German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has successfully unveiled the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class a few weeks ago featuring a sedan and coupe variant.
But it seems that Mercedes-Benz is not yet done with the brand as a new variant is now in the thick of development and is reportedly about to come out sooner than later.
Reports are now rife that the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible variant to be officially called as the Cabrio, is now in the works and a prototype, all camouflaged with stickers, have recently been spotted in the wild.
The variant resembles the lines of the sedan and the coupe of the 2017 E-Class as well as the open-top variants of the C-Class and the S-Class, notes Car Scoops.
As expected the chassis was strengthened to compensate for the opening in the roof which could possibly add to the vehicle’s overall weight. As such, critics are saying that it would be a tad slower compared to the E-Class coupe.
The Cabrio shall also have several engine variants including a range of four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines but it is still not certain if the Cabrio would be equipped with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8.
As for the release date of the Cabrio, the rumors are saying that it could be launched by Mercedes-Benz during the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in January or the 2017 Geneva Auto Show to be held in March next year.
A feature called Drive Pilot
Incidentally, the all-new 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300, which is the base model of the E-Class line, exudes a feature called the Drive Pilot.
It is not the same as Tesla Motor’s Autopilot but both features do pretty much the same things. The Drive Pilot on the E300 is a collection of features enabled by cameras and radar that combine to allow the vehicle to steer itself between the lines on the road, manage its speed, and autonomously brake for things that get in front of it, details Fox News.
However, instead of relying heavily on the Drive Pilot, Mercedes-Benz would prefer that drivers use it instead as a safety net.
While the Drive Pilot feature of the E300 is impressively effective, it does not come without flaws so the driver still needs to give it the navigational ability to guide it from point A to point B, changing roads along the way.
Buyers should also note that the Drive Pilot package comes bundled to the E300’s base price of $53,075 but it also includes a few distracting luxuries that might make the extra layer of safety worth it, including heated massaging seats, a 14-speaker Burmester audio system, and a cabin air fragrance system, all of which can send the driver off to dreamland.
Cheaper than its predecessor
The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class started hitting showrooms in summer and some enthusiasts savored the fact that the base model of the new E-Class sedan called the E300 came out cheaper than the 2016 E350 model.
The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 is priced at $53,075 including destination, which is exactly $950 cheaper compared to the 2016 Mercedes-Benz E350 which was being retailed for $54,025 including destination too.
While a $950 is hardly a big deal in a luxury car purchase, many Mercedes-Benz fans still believe that the E300 is quite a bargain.
The E300 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Its engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission that powers the rear wheels only.
The E-Class is the popular and prolific mid-size luxury car that has been the bread and butter of the carmaker based in Stuttgart, Germany over the last nine generations and soon to be 10.