2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Review: First Impressions and Photo Gallery
CARS.COM — Springtime is the right time to see the all-new 2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabriolet as the gloomy weather disappears and the top can finally go down again … unless you live in a warm, sunny climate year-round; in that case, well, good for you.
Mercedes showed its E-Class cabriolet to U.S. audiences at the 2017 New York International Auto Show and promises sun-loving fun for four adults, so we checked it out to see how well an adult fits in the backseat.
More 2017 New York Auto Show Coverage
The cabriolet is longer, wider and has an extended wheelbase and wider track compared with the convertible it replaces. Mercedes says the extra dimensions open backseat room in particular. The E-Class is larger than the C-Class, an Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series convertible and that makes it a more appropriate people carrier.
The first step to getting into the cabriolet’s backseat is moving the front seat forward, and the E-Class’ power front seat slides forward as soon as you tilt the seatback forward; it moves an impressive distance to allow unobstructed access to the backseat with the top down. Step-in height is low, but the backseat is positioned high enough off the floor that it’s easy to plop into one of the two rear seats.
Once in the backseat, it was comfortable for my 6-foot-tall and slender frame, and not just because the top was down: There’s good legroom with the front seat in the position in which I’d normally position it, and the backseat’s cushioning is surprisingly supportive for a convertible. The backseat wouldn’t be a bad place at all to enjoy a nice top-down drive. The trunk isn’t totally unusable with the top down, and there’s a pass-through for longer cargo.
So, yes, the E-Class convertible delivers on its promise of fitting an adult in the back, but it’s much more than that considering the richly appointed interior that’s appropriately a class above the C-Class or a similarly sized convertible. The outgoing E-Class convertible impressed us for many years as the epitome of what makes a good convertible, and there’s a good chance that will continue with the redesigned 2018 model.
