Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet - Interior & comfort

If you see an E-Class Cabriolet owner driving slowly with the roof down, it’s probably to show off the lovely interior, which successfully juggles being a technological tour de force with traditional use of wood and leather trim.

Style and comfort are the keywords here, with every material both looking and feeling expensive. The metal air vents are a highlight of the fascia, although in this case their function can’t quite live up to those looks. While wood trim has fallen out of fashion to an extent, it looks good here and suits the character of the car, lifting the adjacent swathes of soft-touch plastic trim.

There are neat touches like the seatbelts that come out to meet you as you sit in the car and Mercedes’ optional ‘Aircap’ wind deflector. With a long history of convertibles under its belt, Mercedes is well versed in keeping the breeze out of its drop-top models, and while the retractable flap above the windscreen looks a bit ungainly, it keeps passengers snug in cool weather. Thanks to its multi-layered design, the fabric roof is a world away from old rag-tops and acoustic tuning ensures it keeps the interior impressively quiet, even at motorway speeds.

The E-Class Cabriolet is at its best fitted with optional air suspension set to its most comfortable mode. We’d avoid the 20-inch alloy wheels, which can send strong enough shocks into the car to shake the bodywork when faced with the worst tarmac.

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Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet dashboard

A blend of the old and new, the dashboard is a standout feature of the E-Class, particularly because of its MBUX infotainment system that incorporates two 12.3-inch screens sitting side-by-side. With one taking the place of the instrument panel and the other in charge of infotainment, this is a four-seat Cabriolet with a hint of Starship Enterprise, even if BMW’s iDrive system is slightly easier to use.

Build quality has taken a leap over the outgoing model and the interior simply feels more expensive than before. To most, the materials won’t seem too far behind those found in the S-Class Cabriolet, despite that model costing almost triple the asking price of the roofless E-Class. With swathes of ambient lighting hidden underneath the silver dashboard trim, its personality even changes with the setting sun, for a more memorable experience at night.

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Equipment

Costing over £49,000 in its most basic form, the Cabriolet is as luxurious as you’d expect; it offers a standard 360-degree camera, heated front seats and a new steering wheel with touchpad controls. LED headlights improve visibility and Mercedes’ Magic Vision Control wipers ensure you can spray the screen with the roof down without covering your passengers in washer fluid.

The AMG Line Night Edition Premium Plus version upgrades the alloy wheels to 20-inches in diameter and adds black exterior trim, memory seats and a Burmester sound system. Meanwhile, the AMG E 53 Cabriolet gets its own roster of equipment, including a different exhaust and a sporty makeover inside and out.

Options

If you’re a high mileage driver or want the safest version possible, the £1,700 Driving Assistance Plus Package adds Drive Pilot, combining technology including active cruise control, lane-changing assistance, steering assistance and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). Buyers can also choose between black, dark blue and dark red for the colour of the soft-top roof.