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16/08/2010
By DEREK OGDEN
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Despite the prospect of the icy fingers of winter wrapping around my head and neck I felt obliged to drop the top of the Mercedes-Benz E 500 Cabriolet to give the test vehicle a fair go.
Imagine my surprise then when I discovered the diabolical digits could be loosened at the flick of a switch. Around in some form or another since 1989, Airscarf, as the system is known, plays warm air onto the back of the neck and head through vents in the lower section of the front headrests.
The latest version of this classic Mercedes innovation swivels vertically through 36 degrees over the headrest height adjustment, catering for occupants of varying heights. Problem solved. Not that the rear seat passengers are left out in the cold. Traditionally at the mercy of noisy air buffeting, doubly intrusive at this time of year through low temperatures, Aircap comes to their aid.
At the push of a button a deflector pops up out of the top of the windscreen directing air over the occupants, while a net between the rear seats reduces the back draught. The system can be deployed at speeds up to 160km/h and remains in place right up to the car’s top speed.
Unlike some rivals who have plumped for metal retractable roofs, all E-Class cabriolets stick with the traditional fabric cover. And at 23.5mm thick it’s the doona of soft tops. The raised roof is windproof and waterproof – it can be put through an automatic carwash – well insulated to keep occupants cosy in cold weather, yet it allows the seductive sonority of the spanking Mercedes-Benz 285kW V8 engine of the E 500 to be heard to best advantage.
Able to be raised fully automatically in 20 seconds at speeds up to 40km/h, when up the roof does nothing to interfere with the cabriolet’s classic profile. It also helps give the car a best-in-class drag co-efficient of 0.28cd. Stowing the top is just as convenient. It retracts into a compartment behind the rear panel which is separated from the boot by a retractable cover.
With the roof closed, the cover can be slid back to increase the boot capacity by 90 litres to 390 litres. There is also a through-loading feature for long loads. The acoustically layered roof also keeps intrusive city traffic noise at bay, the maker boasting ‘it is possible to have a normal phone conversation in hands-free mode even when travelling at a speed of more than 200km/h.’
And just in case the phone call is brought to an abrupt end in an accident, the E-Class Cabriolet is replete with both active and passive safety systems. These include reinforced A and B pillars, plus roll-over protection from bars behind the rear seat headrests which are extended in a fraction of a second at the sign of trouble. The car is fitted with seven airbags and belt pretensioners and force limiters, plus active head restraints which come into operation in a crash. Attention Assist keeps an eye on the way the car is driven and warns the driver of drowsiness, another system loads up the active safety systems if an accident appears imminent.
A radar-based proximity control keeps the car at a pre-set distance behind a vehicle in front and headlamps are directed to where they are needed most when in operation. Compared with the outgoing CLK 500 Cabriolet, the new E 500 Cabriolet gains as standard reversing camera, advanced parking assistance, Linguatronic, multi-contour sports driver’s seat, dynamic handling package, media interface, AMG 18in alloy wheels, keyless entry and ignition, AMG package, Avantgarde specification, intelligent light system which includes daytime running lights, as well as Aircap and Airscarf.
At $186,950, the manufacturer’s list price of the new E 500 Cabriolet is $16,315 above that of the superseded CLK Cabriolet but , says Mercedes, the additional features and equipment total $29,955, an advantage of $13,640.The last of the E-Class family to make it Down Under, thanks to modern technology and human ingenuity, the E 500 Cabriolet, the ‘Vivaldi variant’, is perfectly in tune with all four seasons. And, it was a star in `Sex in the City'.
MERCEDES-BENZ E 500 CABRIOLET ENGINE:
Type: 5.5 litre
Cylinders: V8/four valves per cylinder
Displacement: 5461cc
Bore x stroke: 98mm x 90.5mm
Compression ratio: 10.7:1
Fuel system: Electronically-controlled petrol injection
Maximum power: 285kW/6000rpm
Maximum torque: 530Nm/2800-4800rpm
Transmission: 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Overall length: 4698mm
Overall width: 1786mm
Overall height: 1402mm
Wheelbase: 2760mm
Track width, front/rear: 1538/1544mm
Kerb weight: 1840kg
Payload: 455kg
Gross vehicle weight: 2295kg
Boot capacity: 300-390 litres
Tank capacity/reserve: 66/8 litres
PERFORMANCE AND FUEL CONSUMPTION
Acceleration 0-100km/h: 5.3sec
Max speed: 210km/h limited
Fuel consumption, combined cycle: 11 litres/100km; CO2 emissions, 257g/km
RUNNING GEAR
Front: Three-link suspension, anti-dive, coil springs, gas-filled shock
absorbers with electronically controlled infinitely variable damping
system, stabiliser
Rear: Independent multi-link suspension, anti-squat and anti-dive
systems, coil springs, gas-filled shock absorbers with
electronically controlled infinitely variable damping system,
stabiliser.
Brakes: Internally ventilated disc brakes all round, drum-type parking
brake at the rear, ABS, Brake Assist, ESP®
Steering: Speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion power steering, steering damper
Wheels, front: 8.0J x 18 H2; (rear): 8.5J x 18 H2
Tyres, front: 235/40 R18; (rear): 255/35 R18
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