Perfect for messing up the hairdos of four adults in comfort.
‘Completing the family’ is what Mercedes-Benz Australia is pushing with the new E-Class, with the drop-top body style finishing the transformation into the very latest generation. We first saw the E-Cabrio a while back, and though pricing and specifications have been offered today, we still have to wait ‘till October before we see them running around on our streets.
The E-Class Cabriolet is an effortless exercise in elegance and refinement, and promises to offer state-of-the-art technology when it arrives in a couple of months. The E-Class Cabriolet will be offered with only 2 engines, a 4-pot in the E300 and a six-cylinder in the E400 4Matic. As the name suggests, the latter will pack all-paw traction while the former will be rear-drive only. No oilers on the horizon either, though we reckon the soundtrack provided from a petrol motor is far more in-keeping with the cabriolet proposition.
The E300 will see motivation from a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, good for a healthy 180kW and 370Nm. Those wanting more power will have to look to the E400 4Matic, which will see fitment of a sonorous 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo mill with a more titillating 245kW and 480Nm. Both cars will feature a 9-speed automatic transmission, while the smaller E300 will add to that an automatic engine stop/start system to save fuel.
The E300 will come with a generous amount of kit, with things like leather sports seats (with heating at the front), ‘Multibeam’ full LED headlights, ‘COMAND ONLINE’ connected infotainment system, a ‘widescreen’ cockpit (consisting of two 12.3-inch colour screens for driving instrumentation and infotainment display), air suspension, ‘AIRCAP’ and ‘AIRSCARF’ draught-stop and neck heating for the cabin, a seatbelt sender for the front passengers (negating the need to stretch inelegantly for the seatbelt, advanced driver assistance, a sports exhaust system, and AMG-Line body styling replete with 20-inch AMG alloys. Prices for this model will start at $123,500.
The more powerful (and pricier) E400 4Matic naturally packs more kit, as its $157,500 price tag would suggest. On top of the laundry list of standard kit with the E300, the E400 4Matic gains a 13-speaker Burmester audio system (which adds really cool-looking speaker grilles all round), a heads-up display on the windscreen, and metallic paintwork (this is an option on the E300).
The E-Class Cabriolet’s elegant body is paired with a canvas soft-top rather than the folding-metal hardtop that has become common with cabriolets of today, though it promises to keep wind and noise levels down “which makes it easy for occupants to hear each other talk, even at speed.” The soft-top also packs enough insulation to maintain comfort in the cabin, aided further by the intelligent climate control which responds to the vehicle being driven with the top open or closed, and achieves “an unnoticeable transition between closed and open top” motoring. The roof can be opened or closed in just 20-seconds.
The cabin of the E-Class Cabriolet is essentially a direct-lift from the E-Class coupé and saloon, which is certainly no bad thing. It’s gorgeous to behold, with flowing lines and harmonious surfaces working together to ensconce passengers in sumptuous luxury, while delicately balancing technological offerings in such a way that you never feel overwhelmed. The COMAND infotainment system features here with its obligatory rotary control knob, along with touchpad controls on the steering wheel and another handwriting-sensitive touchpad on the central tunnel. ‘Linguatronic’ voice control is also here too, and promises to be more intuitive than ever before.
On top of that, the E-Class Cabriolet offers ‘Dynamic Select’ adjustable driving modes, which works in harmony with the multi-chamber air suspension and tweaks the driving experience of the E-Class Cabriolet depending on the mood of the driver. The system influences things like suspension settings and throttle response, along with transmission shift points to deliver a more engaging, more relaxing, or more economical drive.
The E-Class Cabriolet will be arriving in October, so we’d suggest you register your interest now if you want to be one of the very first to bring this gorgeous German sweetheart home.
For more information on Mercedes-Benz, check out our Showroom.
