3 September 2014
Attention grabber
There are few cars that attract as much attention as a convertible Benz. Of all the cars we test throughout a year, one that we drove recently drew more looks and comment than most, many of which have retail price stickers well in excess of the $118,900 tag that hangs on our test car.
A case in point; upon drawing up outside a suburban café on a hot summer’s day with the top down (yes, sounds pretentious, but stay with us for a minute!), a group of diners sitting at a table outside the establishment turned heads to view the topless beauty, the topic of their conversation obviously being the Palladium Silver, Night Edition Package equipped E 250 Cabriolet. Yes, we know silvery shades are so 2010, but this is a stunning looker in any colour.
Not only did the diners look and discuss amongst themselves, but curiosity got the better of them, with one of the group making his way over to our table asking us to settle a debate that was taking place at his. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how much is your car worth?” was his question. It wasn’t my car, but I wasn’t about to let that little piece of irrelevant information change the course of the conversation. When asked to take a guess, his response was “Well, my friends think it’s around $160k, but I think it’s probably more”.
Now, I can’t be sure that he took my advice of “You’d better get down to the nearest Mercedes dealer, because for only a little more than that, they’ll throw in an A-Class too”, but needless to say he and his fellow diners were pleasantly surprised to learn they’d get change from $120k.
More than just good looks
We all know that good looks do not necessarily make a good car, but the E 250 is much more than just a good looker.
This E-Class Cabriolet is offered with two engine variants; the 2.0 litre 155kW/350Nm turbo charged four cylinder unit fitted to our E 250 test car or the six pot 3.0 litre 245kW/430Nm bi-turbo unit in the E 400. The rear wheels are driven through a seven speed (7G-TRONIC PLUS) automatic transmission.
While any car with a retail sticker north of $100k might seem pricey to most of us mere mortals, bearing in mind that we’re talking about an upper mid-sized (call it large if you like) premium quality German convertible, at this price point the E 250 starts to look quite reasonable. Then trawl through the extensive spec sheet, it seems decidedly good value. Add the Night Edition Package that’s now thrown in at no cost and you’re getting close to calling it a bargain.
Standard equipment includes niceties such as heated front seats, AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, sport seats (electrically adjustable of course), COMMAND Online Multimedia system with a 17.8cm colour display and navigation, a 10GB music register, internet browser and all the expected Bluetooth, voice activation and other up to the minute connectivity features.
The list of safety systems reads like Tolstoy’s War and Peace and includes Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Distronic Plus (adaptive cruise control), Pre-safe Brake Activation and a multitude of safety features including eleven airbags.
A proper soft top
Unlike much of the competition, Mercedes-Benz engineers have stuck with tradition for the convertible roof, being a soft-top rather than a retractable tin-top that most premium manufacturers opt for on their open top models these days. However, insulation and weather tightness are every bit as good as any hard top car, and from a styling perspective, the fabric roof looks the part – more like a proper convertible.
The red stitched leather seats are comfortable and supportive and the chassis is surprisingly taut for an open-top car. Even on the 19 inch rims, the ride quality is comfortable but firm, the steering is nicely weighted and there’s next to no body roll, although there’s more road noise than we’d have liked.
Speaking of noise, the only other gripe in an otherwise well rounded package, is the rather anaemic sounding engine note. Most of us expect to hear a bit of a roar from a six or eight cylinder powerplant when we hit the start button on an E-Class, but the four pot of the E 250 could easily be mistaken for something less grand. But with a fuel consumption claim of just 6.5L/100km, most owners will forgive the lack of aggressive engine note, preferring the frugal fuel sipping economy.
The Night Edition Package that they’re now throwing into the deal adds a lot of kit for no more dosh. There are black design elements, Nappa leather dash panel, a Vision Package that includes a 360 degree camera, Harmon Kardon sound system and some other bits. There’s also the Premium Package that includes the climatised, multicontoured front seats, an upgraded Thermotronic climate control system and wood/leather steering wheel.
And to cap off the Night Edition Package, there’s a long list of AMG Sport Pack features, so all up Mercedes-Benz are adding around $15,000 worth of goodies. We, and a group of diners at our local café think that’s pretty good value.