The E just dropped its top!

There is but a small window of opportunity to enjoy open top motoring in our sweltering sub-continent. The winter and the short spring season are possibly the only few weeks or months when convertible car owners can hope to travel with the top folded down.

However, that hasn’t deterred car brands from launching convertibles and, apparently, buyers are warming up to them too. But, even if the weather isn’t the most ideal for open top motoring, cabriolets and convertibles are worth being considered for their sheer novelty value. Most cars of this genre are already lookers, but set the top down and they acquire a new kind of sex appeal.

Luxury car makers are only too aware of the lure of the convertible and their portfolios have had slow additions under the category. Audi launched the A3 Cabriolet earlier this year. Now, it is the turn of Mercedes-Benz India to bring in the E400 cabriolet.

The E-Class platform is the right size for a luxury saloon in the Indian context, given the kind of space there is on our roads. But, the cabriolet is just a bit more compact and sits a bit lower too. You can see the difference in size when you walk up to the E400 and of course, the cabriolet form is unmistakable even with the fabric roof in place.

The new E has been aligned to the refreshed Merc design language and the cabriolet manages to hold your attention in a very similar way. The LED headlamps are the lead on at the front, with their daytime running lights and adaptive highbeam lamps.

The radiator grille is a single louvre design with the large three-pointed star in the middle, compared to the E-Class saloon’s two slat grille.

The other change in the cabriolet is the redesigned front fender with large scoops and oversized airdam alluding to the power under the bonnet.

The side profile of the E400 cabriolet is most the dramatic, especially with the roof folded down. The two-door cabriolet has been given muscular haunches and prominent waistline and side-profile lines.

The 17-inch alloy rims add to the style when the car is viewed from the side. The rear gets a stubby boot, and a lot of the space inside is taken up by the bucket that accommodates the folded fabric roof and frame. There are no twin exhausts peeking out of the rear fender, but the E cabriolet has a pleasant exhaust note to still draw attention.

Stepping into the car makes one want to immediately try out the folding fabric roof. Merc engineers have smartly covered the control buttons positioned just ahead of the driver’s arm rest, so that it doesn’t get accidentally activated. The electrically-powered layered acoustic soft-top roof can be lowered and raised within 20 seconds. The roof is offered in four colours – our test mule came with red fabric and off-white body paint.

A foil at the rear, between the individual rear seats and an innovative Aircap wind deflector at the front, helps in reducing noise and wind turbulence when the roof is down. Bottomline, your carefully gelled hair will be undisturbed.

The cabin itself is a plush, pleasant place to be in. Perforated leather seats are nicely bolstered and have adjustments for back support etc. Nappa leather clad, double-stitched dashboard adds another layer of premium-ness, as does the analog clock on the centre stack. There is also the 14-speaker Harman Kardon music system and dual zone auto airconditioning, which is quite effective even with the roof down. The cabin is cramped compared to the larger E-Class saloon both in terms of legroom and shoulder room, especially for rear passengers. But with it being a two-door convertible, this is inevitable.

The E-Class cabriolet is powered by Merc’s three-litre V6 petrol engine. The high-revving engine delivers 333 horses of peak power in a short rpm band of 5,250 to 6,000 rpm. Peak torque kicks in from 1,600 rpm and there is a sumptuous 480Nm on tap. The car pulls clean, thanks also to its lower weight. Two drive modes — ECO and Sports — are available and there is also the option of manual shifts using the steering mounted paddles.

Paired with Merc’s famous 7G-Tronic Plus transmission, this engine is best suited for effortless cruising. It is quick off the block, but feels a bit lazy in the mid-rpm band.

The E400 cabriolet’s handling and suspension are some what similar in their level of agility. This is no AMG, so don’t expect to devour corners like one.

The E400 Cabriolet packs a lot of safety features – nine airbags, Merc’s proprietary Presafe, Attention Assist, and the innovative integrated roll-bars at the rear, which get extended within 0.3 seconds in the event of a potential accident.

If the soft top roof wasn’t novel enough, there are features such as the automatic seatbelt feeder that offers you the belt to you after you one gets behind the wheel, and the cloud-based Merc Apps. However, there are two issues that potential soft top convertible buyers have to face. One is the higher ambient noise levels in the cabin, given how noisy our roads can be, and the other is the increased amount of care that the fabric soft top will need to preserve it in good condition.

The new E-Class Cabriolet has been priced at ₹78.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). There are a lot of options in that price range, but if you want to grab eyeballs, go reach out for that cheque book.

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