Mercedes‑Benz E‑Class Cabriolet revealed ahead of Geneva

Since its launch a year ago the larger, technology-heavy and feature-packed new E-Class has been a hit with a roof, so how will it fare in convertible form, the fifth and final version of the new E-Class family? Merc’ has a long history of superb open-top sedans and it shows in both the newcomer’s svelte profile and attention to detail.

An example: when the top is down the amount of water supplied to the windscreen washer jets is automatically reduced so your passengers don’t get splashed. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?

And this is a car made for passengers. A lot of open-top sedans claim to seat four people but the new Mercedes promises plenty of room for adults – Mercedes says it has 100mm or 4 inches more rear legroom than its predecessor.

Apart from being more roomy, the two individual chairs in the back fold down for a through-load facility and are heated. Also helping keep out the chilly winds are the optional Airscarf neck-level heating and Aircap draught excluder. Top-down motoring 365 days a year? Mercedes believes so and to this end has made its all-seasons all-wheel-drive system available on the cabrio' for the first time. 

The hood is available in blue, brown, red or black and opens or closes in 20 seconds at speeds up to 30mph. The aim with it up was to recreate the silhouette of the coupe, with which the cabrio' shares its aluminium/steel construction, suitably beefed-up, from below the waistline.

All that’s available in saloon, coupe and estate E-Class models can be included in the cabrio', though of course much of it as optional equipment. The air suspension, adjustable damping, autonomous assistance systems, wide-screen dashboard, wireless mobile phone charging and “mood-enhancing” LED ambient lighting are all there to have their boxes ticked.

We can expect more engine options in due course, but to start with the range is likely to mirror that of the new coupe, starting with an E220d (Merc’s new 2.0 four-cylinder diesel with 192bhp), and rising through an E300 2.0 petrol with 242bhp to an E400 4Matic all-wheel drive V6 with 328bhp. All get Merc’s nine-speed automatic transmission.

UK prices and spec are still to be confirmed, though going by the coupe prices the cabrio' will start at around £45,000. You won’t get UK delivery until October though, and nor will UK buyers be able to get hold of one of the special 25th anniversary models marking the 1992 debut of the first E-Class soft-top, the 300CE-24 Cabrio.