24 Hr. Commercial Truck Service 928 Winston Churchill Blvd. Oakville From October 1st to December 15th, 2010 On Passenger or Light Truck tires only $70 AND RECEIVE Buy 4 safe MICHELIN tires A better way forward MAIL-IN REBATE w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, N ov em be r 2 4, 2 01 0 1 8 E550 Cabriolet 2011 a car for all seasons Continued from page 17 While the E550 Cabriolet is a big car with a wheelbase of 2,760 mm (109 in) and weight of 1,840 kg (4,056 lb), it does manoeuvre well, even in tight city condi- tions. Acceleration with the big V8 is peppy, likely less so with the 3.5-litre V6 that I have not yet driven. At the recent Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) 2011 Car of the Year testing, the E550 Cabriolet came second in the Sports-Performance (over $50k) category behind the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. It posted a 0-100 km/h time of 5.5 sec- onds and 80-120 km/h in 4.1 seconds. Meanwhile, in 100-0 km/h braking test, the E550 came to a stop in 40.9 metres. I found little of the cowl shake you find in many drop tops, thanks in part to the extensive use of high-strength steel. The passenger compartment even has what Mercedes-Benz calls cabriolet-specific reinforcement in the floor and side areas. Out on the road, the E-Class Cabriolet is set up more for comfort than sporty han- dling. The standard Agility Control suspen- sion automatically adjusts the dampers at each wheel, according to driving condi- tions. This results in a better ride quality than regular dampers, especially on bumpy roads. The car also has standard Dynamic Handling Package with speed-sensitive steering, which I found a bit vague. However, there are both Comfort and Sport drive modes you can choose, depending on your driving situation. On the safety front, Mercedes-Benz has always been a leader and the E550 Cabriolet has a wealth of safety features. Standard are front and side airbags for driv- er and passenger, window bags for all seats and a drivers knee air bag. One new state-of-the-art safety feature is Attention Assist, which detects drowsiness on the part of the driver and sends out an alert. An optional feature is Distronic Plus with Pre-Safe Brake. This system automatically adjusts the distance away from the vehicle in front and, in the event of an imminent rear-end collision, Pre-Safe starts to initiate braking itself. Meanwhile Adaptive Highbeam Assist uses a camera in the windshield to detect oncoming traffic and adjust headlights between high and low beam. And since this is a convertible, rollover bars are integrated into the rear headrests for added protection. As one would expect in a Mercedes, the interior is luxuriously finished. The seats, both front and rear, are sporty, yet comfort- able and supportive. Front seats have 10 adjustments and the optional Climate Comfort (part of the Premium Package) features three-stage heating and cooling. A seven-inch colour LCD display screen in the centre console lets you access all cabin controls, which can also be called up using voice commands. The Harmon/Kardon audio system is outstanding, featuring 12 speakers and 400 watts of power. Of course, the media inter- face works with an iPod, memory sticks or auxiliary audio input. Bluetooth connectiv- ity is standard. Only a couple of options are available, a wood steering wheel and shifter package and the Premium Package, which on the E550 includes Parktronic with advanced parking guidance, Climate Comfort front seats, AirScarf and a smart key push button system. The 2011 E350/550 faces some stiff competition from German competitors like the Audi A5 Cabriolet and BMW 335i Cabriolet. But little luxury features like the Aircap and Airscarf set it apart, making it a true four-seasons convertible.