Sarmad Kadiri rolls down the windows and retracts the roof to experience the only soft-top luxury sedan available in India on the right side of Rs 1 crore – the Mercedes E350 Cabriolet
Photography Sanjay Raikar
It’s late and the boys are safely tucked in bed while the macho men have come out to play. With a wind blowing on their face they are speeding ahead on flat stretches with nothing obstructing the view of a starlit sky. Mercedes’ new beauty, the E-Cabriolet, is the ideal machine to achieve this unbelievable experience. Obviously, the 3.5-litre mill under its hood is capable of crossing the 200 km/h mark with ease, but what sets it apart is the press of a button that transforms the car into a sexy open-top luxury sedan. It gives you a unique sense of freedom and, of course, oodles of attention. It almost feels like driving with a large neon sign saying, “Look at me… I’m special”. Precisely why we came out to play in the middle of the night.
A cursory glance will immediately grab your attention. The exterior design is sharp and looks elegant with its long arrow-shaped front and a rising rear, but what makes it stand out is the classic fabric top, which completes the air of sporty refinement. I particularly like the chunky Mercedes star in the centre of the radiator grille. At a press of the button the multi-layered roof is nicely tucked away underneath a hard tanneau at the rear of the cabin, occupying the top section of the boot. This is one of the best convertible car mechanisms I have come across as it takes just 20 seconds to open or retract – even while driving at up to 40 km/h. If you like to flaunt a bit, then you can also use the car key to operate the roof from a short distance. Oooh! However, the collapsible roof eats up about 90 litres of space of the already shallow 390-litre boot. So, if you are planning a weekend getaway, the E-Cabriolet will make sure you travel light!
Like most of the German cars, the interior of the Cabriolet is top-notch, loaded as it is with Mercedes’ latest entertainment, comfort and safety features. Interestingly, the sedan comes with a gear-shift as in regular cars and not the trademark Mercedes steering shift. Just like the S-Class the Cabriolet too has a small pod on the front centre armrest, which has controls for the roof. The chrome trims are used very fashionably, enhancing the cabin’s beauty. The E-Cabriolet is among the few soft-tops that can boast of seating four adults comfortably. The rear seat of most other soft-roof cars is best used to stow away Louis Vuitton handbags or reserved for the pampered Chihuahua. The Cabriolet has individual bucket seats with integrated head restraints and the material used in the upholstery is high-quality and expertly finished.
Can you remember what happened when you lowered the car’s window while driving at a high speed on the expressway? Now imagine the turbulence in a car that doesn’t even have a roof. To sort this out Mercedes offer the AIRCAP system that comes with a wind deflector, resembling a rear spoiler, on top of the windscreen and a net-based draught-stop between the rear seats that make sure that the occupants are not disturbed by turbulence. This ensures that the occupants don’t have to scream at the top of their voices to be heard in the deafening wind noise. Even the Harman Kardon music system has speed-dependent volume regulation and 12 loudspeakers, including a sub-woofer, to enhances your pleasure even further. You have to experience this to believe it.
So, is India ready for the E-Cabriolet and, more importantly, is the E-Cabriolet ready for India? Let’s address the first part of the question. Driving around congested city roads in a car without a roof is definitely one of my greatest fears. Every time I overtake a bus full of passengers there is this constant fear and that element of surprise: what will land in my open-top car next? More importantly, what will disappear from my open-for-all car? Swoosh goes the Louis Vuitton and, if I remember aright, there was a Chihuahua on the back seat as well. Then the over-practical businessman might question why he should pay Rs 27 lakh over and above the average E-Class to get a car that doesn’t even have a solid roof. Why not buy another C-Class with the surplus amount?
But then, the Cabriolet is not meant for the businessman. It is a fashion statement and targeted at a very niche audience: people who savour cars. And the Mercedes engine is something that I did savour. The 3,498-cc V6 produces 275 PS and 355 Nm and is extremely refined and seems eager to be spurred into the manual mode to be revved all the way up to 6,000 rpm. However, the Cabriolet is all about style and feels best to cruise around in the automatic mode, so that you enjoy the tall gears and the almost silent engine at lower rpm. The steering is precise, albeit on the lighter side. I would have liked some more feedback from it. The car remained firm on turns and felt under control even at high speed. The ride is decent on flat roads, but the frequent bad patches filter through to the passengers mainly because of the low-profile tyres and extra rigid chassis, since it has to compensate for the open-top design. That is why even after losing the solid roof it weighs only about 30 kg more than the regular E350.
Let’s sum it up and see where we stand. It looks great with the roof down and drives like an extra smooth Swiss chocolate and has great features like AIRCAP, PARKTRONIC, ATTENTION ASSIST, Pelvis and Side airbags and a fabulous Harman Kardon Logic 7 Surround sound system, to name a few. But you cannot drive with the roof down regularly for the reasons mentioned earlier and because you just might choke to death due to the pollution. The poor fuel economy of just above five km per litre on average is not very attractive either. Moreover, not everyone would be glad to shell out 50 per cent more than the regular
E-Class.
Okay, this might not sound like the most practical of cars, but then it is not meant for ‘everybody’. It’s like caviare, which could be just over-priced fish egg to many, but an acquired taste and delicacy for the crème de la crème.
CAPTIONS
1. The silky smooth 3.5-litre V6 is a silent performer and delivers power effortlessly
2. The cabin is high-quality and expertly finished.
3.The AIRCAP system make sure that the occupants are not disturbed by wind turbulence while driving with the hood down
1. The centre gear shift seems akward on the Mercedes, as the German firm normally offers steering shifts across models
2. Sitting on the edge of the front armrest are the roof and window controls, with an exquisite leather lid.
3. The arrow shape with the rising rear design coupled with the large flared tail-lights grabs your attention
4. Harman Kardon Logic 7 Surround sound system has 12 well placed speakers that have speed-dependent volume regulation
5. The low profile tyres do injustice to the ride quality
