It's the turn of the two-door versions of the Mercedes E-Class to get their midlife update, the E-Class Coupe and E-Class Cabriolet. There are exterior and interior updates to go through, significant engine changes and new AMG-developed models to drool over. We expect the new cars to arrive in Ireland before the end of the year, ahead of '211' sales in January 2021.
Priority number one: style
Mercedes has, thankfully, not departed too dramatically from the pre-facelift design of the E-Class Cabriolet and Coupe. The most obvious exterior changes are at the front, where the grille shape has effectively been turned upside down. It has a single sharply defined horizontal 'louvre' with the Mercedes star in the middle, and chrome-plated 'dots' throughout. The headlights, meanwhile, have been slimmed down, too, and all models get full LED lighting as standard. At the back, the detail design of the LED lamps has been tweaked, while buyers can choose from a few new paint colours and new designs of alloy wheel.
Inside, the changes are more significant. A stunning new steering wheel design stands out immediately, available in regular and 'super sports' styles. It gets new touch-sensitive controls and a unique appearance. The E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet also come with an upgraded version of the impressive MBUX infotainment system. Two 10.25-inch screens, mounted seamlessly side-by-side, are standard, and buyers can upgrade to two 12.3-inch screens. Elsewhere, there are new trim finishes available.
Electrification arrives in force
A major update to the twin-turbocharged Mercedes 2.0-litre turbodiesel debuts in the E-Class, resulting in more power (now up to 265hp in what we presume will be the E 300 d) and improvements in the name of efficiency and cleanliness. To that end, it is paired with a starter-generator system, using a 48-volt circuit. This is integrated into the housing of the updated nine-speed automatic gearbox so it can be more easily used with a variety of engines. Mercedes calls the feature the EQ Boost, and it adds 20hp and 180Nm of torque to proceedings when required. That electrical boost is upped to nearly 22hp and 250Nm for the 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine found in the E 450 4Matic model, itself producing 272hp and 500Nm.
The full line-up of launch models, applicable to the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet body styles, includes E 220 d (with rear-wheel drive or 4Matic), E 400 d 4Matic, E 200 (rear-drive or 4Matic), E 300 and E 450 4Matic. Oh, and the small matter of the Mercedes-AMG E 53 4Matic+. None of these are yet confirmed for sale in Ireland, incidentally.
About that AMG model
Our first taste of the AMG-developed mild hybrid '53' powertrain was in the Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4Matic+ about two years ago, and that's what powers the new E 53 4Matic+ Coupe and Cabriolet. That means a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine using one regular exhaust gas driven turbocharger and another, an electrical compressor, driven by the on-board 48-volt system. The engine produces 435hp and 520Nm of torque, while the starter-generator can briefly add an extra 22hp and 250Nm. With an AMG-tweaked version of 4Matic four-wheel drive (hence the '+'), it's no surprise to see 0-100km/h times of 4.4 and 4.6 seconds for the Coupe and Cabriolet, respectively. The black E-Class Coupe in our images here show the extent of the visual makeover that applies to the AMG models (not to be mistaken for the best-selling AMG-Line cars), with a unique grille design, quad exhausts, bigger wheels and more. The interior gets all the suitable embellishments, too.