San Francisco is known for its summer season fog. We natives have even named it Karl. The fog can roll in out of nowhere, turning a heat, sunny day right into a sub-60-degree chiller.

However Karl’s straightforward to take care of within the 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Cabriolet. Hit the Airscarf button and your neck is wrapped in heat air. Roll up the home windows and the Aircap system makes use of an A-pillar extension and mesh windscreen behind the rear seats to channel chilly air up and over the cabin.

Karl cannot spoil my top-down enjoyable. And that is earlier than you get to the opposite explanation why the brand new E-Class Cabriolet is a significantly delectable droptop.

Comfortable cruisin’

Whereas the E-Class Sedan is obtainable with a big selection of engine choices, the Cabriolet makes do with only one: a Three.Zero-liter twin-turbocharged V6. (That’s, till the AMG E53 Cabriolet arrives.) This V6 produces 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, with easy shifts from the nine-speed computerized transmission.

The E400’s Consolation drive setting is an ideal match for this turbo V6 and nine-speed auto mixture. The Cabriolet has mushy, plush dealing with traits befitting of a correct grand tourer, and on this default mode, your entire behind-the-wheel expertise is simple like Sunday.

Whether or not cruising the seashore or the mountains, the E-Class has all of the comforts to make it a breeze.

Mercedes-Benz

Sport permits for barely flatter cornering and faster adjustments of route because of its improved steering response, and whereas the trip is certainly stiffer, it is nonetheless completely compliant over tough pavement. Sport+, in the meantime, turns the E400 right into a high-strung, twitchy factor. It feels prefer it’s making an attempt too exhausting to show the E-Class right into a efficiency automobile, with its extra aggressive throttle and transmission programming, when actually, it is a whole cruiser.

A sophisticated suite of tech

Once I get into dense San Francisco site visitors (the one factor denser than the fog), I am joyful the Mercedes is loaded with options to make commuting simpler.

Adaptive cruise management effortlessly follows the automobile in entrance of me and may deliver the E400 to a whole cease. It will even change speeds based mostly on native signage, although this perform will also be turned off if you want. Steering Pilot easily retains the automobile centered in its lane, and heck, the automobile will even change lanes itself. If adaptive cruise and steering help are each enabled, all it’s a must to do is flip on the flip sign and the automobile will deal with the remainder.

Inside, the E400 Cabriolet makes use of Mercedes COMAND system, with a pair of 12.Three-inch screens that make up the gauge cluster and central infotainment show. The result’s a widescreen format that provides higher in-car tech than absolutely anything else within the class.

The COMAND system is housed on a 12.Three-inch middle display screen.

Emme Corridor/Roadshow

COMAND will be operated by a dial on the middle console or with small thumb pads on the steering wheel. Some people will complain concerning the lack of touchscreen performance, however personally, I want this setup. Touchscreens are likely to make me take my eyes off the highway for barely longer than I might like.

The COMAND system itself is comparatively straightforward to make use of, although there are a whole lot of menus and submenus inside these menus. Fortunately, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provide a extra simple expertise, and each come normal.

High-notch consolation

COMAND is only one half of what’s a really gorgeous cabin. The large screens are positioned alongside beautiful, open-pore wooden, and stylized, retro-chic air vents. Mix that with wealthy leather-based on the seats and door panels, and a beautiful consideration to element with the metallic finishes, and you’ve got an inside completely befitting of the three-pointed star on the E400’s grille.

The E-Class seats 4, although the again seats needs to be reserved for smaller passengers. And whereas a whole lot of convertibles are noisy, the E400 is properly hushed. Wind and highway noise are stored exterior because of the closely padded mushy high, which might elevate or decrease in 20 seconds, and at speeds as much as 30 miles per hour. Relying in your exterior colour, you may even have the roof material achieved up in pink, black, darkish blue or darkish brown.

How I might spec it

The E400 Cabriolet begins at $66,300, and if you’d like 4Matic all-wheel drive, add $2,500 to that base value. The optioned-up automobile you see right here prices $85,735 all in.

For my cash, I might persist with rear-wheel drive since I do not want the peace of mind of 4Matic on principally dry California roads. I might shell out $950 for the massaging seats as a result of, as they are saying, deal with yo’self. I would like all of the superior driving aids, too, however I hate you can solely get the total suite as a part of the $9,350 Premium Three bundle. To that, I am going to add $450 for ventilated seats and $1,050 for the heated-everything Heat and Consolation bundle. Ultimately, my E400 Cabriolet comes out to $78,045, together with $995 for vacation spot.

A category of its personal

So far as rivals go, there aren’t many who stand toe-to-toe with the Mercedes. You would get a BMW 430i Convertible or Audi S5 Cabriolet, however these are smaller, competing extra with Mercedes’ C-Class vary.

Actually, consider this E400 Cabriolet as a less expensive various to the larger S-Class convertible. Just like the flagship S, this E-Class excels at cozy cruising, and would not hate being pushed on twisty again roads. The onboard tech is a few of the finest within the class. And with comfy-cozy options like Airscarf available, it is the form of convertible you actually might drive daily.