2014 MERCEDES-BENZ E-Class Cabriolet Review

The front bumper has more freedom to express itself, since it doesn't have to serve any lighting purpose. In AMG guise, there's some sort of integrated chrome chin spoiler. This may be a bit flashy, but it works well, like any nicely-trimmed beard does.

Check out the side of the E-Class Cabriolet and the car's proportions stand out in a pleasing manner. It all starts with a long hood, but what really catches your eye is the nice arch of the canvas roof. To our eyes, this gives the E-Class Cabriolet an edge over the coupe. And that chromed line that sits at the base of the elongated greenhouse is such a fitting accessory. Oh and let's not forget those athletic hips.

At the rear, the revamp has brought sharper-looking LED lights. These flow into the rear wings, putting on a nice show at night. Courtesy of the AMG treatment, the rear apron receives a diffuser-like element and trapezoidal tailpipes. The latter were more to our liking than the first, which brings the inevitable commercial touch.

The roof stowing process isn't among the fastest, but the smoothness of the mechanism is pleasing. You can operate the roof up to 25 mph (40 km/h), with Merc bragging this is suitable for automatic car washes. They've done a pretty fine job with the aerodynamics too. With a 0.29 Cd figure, the Mercedes E-Class Cabrio is the best in its segment.

However, when it comes to open-air driving, the E-Class Cabriolet is full of tricks. First of all the windshield's thick edge hides something called Aircap. This is basically a bigger version of the front draught-stops featured on cars with sunroofs. The system extends itself once you go past 25 mph (40 km/h) and folds back in below 9 mph (15 km/h) - this move is there to make sure you still look cool when low-speed cruising or parking.

At the other end of the passenger cell, we have the classic wind deflector. Nonetheless, this and the rear headrests form a single elements. This raises automatically when rear passenger are in place, or via a dedicated button. The headrests can also serve as roll-over protection bars. Still, we would've liked to be able to fully lower this element into the body, as it does limit the rear visibility.