Category: E-Class

Super tuner Brabus has outed its latest project, which it claims to be the fastest 4-seat cabriolet at the moment: the Brabus E V12 Cabriolet that’s based on the E-Class cabriolet. As you can guess by its name, the tuner has outfitted the car with its own Brabus 800 V12 twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine to produce

By Jim McCraw On Sale: Summer 2011Expected Pricing: Around $90,000 AMG, the high-performance car division of Mercedes-Benz, sells more of its hotted-up cars in the United States than anywhere else in the world, and in recent years, has accelerated the pace of change to its lineup of C, E, CLK, CL, and S-Class offerings, each […] More »

The E 63 AMG is now even more powerful and efficient. As part of the “AMG Performance 2015″ model strategy, the high-performance vehicle now benefits from the new 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine. This unit, already familiar from the CLS 63 AMG, delivers an output of 386 kW (525 hp) to 410 kW (557 hp), together

Asian tuner entrant Revozport has set its sights on the E-Class Mercedes with a body modification kit made from carbon fiber. This kit was designed for the W207 E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. According to the company, “The aggressive but yet subtle design is to bring out the full character of the E Coupe and giving

The E550 Cabriolet looks the part of luxury convertible cruiser in every way. It’s not the sort of luxury convertible that you’d take the family to the Whippi-Dip; rather the one you’d use to take the friends out to gelato on a hot summer night.

From pretty much every angle, whether you’re following the chiseled, pointed front end, bold mesh-backed grille, and uninhibited three-pointed star in front; or the graceful fender crease in back, which rolls through with complexity to the rear lights; it’s a beauty.

There’s certainly that, but there’s more. As I found when I had the chance to drive the E-Class Cabriolet a couple of times over the past several months, the E550 has a lot more attitude—and quickness—than you might think.

More attitude, and it’s seriously quick

First off, the E550 doesn’t have the strong-yet-demure, turbine-like character that’s accompanied pretty much every other non-AMG Mercedes-Benz V-8 in recent history. This current one—making 382 horsepower from 5.5 liters—is a little more extroverted than we’ve come to expect, especially here in the Cabriolet. Just off its slightly lumpy idle, there’s a deep, resonant bark, and rev toward the top and the V-8 sings out with a growl and a surprising bite, impressing as more than a little AMG-like.

It’s fast. The E550 Cabriolet can get to 60 mph in the low-five-second range, according to track testing from several sources.

A seven-speed automatic transmission comes hooked up to the V-8 and seemed to adapt quickly to different driving styles—not at all wasting revs when we were just plodding along with traffic but holding gears a bit longer when we’d just been tromping it in the curves. Dial up Sport mode—which commands stiffer damper settings—and the transmission earns a little more eagerness. Paddle-shifters are there, but I only felt compelled to use them a couple of times.

Disconcertingly serene…and a little detached

The top-down experience in the E550 Cabriolet is disconcertingly serene. In a MX-5 Miata, for instance, a glance down at the speedometer at grin-inducing speeds usually reveals that you’re not going as fast as you think. But in the E550 is an altogether different kind of spirited top-down car. Even with the top down, I found myself easing up for corners and hammering away at the straights, periodically glancing down at the speedo…and being a bit surprised at how fast I was going.

At less than 4,100 pounds (roughly the same as the Infiniti G37 Convertible), the E550 isn’t at all portly by today’s standards. If you can get past the leap of faith it takes at the helm (we only did briefly), you’ll find the E550 to be quite tossable. While you could push the E550 through the corners surprisingly quickly, you probably won’t want to; given the steering, and a suspension that does such a splendid job in keeping body motions down to a minimum, there’s not much to indicate when you’re approaching the limit.

Airscarf makes it better

The real enjoyment comes, again, when you bring down the pace a bit and cruise, enjoying the sensations that make convertibles so special. The second time I drove the E550, the weather was crisper and cooler, and with both heated/ventilated seats and Airscarf—which gently blows warm air around your neck—turned on and floor heat turned on, we were able to enjoy top-down driving quite comfortably.

Our test car had a sticker price approaching $80k. But that included some key features like Airscarf, as well as the premium sound system, navigation, and other extras.

Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND interface continues to frustrate us at times, and while I’d recently connected my iPhone for Bluetooth hands-free in another Mercedes product, the COMAND unit in the E550 (even after device resets) refused to connect after repeated tries. But the navigation-system display is excellent, and the 500-watt Harman Kardon sound system seemed capable of playing nearly any kind of music with the sort of volume that could draw crowds.

Practicality, too

The E550 has the sort of practicality that really does count in a convertible. Trunk space is adequate enough for a long weekend; a mid-size suitcase would wedge in, along with a couple of duffel bags or a computer bag. No problem. As for back-seat space? It was tight, of course, though with the top down quite nice for short trips. The front seats had awesome comfort and sprawl-out space for this tall, lanky driver.

Retractable hardtops are all the rage, but they have plenty of disadvantages—namely weight and sacrificed trunk space. Somehow, the E550 manages to provide such an isolating experience with the top up that you might think at times you’re in a hardtop. Of course you hear the rain a little more, but during a rainstorm, the multi-layered top was still remarkably quiet. Top-down, the E Cabrio is one of the least turbulent convertibles at supra-legal speeds, too. We counted just under 30 seconds to get the top either up or down, by the way, counting the small rear windows, which were the last in the elaborate sequence.

There are of course ways you could spend a little more money, and get something more of a sports car—like the 2011 Porsche 911 Cabriolet Carrera or Jaguar XK Convertible. But if you have the budget for a premium convertible and aim to tour, enjoy, and impress—but not aren’t the track-hound type—the 2011 E550 Cabriolet is in many ways, every bit worth its premium above the lux-convertible mainstream.

This story originally appeared at Motor Authori

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class was recently given the title of 2011 Value Champion after the executive sedan line emerged as the vehicle that had the lowest value loss among the upper segment. This assessment was made by Auto Bild magazine and EurotaxSchwacke, the German subsidiary of Glass’s Guide–the leading used-car price guide. In the value retention

Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicles have been using Lumiled daytime running lights beginning with the 2010 model year. The design for these DRLs were horizontal with a kink on one end, described as resembling a hockey stick in various forums. For the incoming model year, Mercedes-Benz has reverted to a straight horizontal daytime running light design. A