Merc E-Class pops its top
to drive topless even on Highveld spring mornings.
The fully acoustic multi- layered soft top - derived from S- Class Cabriolet - is available in your choice of dark brown, dark blue, dark red or black, and can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds at driving speeds up to 50 km/h. When it’s down, it folds away into the boot, behind an automatically operated boot separator that reduces boot capacity from 385 litres to a still- practical 310.
With the roof down, a trim line chilly in anodised aluminium is formed by the A-pillar frame trim, the windscreen surround, shoulder- line trim strip and the wide trim finish around the soft- top compartment, accentuating ‘ barchetta’ ( little boat) look of the archetypal European convertible.
The interior is based on a bridge- like dashboard resting against trim elements that flow into the doors. The standard instrumentation combines two round dials and an 18cm colour and a 21cm central display, in a single high- gloss frame - or you can opt for two 31cm displays that look like they’re floating under a shared glass cover, with three display styles - Classic, Sport and Progressive - to choose from.
The four individual - and individually heatable - sports seats have integrated head restraints and seat- belt extenders for the front seats, with standard trim on blue and beige - or your choice in one of five shades of heat- reflecting leather.
The bodyshell design is derived from that of the coupé, using mostly die- cast aluminium and sheet steel components (with additional stiffening at the front end and on the floor) and aluminium front wings, bonnet and boot lid. Two roll-over braces are hidden behind the rear seats; if the car tips beyond 90 degrees, explosive charges shoot them out to form a survival space together with the A pillar.
The E- Class Cabriolet is available at launch in South Africa with a choice of one diesel and two petrol engines, each with a 9G- Tronic nine- speed automatic transmission.
The entry- level E220d has a 1950cc turbodiesel rated at 143kW and 400Nm; the E300 wields 180kW and 370Nm from
its 1991cc turbo petrol, while the E400 4Matic’s 2996cc turbo petrol V6 boasts 245kW and 480Nm.
Amplitude- dependent suspension, set 15mm lower than that of the sedan with selectable Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes, is standard; three stage multi- chamber air suspension with electronically controlled adaptive damping, selectable for Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport+ and Individual, is an option.
E220d Cabriolet E300 Cabriolet E400 4Matic Cabriolet 500
- IOL Motoring
R919 500 R955 500
R1 135