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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Mercedes-Benz long and awaited for E-Class Cabriolet will don a cap and scarf so that it can provide all year-round comfort for all passengers. Their aerodynamic experts have devised an 'Aircap' to keep all occupants warm and free of buffeting. It will also be available with an Airscarf system from the SLK model.
It blasts hot air at the base of the neck from the headrests making this car the future the beginning of an open-top season all year round. The Aircap is something Mercedes has been working on for 20 years, consisting of a spoiler and mesh netting in the top of the windscreen.
At the touch of a button this mesh raises and the rear headrests which also are joined to another mesh net automatically goes up and down when the spoiler rises. The cabriolet has been tested in their wind tunnel racing 90mph gales, with the side windows up experience very little buffeting in the main compartment. It took 2000-3000 hours of wind tunnel experiments and intricate design in the build of the mesh nets to create the perfect wine-free cabin.
With an aim to create a warm air bath in the cabin and keep heat from escaping and the climate system in the car for longer, the benefit from this has resulted in better fuel economy and reduced in-car noise levels because of less aerodynamic drag ad flutter inside the cabin.
The E-class cabriolet will come with a 7-layered electric folding roof and when it crosses the British boarder in March 2010 the cabriolet will be available in a choice of 7 engines and the Aircap will be available on every single model, and as an added bonus it hopes to introduce its prices 5% below those of its predecessor.
When it comes to assessing the benefits of the caps and scarf, Mercedes may have blown every other cabriolet and coupe of the water including the BMW 3 Series. Swindon female motorists are going to find this car hard to ignore what with soothing hot air blowing at the base of their necks.
