This summer the girls are back! That’s right; Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte are making their return in the hotly anticipated summer chick flick “Sex and the City 2.” While there’s much buzz surrounding Carrie’s chance meeting with Aidan, people also are noticing Samantha’s new wheels, the 2011 four-passenger Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet. After spending some time behind the wheel, JEZ understands why Samantha falls head over heels for this three-pointed sun goddess.
Drop-top gorgeous and glamorous, the new E-Class Cabriolet’s design is both modern and elegant with just the right touch of flash and class. Signature quad headlamps frame the two-bar grille with its Mercedes-Benz star centered inside the grill. A tall waistline and wide body give the Cabriolet a substantial look, while curved rear wheel arches resemble those seen on the S-Class sedan. The overall design is artful, but not over the top.
The new E-Class Cabriolet is chock full of innovative new technologies to which we quickly became accustomed. The Cabriolet debuts Mercedes-Benz’s new AIRCAP system. This is reason enough to want the new E-Class Cabriolet. The AIRCAP extends your top-down driving season via an electronic arm that extends above the windshield to re-direct airflow over the passenger compartment. The result is dramatically reduced wind noise, buffeting and draft. With the AIRCAP deployed and the top down, it’s easy to have a conversation at highway speed. The best part? With AIRCAP, there’s no need to worry about ruining your meticulously coiffed hair on your way to the party. Another technology that will extend your top-down driving season is AIRSCARF, which blows warm air through vents built into the front seat headrests.
As with every Mercedes-Benz, the E-Class Cabriolet sets a new standard for convertible safety. A first for Mercedes-Benz are new head airbags that deploy from housing built into the belt-line and cover a nearly 3-by-2-foot area. In addition, a steel-reinforced A-pillar and two self-deploying high-strength steel bars housed in the rear head restraints provide exceptional roll-over protection. Combine this with Mercedes-Benz’s advanced Attention Assist and Distronic Plus, and you have one very safe Cabriolet.
The new E-Class Cabriolet uses an advanced fabric top that’s available in multiple colors. A fabric top has several advantages over metal: weight, storage and opening speed. Not only is this Cabriolet’s fabric roof lighter than hardtops, but it also takes up far less space. This probably explains why the girls love the E-Class Cabriolet so much: There’s always plenty of room to accommodate those not-so-infrequent Choo splurges with more than 13.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Additionally, this soft-top can be opened and closed at speeds up to 25 mph, ensuring that you won’t be stuck with your top down.
The E550 Cabriolet with its V8 engine starts at $64,800, while the V6-powered E350 Cabriolet is priced at $56,850.