The sun’s shining, so try a soft-top
GLORIOUS sunshine is forecast from this weekend and it should continue over the extended Easter holidays.
It’ll make many of us long for a convertible — so how about the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet, whose roof will open and close in just 20 seconds at speeds of up to 30 mph?
It even has heated armrests. This lan - guid four-seater is powered by a range of engines from a 2-litre diesel to a 3-litre biturbo, 333 bhp, V6, all-wheel- drive petrol, which can go from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 sec - onds to a (limited) top speed of 155 mph.
Expect prices from £43,000 to £55,000 when order books open in June. Bizarrely first deliveries won ’t be until October — just in time for the rain.
If you really can ’t wait, you could try Mercedes-Benz’s mini two-seater sibling, the Smart Fortwo cabriolet, which starts from £13,510. Or if you’re feeling flush, for £200,000 (£195,875) you could snap up Merc’s raucous 186 mph AMG S65 cabriolet powered by a 6-litre, 630 bhp, bi-turbo V12 engine that accelerates from rest to 62 mph in just 4.1 seconds. The roof will open at speeds up to 37 mph. But keep your hair on.
APART from the cars, what will most tempt you into a car dealership? Comfortable seating, apparently, say 87 per cent of respondents, followed by coffee, tea or water ( 79 per cent), newspapers and magazines (61 per cent), and wifi and TV (both 47 per cent).
Overall, nearly half (46 per cent) say their experience in the customer lounge was important to them — especially among younger motorists.
The findings are from the latest consumer attitude spring survey of more than 1,000 people published this week by the National Franchised Dealers’ Association (NFD A) to help boost standards.
When buying a car , most driv - ers put low running costs and fuel economy ahead of low emissions. But among the over -65s, low pollution was rated higher.