

[clorenzen]

Not a great MB fan but still impressed by the innovation that they bring and the fact that the new car is cheeper than the one it replaces.

[edinph]

The car might be cool, but the dealers most certainly are NOT!

[va1o]

Nice but still don't think the light blue colour suits it very well.

[Garlick]

I'm getting old....no E class cab can beat an E320 Sportline W124 cabriolet IMHO.

[Escort Si-130]

I agree,not one of the best colours on this car.

va1o said:

Nice but still don't think the light blue colour suits it very well.

[va1o]

Good picture here of the whole range:

[thewheelman]

IMHO Mercedes styling has been on a steady deline for sometime now,none of the current range interest me in the slightest. I know the AMG powered Mercedes are damn fast,yet still i prefer older generation Mercedes.

[Libertine]

Prefer these..

[thewheelman]

Libertine said:

Prefer these..

That's more like it!

[soad]

Can't say that current E-class appeals to me (at least not the cabrio - would prefer a coupe). Somehow it looks too big & heavy. Older versions are more classy.

[va1o]

soad said:

Can't say that current E-class appeals to me (at least not the cabrio - would prefer a coupe). Somehow it looks too big & heavy. Older versions are more classy.

The other issue of course is that in order to appeal to the BMW M-Sport and Audi S-Line drivers that clog up the UK motorways, Mercedes have dropped the comfort oriented Elegance trim from the UK E-Class line-up and now its a choice betweeen base model SE or the aggressive looking and hard riding sport and avantgarde models.

[Ozzie Osmond]

soad said:

Somehow it looks too big & heavy.

Agreed, looks more like a boat than a car.

[leicesterboy15]

Garlick said:

I'm getting old....no E class cab can beat an E320 Sportline W124 cabriolet IMHO.

Agreed! My wife has a CLK and its nice but very boring to drive, this new one looks pretty lardy to me, its probably a very 'nice' drive but its not as cool as a W124 cab.

[vintageracer01]

An ugly car does not get better if you take the roof off.

Very odd car, IMO.

[BlackSteel]

Great idea write up until the wood pigeon rips it clean off the screen!!

[I WISH]

I'm glad there are some of you who don't like it ...... I was beginning to think it was just me.

Mercs seem to be much more teutonic than pretty recently. The only one I've liked in recent years has been the CLS. I don't even rate the SLR .... far too "Batmobile" for my tastes.

[wigsworld]

thewheelman said:

Libertine said:

Prefer these..

That's more like it!

New one isn't bad but it's nowhere near as nice as the W124. Bet isn't as well made either. E320 cabs are quite rare now, prices will go up I think.