The Mercedes E 400 Cabriolet is discontinued in India. Here’s what a used one costs now, and what a decade of reviews agree on.
Every review of this car, going back to when it launched in March 2015, mentions the same thing within the first few paragraphs. Not the engine, not the folding roof, the speed breakers. Every single road test from that year through today flags the same low-slung nose scraping against Indian speed breakers, and that consistency across a decade of reviews tells you something a single test drive never could.
Here’s what’s changed since those original reviews though, and it’s the part nobody’s actually written about. Mercedes doesn’t sell the E 400 Cabriolet new in India anymore. It’s discontinued. The only way to buy one today is used, and used prices have fallen hard enough that a car which cost 89.5 lakh rupees on road in 2015 is now showing up in listings for as little as 39 lakh. That changes the entire conversation around this car.
From new-car flagship to used-market curiosity
The E 400 Cabriolet marked the return of a proper four-seat luxury convertible to Mercedes-Benz India’s lineup, powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 making around 333 bhp and 480 Nm, good for a claimed 0-100 kmph in 5.3 seconds through a 7-speed automatic. It was never a huge seller, luxury convertibles rarely are in India, and it’s since been discontinued, with Mercedes moving its convertible strategy toward newer models like the CLE Cabriolet.
That means every unit on the road today is a used one, and the used prices reflect a car that’s fallen out of Mercedes’ active lineup rather than one still fighting for new-buyer attention.
Then versus now: what it cost, what it costs
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Original ex-showroom price (2015, Delhi) | ₹78.5 lakh |
| Original on-road price (2015, Delhi) | ₹89.5 lakh |
| Later average ex-showroom listings (pre-discontinuation) | ₹73.5 – 82.5 lakh |
| Used price, Mumbai listings (Aug 2026) | Starting around ₹39 lakh |
That’s a drop of roughly 55 to 57 percent from the original on-road price to what a used example is asking today, a steeper fall than most petrol luxury cars see even over a decade. Some of that is normal depreciation on any luxury car. Some of it is specific to convertibles, which tend to hold value worse than sedans or SUVs in the Indian market, where buyers are generally more cautious about a car with a fabric roof and known ground clearance quirks.
The flaw every reviewer agreed on, for a decade
This is worth taking seriously precisely because it isn’t one reviewer’s opinion. Road tests from 2015 through recent write-ups consistently describe the same issue: genuinely excellent ride quality that soaks up regular potholes with ease, undone by a low front end that scrapes against speed breakers more often than owners would like. One period road test put it plainly, the car kept kissing most of the speed breakers encountered during testing, and cautioned that Indian road conditions demand real care.
If you’re used-shopping for one now, this isn’t a defect to worry about, it’s simply how the car is built, and it hasn’t changed across model years. What matters is factoring it into your driving habits and inspecting any used unit for scrape damage on the front splitter and undertray before you buy, since a decade of ownership by previous owners who weren’t careful will show up there.
What you actually get for the money
- A 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that most reviewers describe as the reason the car feels so relaxing to drive, refined rather than aggressive
- Ride quality that’s genuinely impressive for a convertible, composed and comfortable on regular road surfaces
- A soft-top roof that folds in about 20 seconds, with wind noise kept well controlled once you’re moving, helped by a deployable wind deflector above 40 kmph
- Steering described as precise but light, easy enough for city use despite the car’s size
- A fairly small 300-litre boot, worth knowing if you’re picturing this as a car for weekend trips with luggage
Reviewers have consistently framed this as a car best suited to being a third or fourth vehicle in a household, not a daily driver, and that framing holds up even more now that you’re buying used rather than new. It was never meant to be the practical choice, and at a lower used price, that trade-off gets easier to justify.
What buying a discontinued import actually means
This is the part a used-car listing won’t spell out for you. Buying a discontinued, low-volume luxury convertible means thinking about parts availability and service history more carefully than you would with a current-generation car still in production.
Before you commit to a used unit, get a pre-purchase inspection done at an authorised Mercedes-Benz service centre, not just a general mechanic, specifically checking the soft-top folding mechanism, since that’s the single most expensive thing to repair if it’s not working correctly. Ask the seller for a full service history, and confirm with your nearest Mercedes service centre that parts for this specific model are still reasonably available, since a discontinued model can mean longer wait times for anything beyond routine servicing.
Before you buy a used one
- Inspect the front splitter and undertray closely for scrape damage from speed breakers, a near-universal wear pattern on this car given its known ground clearance issue
- Get the soft-top mechanism tested through a full open-close cycle in person, not just told it works
- Ask for complete service records, and confirm with an authorised centre whether the specific model year has any known recurring issues
- Compare listings across at least two or three cities before deciding, since the spread between the lowest asking price and the average is wide enough to matter
- Factor in insurance costs separately, since insuring an ageing luxury convertible can cost more relative to its current market value than a mainstream used car
Verdict: who should actually buy one used
If you want a genuinely relaxed, comfortable convertible experience and you’re not planning to use it as a primary car, the used E 400 Cabriolet at 39 to 45 lakh rupees is a legitimately interesting proposition, a car that cost nearly 90 lakh on road a decade ago, now available for less than half that. The engine and ride quality reviewers praised in 2015 haven’t changed.
If you drive daily on roads with frequent, unpredictable speed breakers, this isn’t the car for that job, and no amount of careful driving fully solves a design trait that’s been consistent across every review of this car ever written.
If you’re nervous about owning a discontinued import long-term, get comfortable with the parts and service question before you buy, not after. A pre-purchase inspection at an authorised centre is worth the cost here more than with almost any other used car purchase.
If boot space and practicality matter to your use case at all, look elsewhere. At 300 litres, this was never built to be practical, even when new.
FAQ
Is the Mercedes-Benz E 400 Cabriolet still sold new in India? No, it’s been discontinued. Every unit available today is a used car, with Mercedes having shifted its convertible focus to newer models since this one launched in 2015.
How much does a used E 400 Cabriolet cost now? Listings in Mumbai have shown asking prices starting around 39 lakh rupees, a steep drop from the original 89.5 lakh on-road price in 2015, reflecting both normal depreciation and the weaker resale demand convertibles typically see in India.
Is the low ground clearance really a problem, or is it exaggerated? It’s a genuine, consistently reported issue across nearly every review of this car since launch. The ride quality itself is excellent, but the front end does scrape on speed breakers if you’re not careful, and this has never fully been resolved across model years.
What should I check before buying a used one? Inspect the front splitter and undertray for scrape damage, test the soft-top mechanism through a full cycle, get complete service history, and have an authorised Mercedes-Benz service centre do a pre-purchase inspection rather than relying on a general mechanic.
Is parts availability a concern for a discontinued model like this? It can be, more than with a currently sold model. Confirm with your nearest authorised service centre that parts for this specific model are still reasonably available before committing, particularly for anything beyond routine servicing.
Is this a good primary car, or only a second or third car? Reviewers have consistently framed it as best suited to being a third or fourth car in a household rather than a daily driver, largely because of the boot space, ground clearance, and general convertible trade-offs. That framing holds even more now, given the lower used price makes it easier to justify as an occasional-use car.
A car that cost the better part of a crore on road a decade ago is now within reach of a much wider set of buyers, provided you go in with clear eyes about what hasn’t changed since 2015, the speed breakers included.
