Vehicle: 2011 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet with Premium Package
Price as tested: CDN$80700

Performance: Mercedes has just about every E-Class for everybody. We have reviewed the E-Class sedan and coupe, there will be a wagon and the highlight of this test drive. The E-Class Cabriolet.

The Cabriolet, as with its coupe silibing, is available with both V6 and V8 guise. While we are feeling solely disappointed that Mercedes Canada refused to bring their impressive direct fuel injection technology with the V6, which dubbed CGI BlueEfficiency. We were downright impress with Mercedes V8 offering. This 5.5 liter V8 DOHC 32-valve has a whopping 382 ponies and 391 lb/ft of torque, moving the E-Class Cabriolet’s 2295kg of Teutonic open air of motoring with ease. The credit has to go to Mercedes’s smooth 7-speed G-Tronic gearbox, which has excellent gear ratios for both low and high end. The 1st and 2nd gears are low enough for peppy acceleration, on the other hand, 6th and 7th are tall enough for awesome highway cruising. That’s when leaving anywhere between 3rd and 5th to keep the V8 in full boil. On the other hand, there are paddle shifters on E-Class’s thick steering wheel for manumatic mode. We are glad to see Mercedes is willing to let any driver to drop a few gears even when in “D” through the paddle shifters. That makes for much better control of the whole vehicle. Its pretty hard to doubt Mercedes V8′s world-class refinement and smoothness. It won’t feel anywhere that’s lack of power at any rpm. The throttle response is linear and quick without feeling too abrupt. That’s exactly what a Mercedes stands for. Calm, stable and powerful.

Handling: The Cabriolet, just like the Coupe, is based on a modified C-Class platform. That’s different than sedan and wagon which are based completely on E-Class platform. Either way, both are world-class platforms which are worthy of mentioning. Mercedes platform has always been famous for the rock-solid structure, which never felt any cracks and rattles. With the Cabriolet’s case, its completely free of anything so common on convertible. That’s called cowl shakes. Even when driven aggressively through railroad tracks and roads with patholes, there are any slight sense of cowl shakes transform into the cabin. The rest of the vehicle feels just like every other E-Class, which is rigid and solid. Its suspension is comfortably compliant, which provide firm handling without losing any ride comfort one associates with Mercedes products. When pushed the E-Cabriolet through twisties, there are slight body rolls. The standard Dynamic Package really enhances this E550′s character with the press of the “Sport” button on the center console. It really transform the E-Class from a plain blvd cruiser into a capable handler. Not only does the suspension stiffen up, the steering provides much better feel and feedback in return. The ESP in Mercedes has always been instrusive for our liking, which steps in a bit too early, when pushed hard into corners. However, given the status-of-life as a comfortable highway cruising. This kind of ESP instrusiveness is more than forgiving. The steering provides decent feel and feedback, even though Mercedes’s numb off-center feel remains intact. All and all, a complete enough dynamic package.

Brakes: Mercedes Benz’s braking performance has never been disappointed, the same goes for the E-Cabriolet. With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, the E550 stops with confidence. Mercedes’s BA, or Brake Assist, won’t grab driver’s leg as aggressive as other similar systems. The brake pedal feels solid and alive all the time. ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily is truly a hallmark of what make a great braking system.

Interior: You got what you pretty much expect from a Mercedes with the E-Class Cabriolet. The use of materials are notch above those nasty and hard plastic used previously in CLK, however, it won’t make A5 lose any sleep. The leather seats are finished in soft and supple leather hides, which provide excellent thigh support.

The rear seats are comfortable enough for two persons with the roof down. With the roof up, there is almost no headroom whatsoever.

The reason Mercedes remains true to soft-top instead of all those retractable hardtop is the amount of luggage space. As we have experienced with many hardtop convertible, there is almost none luggage space even for two persons on a weekend getaway as we have seen in both Infiniti G37 and Lexus IS350. With the soft-top configuration remains in the E-Class, it got more than enough luggage space for two persons on a weekend trip. Its also spacious enough to bring some shopping bags back home.

Conclusion: Mercedes is about to complete its E-Class range with the latest Cabriolet. Just like the rest of the E-Class range, its what Mercedes-Benz is all about. Classy, stable, calm, luxurious, understated with authority.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5