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Gary Anderson

When Geoff Day, head of communications for Mercedes-Benz USA saw our article on the new E-Cabriolet in the March-April issue of The Star, he wondered why we had bothered to come to Tennessee for the official launch in April. The answer? We came to see if the "Four-season" gadgets would actually work. After two days of mostly chilly, rainy weather in the Smoky Mountains, we can say for certain that they do.

It may be counterintuitive to think about test-driving a convertible in the rain, but in fact it's easy to build a convertible that's pleasant to own and drive on a nice sunny day. All you need is a little additional body stiffening to compensate for the lack of a metal top and some good scenery, and every journalist will think you're a genius.

We had one brief opportunity to actually enjoy the sun and the scenery. When we arrived at the Knoxville airport in the afternoon, to find 20 E-Cabrios parked in neat diagonal file along the curb, it was sunny and there were still a few hours of golden light to enjoy. The top control buttons in the console caused the soft top to neatly fold under the metal tonneau cover with its attactive nacelles behind the headrests.

A second button deployed the "Aircap" spoiler above the front windshield and the screen between the rear headrests. A quick couple of clicks on the central control knob started the preprogrammed navigation system and we were on our way, on a more-than-pleasant two-hour trip along the Foothills Parkway towards our idyllic destination, Blackberry Farms, on the edge of Smoky Mountians National Park. Only the call of a nice evening meal and descending darkness kept us from lingering overlong at every mountain lookout along the ridgeline.

The next morning was not so nice. In fact it was dreary and cold (sunny pictures in this article were courtesy of the MBUSA photographer who reported a delightful weekend before we arrived). The misting rain may keep these hills green, but suggests that putting the top down might be a bad idea.

But how else could we determine if the "Aircap" would actually keep the mist blowing over the tops of our heads and the "Airscarf" heat vents in the headrests along with the heated seats would keep us comfortable with the top down? So driving buddy Mark Elias and I resolutely put the top down as soon as we were moving - the top can be folded and unfolded at any speed under 25 miles an hour, which thoroughly amused the vacationers with whom we shared the parkway.

And it worked. As long as we were moving, our heads were dry, our necks and bodies were warm, and we could thoroughly enjoy the incredible backhills scenery between Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina. >>>

>>> We also enjoyed the curving roads and smooth pavement. The speed limit may have been 45 mph in most places, but with tight curve after tight curve, we were able to confirm that the 51-49 front to rear weight distribution was perfectly suited to spirited driving. The suspension was not tightly sprung, as one might have wanted in an enthusiast's car, but we don't think that's the point of a convertible. Rather, the car relies on balance and predictable weight transfer to flow through the corners without sacrificing ride comfort.

Though we mostly drove the E550 with its V-8 engine and 382 horsepower, we also drove the E350, with 268 horsepower, and think that many convertible fans will be perfectly happy with it.

Could it hold four passengers? Yes, but with one caveat. Four people can go for an afternoon picnic in this car, but if an overnight is on the agenda, then the back seat will be needed for any luggage beyond two airplane-legal roll-aboards. Though the soft top doesn't chew up trunk space as a retractible hard top would do, once the protective partition had been lowered so that the soft top could be stowed, there wasn't a lot of room left for big suitcases.

But what a soft top! By afternoon, forced off the parkway and onto an uncharted route by an unexpected detour due to flooding, we took to the Interstate and put the top up. There's no way any airfoil will protect you from the spray of 18-wheelers. What we found instead was that the three-layer soft top, nearly an inch thick, was snug, wind- and rain-proof, and every bit as good as a hard top, fortunate since we needed to listen closely to the nice lady in our nav system who was helping us find our way back to the farm. 

Retail prices start at $57,725 for the E350 and $65,675 for the E550.