SYDNEY: There’s nothing better than a nice bold cab — cabriolet, that is. The 2015 Mercedes-Benz E550 Cabriolet, like a fine wine, is designed to be savored. Hand-crafted with care nearly every step of the way, the sedan oozes luxury and sophistication.
With an all-new look for 2014, it’s easy to get lost in the two-door convertible’s beauty. But it’s really Mercedes’ unprecedented attention to detail that makes the E-Class one of the best cars on the road today.
Forget for a moment the sometimes pretentious stigma or eye-popping price tag that comes with the S-Class, and focus on the impressive features that make the E-Class one remarkable ride.
Decked out from head to toe with top-of-the-line materials — heck, even the air-conditioner vents are made of metal — Mercedes leaves no stone unturned. From real hardwoods to beautiful brushed metals, every inch of the E550 screams refinement.
Lots of power
All with a price that, while high, isn’t completely unreasonable. It’s a rare feat in today’s world of cheaper and faster equaling better. The E550 Cabriolet has a base price of $67,300. An E350, which comes with a less powerful V-6, is available starting at $60,200.
The E550 is powered by a twin-turbo direct-injection V-8 that cranks out 402 horsepower, giving the beast of a car an unimaginable 4.9 second 0-60 time.
2014 E-Class Coupe/Cabriolet InteriorThe new E-Class also features fuel-saving start/stop technology on all models. That’s what helps the 4,000-pound car achieve its government-estimated 16 mpg on city streets and 26 mpg on the highway.
The new look of the E-Class is accentuated by the redesigned front end with new headlights while retaining the typical “four-eye” look an E-Class is known for.
The new, more V-shaped front bumpers with large air intakes clearly accentuate the athletic character. The bold front end puts a distinctive, sporty face forward, while at the same time emphasizing the close relationship of the Coupe and Cabriolet with the redesigned E-Class Sedan.
Mercedes-Benz has also restyled the interior of the 2014 E-Class, tastefully matching it to the expressive exterior. Fine materials, a two-piece trim stretching across the entire dashboard, and clean surfaces dominate in the interior.
All models in the entire 2014 E-Class family feature an analog clock between those redesigned metal air vents, and console switches are now finished in chrome.
But perhaps my favorite feature on the entire car is the 360-degree camera views that allow you see every inch of this breath-taking coupe without leaving the driver’s seat.
The 360-degree camera covers all four sides of the vehicle and enables a seamless all-around view including a virtual bird’s-eye perspective — with a top view of the vehicle and its direct surroundings. Trajectory guidelines are a help when entering and leaving parking spaces and maneuvering.
If that’s not enough, the car will park itself as well with Mercedes’ Park Assist feature. Best of all, it works in both parallel and straight-in parking.
But self-parking cars, no matter how cool, are really nothing new. So Mercedes upped its game once again and made it so the E-Class practically drives itself.
In an age where fully autonomous cars are right around the corner, Mercedes is aiming to be a trend-setter in the new age of automotive.
With dynamic cruise control, which automatically aligns your speed with the cars on the road ahead of you, and a steering assist system that watches the road for you, the driver can sit back and enjoy the ride — almost.
But don’t get too comfortable because the car will alert you if it feels you’re starting to doze off.
Attention Assist, which is now able to warn of inattentiveness or drowsiness across a wider speed range, and also inform the driver about his level of fatigue and the amount of driving time which has elapsed since the last break, is standard. As is Mercedes Brake Assist, which can actually bring the car to a full stop when it senses something in its path.
Once again, Mercedes has proven that it’s a leader in in-car technology, including safety features that help prevent accidents of all sorts
