Covetable convertibles

Someone has do it. PAUL OWEN compares the latest Benz and Audi sun-sleds.

Mercedes sure knows its stuff when it comes to roofless motoring, and has a range packed with open-air cars of every size, shape, and sexual orientation.

From the compact and effete $92,900 SLK200 to the mighty testosterone-charged $375,000 SL 63 AMG, there’s seemingly a Merc with a removal roof for all who enjoy working on their tan while they drive. Arriving in the middle of the topless Mercedes range this month is the new trans-gender $185,400 E500 Cabriolet, the 5.5litre V8-powered flagship of new line of four-seat convertibles based on the E-class sedans. Time then, to organise a little reception party in the form of a comparison test against a tough competitor.

Enter the $138,900 Audi S5 Cabriolet, a cheaper all-paw alternative that is quite possibly the closest thing you can buy to a Touring Car racer wearing a four-seat two-door soft-top disguise.

Audi has long coveted Merc’s success with roof-optional cars, and the S5 is the most convincing Cabriolet to emerge from the brand so far. Based on the A4 platform, it’s more compact in its dimensions than the E-sized Merc, and it’s far lower price is reflected by the more basic equipment inventory and less sophisticated furnishing. The Audi has an engine that’s exactly half the size of the Merc’s motor with the cylinder count reduced by two, however the supercharger nestled neatly within the 2.7 litre V6’s cylinder banks is a consummate force multiplier.

There were sporty open-topped Mercs already in the New Zealand range before the E500 Cabriolet arrived, and the new addition isn’t intended to be either an alternative to those cars or the S5. From the outside, you notice this softer focus most in the 18-inch AMG wheel package of the newest E-car.

These look skateboard-sized next to the 19-inch hoops of the Audi, the thick and swoopy styling of the Merc’s body exaggerating their comparative lack of size. However this is the only battle that the E500 loses on the equipment front. Although the Audi matches the Merc with essential two-door four-seat soft-top items like the automatic front seat belt presenters and a multi-layered roof to keep cabin noise down, the E500 takes the genre to a new level of roof-down comfort through the fitting of air-scarf systems and aerodynamic enhancements like the wind deflector that automatically rises from the top of the screen as the pace is upped.

The result is a cabin that’s almost as quiet with the roof down as the Audi’s is with the S5’s roof erect. If cabin silence is one measure of luxurious motoring, occupant space is another. Here the Merc’s slice of extra acreage between the front and rear wheels blesses it with the ability to be the more comfortable vehicle in which to ferry four full-sized adults over long distances.

Such human cargo in the S5 will require some compromises to be made with those in the front having to move their seats forward to create more leg space for those in the rear. The S5 then directs more wind blast at those in the second row when the roof is down – which is great for encouraging jowl-vibrating impressions of Jeremy Clarkson driving an Ariel Atom but can become wearisome after a while.

The Mercedes excels in urban driving, where its lighter steering action, more cosseting ride, and subdued-yet-threatening V8 growl all come to the fore. Parking is made easier in the E-car by both the more predictable take-off point of a conventional automatic transmission compared to the Audi’s more sensitive DSG twin-clutch gearbox, and the rear reversing camera that gives a clearer picture of what is behind the car than the Audi’s sonar sensors.

Countering the round-town prowess of the Cabriolet from Stuttgart is the more appealing look of the S5’s exterior. It’s the more crisply-drawn and sculptured of the two body styles.

The Audi’s beauty reaches full bloom on the back roads of our country, where it will show a clean pair of taillights to the Mercedes despite the 60kg weight handicap it carries. Here, the hill-flattening torque of the S5’s supercharged engine, the extra grip of the Quattro powertrain, and the stubbier more stiffly-suspended chassis hand dynamic supremacy to the Audi.

But does this performance ascendency matter when discussing the merits of two Cabriolets? For me, the Merc came more than close enough to matching the Audi in sporting endeavours to justify its extra cost. For the E500 Cabriolet is the quite possibly the finest car of its type yet to emerge from the land of the airport sex shop.

It’s what you can’t see – or more importantly, what you can’t hear or feel – that is the Mercedes best feature. It’s the lack of breeze constantly teasing your hair into your face, or creating wave patterns with your jowls, that places this car at the pinnacle of open-air driving.

At a Glance:

Mercedes-Benz E500 Cabriolet Avantgarde
Engine: 5461cc longitudinal V8 developing 285kW of power at 6000rpm and 530Nm of torque at 2800rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic gearbox, rear wheel drive
Price: $185,400
Hot: Quietest, least-draughty open-topper on the market
Not: Centre console overpopulated by comfort, communication, and entertainment controls

Audi S5 Cabriolet
Engine: 2695cc longitudinal supercharged V6 developing 245kW of power at 5500rpm and 600Nm of torque at 1700rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual, all wheel drive
Price: $138,900
Hot: Enough supercharged torque to blow you away
Not: Wind blast with roof down will also blow rear seat passengers away

- © Fairfax NZ News