2011 Mercedes-Benz E250

This handsome E250 Blue Efficiency Sport convertible has a number of features that make it stand out from the crowd. Those AMG alloy wheels for one, and the cabin AMG mats raise the sense of sportiness. Though this is clearly no sports car… The combination of 2.2-litre twin-turbo diesel engine and five-speed (rather than the seven-speed found in the rest of the E-Class range) result in a 0-60mph time of 7.2 seconds. It’s more leisurely swift than outright sporting, but hasn’t that always been the point of an open-top E-Class?

Despite showing 76,894 miles on the odometer, this Benz still looks very sharp. The kit fitted to this model is also impressive. Want a rear wind deflector, AC, parking sensors front and rear, Isofix in the back plus Neck Pro active headrests? You got ’em. The latter is quite a nifty Mercedes-Benz safety device in fact – headrests shoot up and forward during a rear impact to reduce the effect of whiplash. There’s no history with this classy convertible but we’d say its condition easily speaks volumes as to the care directed at it by its former keepers.

It might not be the most exciting shade, but silver seems to be what the majority of people want their German executives to come finished in. That silver paint is arrow straight on this example (see what we did there?) with very few imperfections to spoil the premium air. There’s a couple of tiny chips on the bonnet lip and a few more on the front bumper. The worst area of ‘damage’ was a touched-up area of paint on the front edge of the nearside wheel arch, where it meets the front bumper. There might also be a small crease on wheel arch lip (same side), but it’s very hard to tell.

The formerly mentioned AMG wheels are in great shape and have a set of seemingly good Pirelli Pzero tyres covering them, with plenty of tread. There’s another minor imperfection on the rear ¾ panel as a small strip of lacquer has started to peel on the nearside, just above the bumper. The top of the windscreen trim on the same side also has a minor area of delamination and the nearside wing mirror has a scratch to its lower edge. Though really, we’d consider all of these to be minor imperfections – generally the paintwork, chrome, trim and hood all seem to remain highly presentable.

The above average condition continues in the cabin as the vast majority of the trim, fabric and surfaces still look great. There are some areas that haven’t aged quite so well. There are a lot of scratches to the dash-mounted infotainment/sat-nav screen for example. Its LCD display has also ‘bled’ slightly on the right-hand side. The seats and door cards look good, other than some peeling fabric on the rear shoulder areas of both front seats. The chrome has peeled off the nearside seat tilt handle as well and the console between the rear seats has taken several deep scratches. Clearly the younger passengers in the back haven’t been quite so conscientious as the adults up front – hardly a rare occurrence.

The dashboard, instruments and switches all generally present very well with just a tiny mark in the passenger side of the dash pad all to report. There are some very minor marks to the steering wheel leather from finger nails, but hardly considered excessive. Oddly, there are some signs of damage to both B-post door shuts. There’s a large scratch to the nearside and some dents to the driver’s, perhaps caused by closing the door on the seatbelt? The carpets look good throughout and lifting the one in the boot sees a proper space saver spare tyre fitted, rather than one of those silly cans. The toys mentioned earlier all appear to be working as they should and on our brief test drive we were all too grateful for working heated seats.

As we’d expect for a vehicle this modern, under the bonnet we’re greeted by a huge plastic cover, perhaps designed to disguise that four-cylinder engine? That does make it hard to really have a good root around the mechanical bits, though all seem to be clean. We did spot that in the nearside rear corner of the engine bay, just above the battery, there’s a missing trim cover over the auxiliary heater blower motor. We think this is the cover for the cabin filters and it might be included as we saw it shot elsewhere. The only other item we spotted that needs pointing out are that the front brake discs appear to both be scored and lipped, though they did pass the last MoT.

There’s even more plastic underneath this E-Class than in its engine bay, so it’s next to impossible to get a true sense of its condition. The good news however, is that these covers all appear to still be in their correct places, doing what they were designed to do. Though we saw at least one with a crack in it. The only exposed mechanical parts we did see were some of the steering and suspension components and these appeared to be in fine order.

There isn’t any history to speak of with this Mercedes-Benz, apart from our usual HPI check. We do know that it’s passed all its MoTs – apart from the first one in 2014 due to worn tyres. Recent MoT history is a little strange however, as the car was submitted twice within two months in March and May 2021. The car is therefore due its new test in May 2022.

The onboard service indicator shows that this E-Class is 105 days overdue for its next ‘B1 service’. It’s worth pointing out that this is a major service and according to Mercedes-Benz online literature should include; engine oil & filter, transmission oil replacement (if needed) cabin filter change, brake fluid change, air fluid check, tyre inflation check, brake component inspection (scored in this case) and a reset of the maintenance indicator. Though prices vary and independent garages will quote less, we were quoted between £500-£600 by the main dealer for this work.

There’s a lot to like about this E-Class. Its paint and general condition are good and it doesn’t appear to have covered excessive miles. There’s a decent amount of creature comforts, which is important in a premium convertible, and there’s genuinely room for a family of four. Cruising in style and comfort is what this E-Class is all about and for a modest outlay of between £8,000 - £12,000, we don’t think you can go far wrong.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.