The sun lies low on the desert horizon, the trees and cactuses are throwing long shadows, and the landscape is doused with warm light. In less than 20 seconds, the softtop disappears behind the rear seats, and the engine—barely perceptible—springs to life. The beginning of a relaxed and indulgent drive into the Sonoran Desert?
Hardly. This trip requires the utmost concentration: We are riding along on one of the final engineering drives for the Mercedes-Benz E-class convertible, a model Daimler calls the cabriolet. At the wheel is Christian Früh, development chief for the coupe and convertible C- and E-class models. In another of several prototypes on this drive, the pilot is Peter Kolb, testing chief for the new models. One car is a Europe-spec E200, with a 181-hp turbocharged inline-four making even less power than the 241-horsepower four found in the base U.S. sedan, the E300. Another car has a four-cylinder turbo-diesel that’s so quiet you would be forgiven if you confused it with a six, but don’t expect to see that at U.S. dealerships, either.
Source:YAHOO
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