Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Quick Spins



There's a coterie of six-figure professionals who have been waiting for this car, their dental office parking lots and showcase home driveways pining without end for the facelifted 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet. Mercedes lists the Cadillac CTS Coupe and Audi A5 among the competitive set in the premium medium-size segment, but we feel that's a bit like telling an alien visitor to our planet, "Yes, Lake Superior, Loch Lochy and the liquid in my bathtub are all freshwater bodies of water located in basins" - there's more to what they mean in spite of a common segment.

Those who've been waiting won't be disappointed. The changes aren't massive, but the exterior revamp, new interior design and color combinations, and Intelligent Drive features raise the finesse quotient when it comes to top-down motoring.

Driving Notes

• The face has been worked into the E-Class pattern, with optional LED high-beams available to join the standard LED low-beam and DRLs. They ride above chiselled air intakes and a lower spoiler with a sculpted frontpiece that gets a chrome lip on the upper-tier E550. In keeping with the idea of adding more dash to the convertible version of a sedan, the E-Class coupe and cabriolet retain the pontoon cue at the rear quarter that the sedan relinquished. The touch of class above comes with the gently ascending shoulder highlighted with a chrome strip encircling the cabin - and if you went for the coupe, the side windows fully retract and the B-pillar is omitted.
• US models come standard on 18-inch wheels, but some spendy 19-inchers can be had. Yet another silver hue, this one called aragonite silver, was specially developed for the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet... but we don't get it.
• In the cabin, the center console is now free for storage, cupholders and the COMAND infotainment controls because the gear selector stalk lives behind the new three-spoke steering wheel - with a wider range of tilt/telescopic movement - along with a set of shift paddles. Also behind the wheel, the gauge cluster instruments have white backs surrounding their individual info screens.
• The car in the photographs is Deep Sea Blue with Silk Beige trim, but there are also choices such as Silk Beige with Espresso Brown trim, and Bengal Red or Espresso Brown with Black trim. That trim comes in either a man-made leather called Artico or genuine Nappa leather. We spent time in an Espresso Brown sample, and found it rather sexy.
• This year the Aircap system gets automatic operation so that it rises at 25 miles per hour and retracts at 10 mph. There's still a button to control its operation or turn it off completely if you're not a fan of the look. The rear head restraints and wind-stop between them automatically rise if the rear seat belts are buckled. The two individual rear seats are comfortable, although legroom for four full-sized adults will take some negotiating and compromise.

Continue reading 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 Cabriolet

2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 Cabriolet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Jan 2014 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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01-31-2014 12:57 PM