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Massaging seats, air scarves and more push Mercedes E400 over the (drop) top

and comfort, in the kind of buttoned-down luxury meant for making excuses to just go for a drive.

There is a freedom of the impractical baked into the convertible; it disregards its own limitations as a sunny day driver, and most owners love that punkish disregard. Still, it is unlikely to be driven in weather, even though it has 4Matic (Mercedes’ name for all-wheel drive) for the first time. While it kept us plenty confident zigzagging through the canyon on an arid September day, we would have been crawling later in the season when bald heads look the same as hairy heads — with snow caps on.

The all-season proposition is further eroded by the soft top. We couldn’t imagine taking it out in freezing temps. But Mercedes can.

MERCEDES

The E400 Cabriolet has something called Airscarf, which is a neck-level heating system emanating from the driver and passenger headrests. It has three speed settings and is adjustable up to 36 degrees to accommodate different driver heights and preferences; set it to blow on the back of the ears if the lower neck is too sensitive. Scarves are for dandies, anyway, but a hot air scarf is for the super cool.

There is also Aircap, a power retractable rear windscreen to limit crosswind buffeting, which enabled us to admire the aspens aloud without raising our voices.

With the top up, the cabriolet is insulated in quiet warmth from the passing world. Should the weather change — a 30-degree change is not unusual in Colorado — the black-top tester goes bald in under 20 seconds, and at speeds up to 30 mph. Perfect for pulling out of the parking lot after work. Or away from the country club valet.

Trying to make it an everyday driver costs money. Equipped with the technology package and AMG styling trim, the tester came in at $88,740, a dramatic increase for the $68,800 base price of the 4Matic.

But this topless beauty had everything, including heated rear seats and more assists than Russell Westbrook, from high-beam assist to steering assist to emergency stop assist. Attention assist comes standard; the massaging seats, 64-color ambient lighting and fragrance assist do not.

Accessing all the conveniences and safety technology through the 12.3-inch display takes some time but our front-seat passenger, who had never played with Mercedes-benz’ layered COMAND navigation and infotainment system picked it up on our way uphill. There is also a 12.3-inch customizable vehicle info display that makes for a pretty cool plaything for the driver. It takes time to learn it safely, as with most playthings.

Mercedes-benz E400 is a sumptuous indulgence, the kind that makes you want to toss your hair in the wind, or, for us fortunate ones who need not worry about barbers and salons, take off the hat and let that sun shine because it feels good.

Mercedes-benz Maximum open-air comfort makes the E-class Cabriolet a pleasure to drive. Mercedes-benz was the first manufacturer to bring neck-level heating to market with Airscarf technology, which makes top-down driving enjoyable even at low temperatures by circulating warm air around the neck area in cooler weather.

The standard central 12.3-inch high-resolution COMAND display can be augmented by a second, optionally available 12.3-inch widescreen instrument cluster that is merged under a single glass panel to produce a widescreen cockpit.