2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Cabriolet

There are sports cars and there are fashion statements. This Benz lives in the latter category. How do I know? Hauling 4000 pounds with only 268 hp is not the stuff of sporting fantasies. Speed is limited to only 130 mph. The tachometer and clock share equal emphasis in the cluster. Air deflectors meant to keep hair nice block the view out the back. The top is engineered far beyond merely keeping rain off your shoulders. And the E350's rear seats are large enough to accommodate real adults, who are less tolerable of wind in the face than spirited children. The part I don't get is the soft top that, in this case, must be just as heavy and just as consumptive of trunk space as a metal roof. Chalk it up to fashion. Don Sherman, Technical Editor