The Head Turning Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet

December 17, 2009 by Matt Keegan

2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet

Color me smitten. The all new 2011 Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet has me yearning to buy one. Unfortunately, it is a bit out of my budget, but I can still dream.

I’m not particularly fond of power puff blue, but the color scheme on this model is wonderful. Plus, Mercedes-Benz has continued with its cloth top which I welcome in this age of metallic three-fold convertible roofs.

Open & Shut

Mercedes designed the top to open and close within twenty seconds, a feat that can be accomplished at speeds up to 25 mph. Take a ride on California Highway One along the Big Sur coast and slow down just enough to activate the top.

When dropped, the top is stored in a special panel located behind the rear seat, with its own compartment within the trunk area. If you need additional trunk space, then you can keep the roof up and access that area which is separated from the storage compartment thanks to a retractable cover. In any event, you gain an extra 3 cubic feet with this arrangement for 13.8 cubic feet trunk storage capacity.

Mercedes keeps fabric soft top for its beautiful cabriolet.

Smart Safety Features

But enough about storage. The E-Class is already a can’t miss model, but the cabriolet turns it all up one notch. In addition, the cabriolet incorporates some of the best safety features for a car in this segment including roll-over protection, where the A-pillars are reinforced by two additional tubes and the plug-in B-pillars.

Importantly, this is the first Mercedes cabriolet to feature headbags, which are housed in the door paneling in the belt line area. According to Mercedes, the headbags cover a wide area – around 2.3 x 1.6 feet with a volume of 17 liters when deployed – the airbags provide extremely effective protection for occupants large and small in the event of a crash. The three-part side protection system – comprising headbag and thoraxbag – optimizes the level of protection afforded to individual parts of the body.