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"We&amp;#039;re on the beautiful Spanish island of Mallorca where is putting us behind the wheel of its E-Class Cabriolet for the first time. Successor to the CLK Cabrio, the new was unveiled in frozen Detroit last January, but here the mild temps allow top-down driving.   Mercedes says the new convertible allows four occupants to enjoy the vehicle year round. For the nastier months of the year, a three-layer &amp;quot;acoustic&amp;quot; folding top does a commendable job of keeping things snug and quiet inside.   We freely admit, however, that we spent little time with the top up because of something Mercedes calls . Even in cool weather, I hardly noticed that the the top was down.   Here&amp;#039;s how it works. In normal top-up fashion, the car&amp;#039;s coefficient of drag is an excellent 0.28. Stow the top, and it rises to 0.32. But then you raise two elements. One is a wind deflector with a net inside that rises 2.4 in. above the windshield header. Also rising is a wind draft spoiler between the rear seat headrests. These two devices increase the coefficient of drag to 0.36, but they also effectively raise the airflow over the cockpit. The effect in limiting interior turbulence and noise once the side windows are up is dramatic. It works, so on a cool day you hum along at 70 mph in surprising calm and warmth, chatting at normal volumes.   Mercedes also includes the AIRSCARF warm-air vents in the headrests, and now makes the nozzles adjustable for aim. This feature is most effective at low speeds.   Designers did a reasonable job of keeping the coupe look in the convertible, which takes just 20 seconds for the top to go up or down...at speeds up to 25 mph!   The rest of the car is all , and there&amp;#039;s room inside for four average-size adults with front seats that aid entry for the rear passengers.   As with the E Coupe, the E Cabrio brio for the U.S. will be in two forms, the E350 and E550. That means the 3.5-liter V-6 with 268 bhp at 6000 rpm and 258 lb.-ft. of torque at 2400-5000 rpm, or the 5.5-liter V-8, which raises the bar to 382 bhp at 6000 rpm and 391 lb.-ft. at 2800-4000. Both cars have a 7-speed automatic transmission, and Mercedes claims 0 to 60 times of 6.3 and 5.1 seconds, respectively. No EPA mpg numbers were provided, but the respective E Coupes get 17 city/26 highway, and 15 city/23 highway. The Cabrios, it should be noted, are 200 lb. heavier.   Prices for the E350 Cabrio will start around $58,000 and the E550 Cabrio at $66,000, and both can be AMG&amp;#039;d upward from there. Not inexpensive, by any means, but these cars are sweethearts to drive, arguably the best at blending closed and open air driving and making sure one mode is as comfortable as the other. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a15530/2011-mercedes-benz-e-class-cabriolet-2/>