Mercedes-Benz’s E400 Cabriolet provides for a refined driving experience and is perfect for open-air cruising, writes Craig Donaldson
This is the latest version of Mercedes-Benz’s mid-size cabriolet. It has undergone a major facelift, and along with its sleek new styling, it is kitted out with a new engine and an impressive array of equipment.
The E400 Cabriolet certainly does look the part, and Mercedes has done a sterling job with its design. It is big and it is beautiful, and with its long lines – which start from the big Mercedes badge in the front grille, sweeping over the bonnet to an elongated side line and flat roof line, tapering nicely to the big flat boot top – the E400 is a modern exercise in classic design. With the roof down, this car is kind of like the automotive equivalent of an antique mahogany Chris Craft boat.
Yet the E400 Cabriolet is not all form; in fact, there is a very generous amount of function to the lovely proportions and design cues of this car. For example, the fully retractable side windows with no B-pillars to interrupt the flow make it a true open-air cruiser. The svelte lines also contribute to improved fuel economy (a frugal 7.7 litres/100km) with a drag coefficient as low as 0.29 – a remarkably low figure for a soft top cabriolet.
Interior practicality
The inside of the E400 Cabriolet is every bit as appealing and practical as the outside. One of the more impressive points of this car is its soft top roof – both up and down. With the roof up, its three layers total nearly an inch of thickness, and the result is a remarkably quiet cabin. The roof can be stowed with the touch of a button, and folds away leaving more usable boot and cabin space than competitors’ folding hardtops. Wind noise with the roof down is impressively minimal. There is a crystal clarity to the audio – even on a Bluetooth speaker call – and while you have to raise your voice slightly to have a decent conversation, Mercedes deserves kudos for the practically clever engineering behind minimising wind noise, which is historically the bane of any such car.
Otherwise, creature comforts are as you would expect from a circa $143,000 Mercedes, with Harman Kardon audio, smart climate control, automatic LED headlights, radar cruise with brake function, 360 degree camera view and even Airscarf neck warmers. Solid craftsmanship is apparent throughout the cabin, with a sleek metallic trim, hand-polished wood as well as hand-fitted and double-stitched leather upholstery. A nice touch is the analogue clock in the centre of the dash, which is a throwback to Mercedes-Benz coupes of the past.
Performance
At 4.7 metres, the E400 Cabriolet is long and not terribly practical for city parking. But it is no shrinking violet and its performance belies its size by delivering capably and confidently in pretty much every department. At the heart of this is a new 3.0-litre V6 engine, which combines twin turbos and numerous other advances to lower emissions and fuel consumption while increasing performance.
Pickup is certainly respectable – and comparable with the V8 that was in its predecessor, the E500. When the turbos spool up past 4000 rpm, there is an impressive edge to the pickup. While it doesn’t have the raw, smackdown accelerating power of an AMG, it is impressive nonetheless. The sound of the turbos is sharp and visceral, without being hard or dominating – which is suitable given the stature of the E400.
This is a car for cruisers and not hardcore drivers, with a character that is intended to keep things more comfortable rather than competitive. The ride is superlatively smooth, while handling is impressive with flat cornering and tenacious grip when pushed. Throw in a sharp steering response and super-tight turning circle, and all of this makes for a more refined driving experience, lending weight to the case of the E400 Cabriolet being a perfect open-air cruiser.
