Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet : First Drive
While most auto junkies lust after supercars, in our opinion, the most fun cars on real world roads are convertibles. Few things beat the feeling of freedom when you have no roof, and if you can enjoy this experience with three others, it just doesn't get better than this
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As brilliant as convertibles are to behold, there is a good reason that you don’t see too many of them on Indian roads – the weather. Unless you’re staying in the hills somewhere up north, chances are that you’ll experience extremely harsh summers, tropical monsoons and enough dust to fill a swimming pool each time you step out for a spin in the car. And let’s not forget the inherent danger of vandalism which rears its ugly head in almost every locality of every city in the country. But then again, the charm of driving a convertible with its top down, with a million miles of head room, is undeniable and the attention you get around town is incredibly flattering. And when you have a convertible car as handsome as this Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet, you’ll be quick to forget any shortcomings a car with a folding cloth roof might hold.
There are no two ways to it. The current E-Class sedan is already a pretty handsome design. So when you lop the roof off, replace four doors with two long ones and shorten the length of the car, it can only get handsomer. With its crystal-cut head lights, angular lines and almost an absolute lack of curves, it looks more like it should belong floating in the marina at Monaco, rather than on the black top. And while it does have a lot of sporty touches such as massive 18-inch wheels shod with really low profile tyres, it looks like it was designed less for speed and more for cruising around at a fair clip in comfort, luxury and most importantly, oodles of style.
It’s much the same story on the inside as well. Classy black and beige leather trim all around which, even though not as modern and technology laden as some of the interiors you can find in other contemporary German luxury cars, exudes a sense of panache that is very typically current-gen Mercedes-Benz. The sportier steering wheel, the same one we find on the E-Class coupe is a nice touch, and lets you know, just by touch that you’re driving something more special than the regular E-Class. Space in the front is aplenty, and even the back seats can accommodate two adults quite easily. Getting in and out of the back is a fairly easy task as well, with the front seats folding forward at the touch of a lever, and only the ones with the most arthritic of joints will have any difficult in accessing the rear.
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