Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017) Review

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017) At A Glance

Elegant styling. Little top-down turbulence. Good selection of petrol and CDI diesel engines. Roof folds down (and up) on the move.

Not very exciting or involving to drive. Awkward shaped boot, Cramped rear seats. Springy manual gearchange. Four-cylinder diesels noisy with roof down.

Reviews for Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017)'s top 3 rivals

Audi A5

Good looking convertible that effectively replaced the popular A4 Cabriolet. High quality and stylish...

BMW 3 Series

Smart looks, excellent engines, practical metal folding roof, decent luggage space can be augmented by...

Lexus IS

Incredibly refined. Barely any top-down turbulence. Metal-folding roof retracts smoothly. Effortless...

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017) handling and engines

• Engines range from E200 CGI to E500
• Readers report Real MPG to be between 23–54 mpg

The E-Class Cabriolet has more of an elegant and sleek look rather than a sporty edge and this is reflected in the driving experience. It's a very comfortable and easy car to drive, but isn't especially involving on the move. The steering has decent weight but lacks feel and so you don't feel especially encouraged to tackle more demanding roads with any enthusiasm. Instead it feels much happier at a more relaxed pace where you can enjoy having the roof down.

The ride is on the firm side, but this is only really noticeable on particularly poor road surfaces. Of course this is down to the fact the E-Class has a stiff bodyshell to compensate for the roofless design. It's actually 30 per cent stiffer than the CLK and features incredibly robust windscreen pillars to prevent vibration and flex when it's driven with the roof down. It certainly works because the E-Class Cabriolet feels as refined with the roof down as when it's up. There's no shaking or vibration when you go over potholes and in corners it's just as precise with well controlled body roll.

It's also impressive on the motorway where it's as quiet and smooth as an E-Class saloon. The insulated roof means that outside noise is well cut out and there's none of the wind rustling you usually associate with fabric hoods. The rear windscreen is a proper glass affair (rather than plastic) and it's a good size too so rear visibility isn't a problem on the move. The one issue is the AirCap system which includes a wind deflector between the rear headrests. It lowers down but is still a hindrance when looking in the rearview mirror.

When it comes to engines there's a wide range in the E-Class Cabriolet. The names are a little confusing though as the badges don't always reflect the size of the engine. So the entry-level engine is a turbocharged 1.8-litre which is available with two different power outputs - 184bhp in the E200 CGI and 204bhp in the E250 CGI.

Aside from the power outputs, a key difference between the two engines is that the E200 CGI has a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while the E250 CGI has a standard five-speed auto. Both turn-in decent performance figures, with the E200 CGI getting to 62mph in 8.8 seconds and the auto-only E250 CGI covering the same distance in 7.8 seconds. The manual gearbox that comes as standard on most models has quite a springy change and the high central stack gets in the way of your elbow, so changing gear quickly isn't very easy. It's a much happier gearbox when not rushed but driving at slow speed can be a pain too, not helped by the springy clutch.

The five-speed automatic that's standard on the E250 CGI isn't great either though, especially when you consider that top models get a more advanced seven-speed auto. It often needs to be provoked to kick down in order to get any decent pace and this means the engine spends a lot of its time at high revs, where it's noisy. For a high-end car this combination seems quite lacklustre unless you're happy just pottering around.

The V6 petrol comes in the shape of the smooth and refined 3.5-litre E350 CGI with 292bhp but the top version is the wonderful 5.5-litre E500 V8 which boasts 387bhp and bags of low-down pulling power. Both engines are refined and have a satisfying 'burble' - the E500 V8 especially so. Neither hang about, with the E350 CGI getting from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds and the E500 in just 5.3 seconds. Both engines are matched to Mercedes-Benz's excellent seven-speed automatic gearbox which delivers incredibly rapid but smooth changes.

Unlike the previous CLK Cabriolet, the E-Class Cabriolet is available with diesel power - and there's a wide choice too. The line-up starts with the E220 CDI and the E250 CDI, both of which use the same 2.2-litre diesel engine. In terms of performance, they are a match for the petrol-powered E200 CGI and E250 CGI, yet up to 52.3mpg is possible with the E220 CDI. And that's the great draw. Emissions are low too at 143g/km CO2 and 148g/km respectively.

