2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 4Matic Cabriolet: Review
New E400 is as quiet as a coupe, but even better as a convertible.
I recently spent a gray, cloudy Saturday touring the eateries, watering holes and shops of the Texas Hill Country with my girlfriend and some friends in the 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 4MATIC Cabriolet. On the way back to Austin with the top up, I thought back to a post I wrote for this site. Last year, Mercedes drew attention to its all-new E-Class Cabriolet in dramatic fashion, airlifting it more than 15,000 feet above sea level to the top of Monte Bianco, the highest peak in the Alps mountain range. It took hours of preparation, expensive equipment, and technical expertise to make such a larger-than-life gesture. Mercedes spent a lot of money to generate awareness of its newest droptop.
Remembering that made me chuckle, but not at the car’s expense. The new E-Class convertible is longer and wider than its predecessor, and rides on a longer wheelbase to benefit rear seat passengers. No longer does it use C-Class architecture. It’s an E-Class from its badge to its bones. A single-blade grille spans the distance between the LED headlights. Massive inlets feed air to the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. With its thick sides, gently sloped rear end, and slim horizontal tail lights, the E400 is both substantial and sleek.
What I found funny was the thousands of dollars Mercedes undoubtedly spent on that high-altitude publicity stunt. With the E400’s soft top over me, all of that effort and investment seemed to be a waste of manpower and money. Even though I knew I was in a convertible, the three-layer soft top, derived from the S-Class Cabrio’s lid, was so well insulated against wind roar and outside noise that the E400 might as well have been a fixed-roof coupe.
Mercedes didn’t put all of that time and money into the E400 Cabrio for it to be driven with its top up. I made sure to honor its efforts by driving the E400 with its roof retracted as often as possible, cold weather be damned.
Mercedes didn’t put all of that time and money into the E400 Cabrio for it to be driven with its top up, though. I made sure to honor its efforts by driving the E400 with its roof retracted as often as possible, cold weather be damned. Our trip from Austin to the country town of Llano to try Cooper’s BBQ and shop in its town square was completely topless.
Before setting out, I pulled back on a lever to lower the top and four side windows in less than 20 seconds. A master switch raised the windows and made them into transparent guardians against the wind and road debris. Using another nearby switch extracted the Aircap spoiler out of the top of the windshield frame and erected the windscreen behind the rear passengers. Both aids were designed to block wind and cut cabin buffeting. The benefits to conversation are obvious no matter which temperature it is outside.
I only had to raise my voice slightly to hold a conversation with my passengers. During the winter, the effect of less turbulence is even more apparent. Fewer icy gusts meant the HVAC system could better blow warm air toward me. That was especially important because my test car wasn’t equipped with a heated steering wheel. The three-stage heated seats and Airscarf system took care of the rest of me. In fact, Mercedes’s neck-warming system sometimes did its job too well. Even its mildest setting was enough to make me uncomfortably toasty if the air around me wasn’t absolutely arctic.
