Stuff Digital Edition

The cruiser and the bruiser

Mercedes-Benz has unleashed the last couple of members of the refreshed E-Class. Both are very good, but in different ways, finds Nile Bijoux.

Two more E-Classes have rolled through the Stuff garage. One is a born-andbred cruiser, the other a missile designed for curves and triple-digit speeds without thought for the polar bears.

Aren’t these two cars what old people drive?

Well, you’re not entirely wrong, but that doesn’t make them any worse for it. The E-Class Cabriolets have always been brilliant at smooth, mile-munching touring, with just enough emphasis on driving dynamics.

Considering the E 350 we have here is a facelift of the 2018 model, which won Stuff’s 2018 Top Convertible award, you probably have an idea of how good it is.

That ‘‘350’’ part of the badge means power still comes from a four-cylinder, electrified with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, making as much power as your typical hot hatch (220kW/400Nm). It is sent rearward through a nine-speed automatic transmission, which means that while the exhaust note isn’t as exciting as other members of the E-Class range, it’s still fairly engaging to drive.

In fact, one of the few less-thanstellar aspects of the E 350 Cabrio is that the engine is pretty coarse for a modern four-cylinder, particularly at higher revs.

It’s hardly a real negative, but BMW’s competing unit is a notch above in sound and feel. Although the 190kW version, which is closest to the E 350’s engine, can’t be had in anything above a 330i Sedan.

Anyway, the new 48-volt system means the engine switches off while the car is still rolling when coming to a stop, to help reduce fuel consumption, and gives extra torque when needed.

The system is pretty good too, with the claimed fuel consumption of 7.8L/100km achievable with lots of highway driving. More noticeable is the extra dollop of 10kW/150Nm, which is just enough for the E 350 to start feeling like a proper sports car.

Do I even need to ask about comfort?

Not really. It’s superb. Roof-down fans will be happy to hear Airscarf and Aircap come standard, the former wafting hot air from the headrest around your neck to keep warm and the latter an extendable fin across the top of the windscreen to deflect wind.

The air suspension is configurable but compliant in Comfort mode, and firm in Sport without being ridiculous. This is a cruiser with enough grunt to offer a few thrills when you want.

And what about that other thing?

That’s the hero of the E-Class range, the E 63 S. Probably the one you really want, too.

It gets the full-fat version of AMG’s 4.0-litre V8, making 460kW and 850Nm, or enough to make your passengers hate your guts if you give it the berries at a stop light without telling them. My God, this thing is quick.

Hitting 100kmh takes about three-and-a-half seconds, and it will keep pulling until you say uncle. The snappy nine-speed dual-clutch transmission delivers downshifts with alacrity and the steering is pretty much perfect for fast driving, with huge amounts of accuracy at just the right weighting.

Get out of the city and twist the drive mode dial to Race, and don’t forget your wits because Race mode puts everything into its tightest, most potent form.

You can dial back the traction control to allow a little bit of slippage, but considering this is an all-wheel-drive beasty, there isn’t a lot of sideways action.

Unlike BMW, AMGhas configured its system to hug the road as much as possible without much hooliganism.

Or, you can turn the ESP all the way off and select manual mode for the transmission to totally decouple the front end. Better make sure your insurance is up to date before doing that, though. And you have a good contact for tyres.

The E 63 S gets reworked suspension and, compared to the old model, it is leaps and bounds better. The old one had a Comfort mode similar to the new one’s Sport mode, which meant you felt every pebble, road dimple and insect you drive over.

Not so for this one, which remained well-calibrated and comfortable in its Comfort mode.

So it’s super fast, super capable, and super expensive. Am I missing anything?

Nope, that about covers it. You pay more or less a quarter of a million for a blisteringly quick, undeniably sexy four-door, and probably the last of its kind to feature an ICEonly configuration.

Next one will almost certainly be a hybrid at the very least.

This tester also had Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes added, which bumps the price up by $15,900. Put short, they’re almost unbelievably good, putting a great deal of supercars to shame in stopping distances, and should be

part of your options list. I mean, you’re already paying $241k, why not stretch to $262k?

There are, however, a few things the E 63 S doesn’t do so well.

The nature of the front suspension means there is some strange front-end behaviour when turning at full lock at sub-20kmh speeds, enough to actually understeer slightly in the wet.

It’s all to do with the aggressive suspension geometry, and is common across most AMGs, but really just a minor annoyance.

Looming larger, however, is the moral issue of buying a V8 that drinks petrol at the rate of 16.0L/100km (during our time with it) this year.

Any other cars to consider?

Mercedes-Benz E 350 Cabriolet: Convertibles at this size and price are hard to come by – the closest BMWis the M440i Convertible, starting at $144,900, with the equivalently size (but massively more powerful) M850i starting at a hefty $287,400.

At the time of writing, Audi doesn’t offer a convertible at all.

Mercedes-AMG E 63 S: The BMWM5 Competition ($234,300) and Audi’s RS 7 Sportback still use V8 power but if you’re interested in something different, the $224,990 Tesla Model S Plaid should be here next year, and the new Porsche Taycan GTS slots in at $249,600 with 440kW/850Nm.

Motoring

en-nz

2021-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282003265709455

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