Both have plenty of torque, especially the E250 CDI which delivers 500Nm at just 1600rpm along with maximum power of 204bhp. As a result it pulls very strongly in gear and makes for effortless overtaking and motorway driving, although again it's somewhat hampered by the manual gearbox which doesn't really allow you to make the most of exploiting that power, instead you tend to focus on making deliberate and gentle gear shifts. The other criticism of both four-cylinder diesel models is the sound. While they're fairly quiet from inside with the roof up, from the outside they're pretty noisy and it's not a nice note either. It's not quite agricultural, but with the roof down, it does tend to be all you can hear on the move.

The larger E350 CDI is much better suited to the convertible image. It's a 231bhp 3.0-litre V6 engine which is a real gem. Strong and muscularm it sounds exactly like a V6 diesel should and in everyday driving, the sheer acceleration from low revs is amazing. 0-62mph comes up in 6.9 seconds but what impresses more is the engines ability to effortlessly build speed from 40mph or 50mph. Like the E350 CGI and E500 models, this gets the seven-speed gearbox which does sometimes seem superfluous given the sheer amount of torque available - 540Nm in total, but it actually works very well and is rarely caught out if you ask it to quickly accelerate. What's even more impressive is fuel consumption of 40.4mpg.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017) interior

• Boot space is 300–390 litres

Mercedes-Benz describes the E-Class Cabriolet as perfect for tackling all four of the UK's unpredictable seasons and the fabric hood is certainly an impressive one. It's incredibly well insulated which means you won't suffer when it's very cold (or indeed if you leave it parked in bright sunshine on a hot day) plus it's been 'acoustically optimised' which basically means it's very quiet on the motorway with hardly any wind or outside road noise. Dropping the roof down takes just 20 seconds and it's fully automatic so there are no catches or handles to release and it silently glides away to leave a neat metal cover and no ugly bits of mechanism exposed.

The roof can also be operated at speeds of up to 25mph which is very useful if you get stuck in a sudden downpour while sitting in traffic or if the lights change when you're halfway through dropping it down. The controls for operating the roof are just ahead of the arm rests in their own flip-top compartment but annoyingly you can often knock the top open when changing gear - having them on the other side would have made more sense. One neat feature is that the roof can be lowered or raised using the car's keyfob for the ultimate in posing.

Mercedes-Benz is making much of its new AirCap system. This isn't to be confused with the existing AirScarf system which blows warm air around your neck from vents in the seat backs (and is very useful if you want to have the top down on a less than sunny day) which is an optional extra. Instead AirCap comes as standard and is made up of two features - a wind deflector on top of the windscreen that can be extended by around six centimetres plus a draught-stop between the rear seats.

The wind deflector elevates the airflow above the passenger's heads, while the net raises the pressure level in the interior, reducing the backflow, which is curbed by the draught-stop. As a result, the cabin air movements are significantly reduced so there's less wind buffetting on the move and less noise too. It works very well and is one of the most impressive system when it comes to making convertibles more comfortable (especially for those in the back) at motorway speeds.

The cabin is well laid out with a neat design but some of the plastics feel a little hard too and there are switches shared with the much cheaper Mercedes-Benz A-Class, which isn't what you'd expect on a sleek convertible at this price. There's no denying the build quality and this is an area Mercedes-Benz has clearly focussed on. It feels robust and the finish is top notch. It's surprising that the E-Class Cabriolet still uses a foot-operated parking brake though - you'd expect an electric version on a car this modern.

Standard equipment from launch (March 2010):

SE modelscome with 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear Parktronic parking sensors with Advanced Parking Guidance, heated front seats partly electrically adjustable, a leather interior, automatic dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, a Nappa leather steering wheel and Aircap as standard. The list of standard-fit safety features includes Attention Assist, Pre-Safe, seven airbags, agility control suspension, ESP and ABS, active bonnet and Neck-Pro head restraints.

Sport features 18-inch AMG alloy wheels, AMG bodystyling, Intelligent Light System, a sports braking system, multi-contour front seats, Artico upholstery, stainless steel pedals, xenon Intelligent headlight system with LED daytime running lights and an AMG three-spoke steering wheel.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (2010 – 2017) models and specs

On sale until October 2017

On sale until April 2016

On sale until October 2015

On sale until August 2014

On sale until July 2013