Hours after bringing you the first official photos of the new Mercedes E-Class Coupe, CAR Online can now reveal our first spy shots of the E-Class Convertible. Complete with cloth roof, it’s a natural rival to Audi’s homegrown rival, the A5 Cabriolet.
What no folding acrobatic metal roof?
Nope, they’re reserved for Merc’s sporting roadsters such as the SLK and SL. So the E-class Convertible will stick with a canvas roof, all the better for minimising excess weight and cabin intrusion. Our scoop photos reveal the rear end is slightly modified to accommodate the rag top, but otherwise it’s nigh-on identical to its hard-top relative.
That means you can safely expect the same five engine choices as in the E-Class Coupe: we’re talking three petrol and two diesel units, stretching from a super-efficient four-pot diesel up to a 5.0-litre V8 E500.
We expect to see the Mercedes E-Class Convertible later in 2009, carrying a premium of a few thousand quid over the equivalent E-class Coupe.