What's the news?
Mercedes is expanding both its E-Class model line and its family of sporty-looking two-door cars in one fell swoop here, with the announcement of the attractive E-Class Coupe. It will arrive in dealerships from April 2017 onwards.
Exterior
Joining the saloon, Estate and All-Terrain crossover wagon in the current Mercedes E-Class family fold, the Coupe is based on the same underpinnings as the four-door model and uses the familiar face of the new E-Class, along with the distinctive rear-end styling that is featured on all of Merc's latest coupes, up to and including models such as the GLC Coupe, the GLE Coupe and the S-Class Coupe. All the four side windows are frameless glass and there is no B-pillar in the middle of the car, aiding ingress and egress to the rear.
Crucially, the E-Class Coupe is bigger in every dimension compared to its predecessor, as it's longer, wider and taller, with wider tracks front and rear, a stretched wheelbase - and thus comfortably enough room for four adults within, claims Mercedes, as rear legroom is up 74mm to a total of 912mm. The Coupe will also debut a new exterior 'lightshow' from the German company, in which its two-part, flat LED taillamps illuminate from the centres outwards upon unlocking the car, and vice versa when securing the vehicle, as a way of the E-Class saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' to its owner.
Interior
Like the rest of the E-Class family, as an option you can specify two glorious 12.3-inch TFT screens - one for the instrument cluster, one for the centre console - which end up housed together under a single lens to form a 'floating widescreen cockpit'. Choose not to go with the show-stopping interior treatment and you get two round analogue dials in the cluster with a seven-inch display, plus an 8.4-inch screen in the dashboard. Touch Control buttons on the steering wheel allow the driver to control all infotainment without taking their hands off the wheel, while the E-Class' fearsome repertoire of technological goodies feature here - items such as 64-colour adjustable interior lighting, full smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Linguatronic voice control, satnav, the Mercedes Me concierge service, Active Brake Assist, Drive Pilot, Remote Parking Pilot, Multibeam LED headlamps, Magic Vision Control and much, much more are all available.
Mechanicals
Four engines are offered at launch and it is likely that here in Ireland we'll only get AMG Line sporty trim on the Coupe models, although that's yet to be absolutely confirmed. Although more engines are promised to come online after the first wave, what we have for now is a mainly four-cylinder line-up. The solitary diesel, the E 220 d, and two of the three petrols - the E 200 and the E 300 - are all turbocharged 2.0-litre units driving the rear wheels, the diesel being the newest engine of its type from Mercedes. In the E 220 d Coupe, it delivers 194hp and 400Nm of torque, enough for a 7.4-second 0-100km/h time and a top speed of 240km/h, all while delivering 4.0 litres/100km (70.6mpg) and CO2 emissions of just 106g/km.
The E 200 offers 184hp and 300Nm, with 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds and a 248km/h top speed, plus fuel economy of 6.0 litres/100km (47mpg) and 136g/km, while the muscular E 300 version of the same engine alters the relevant data to the following: 245hp, 370Nm, 6.4 seconds, 250km/h (limited), 6.4 litres/100km (44mpg) and 147g/km.
Intriguingly, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol with 4Matic drive, which is currently being used in 'entry-level' Mercedes-AMG products badged '43', is found here, but the E-Class Coupe doesn't get its AMG nomenclature... yet. Instead, the initial range-topper will be the E 400 4Matic, delivering 333hp and 480Nm to all four wheels and giving potent performance, with 0-100km/h in just 5.3 seconds; it features the same 250km/h limited top speed as the E 300. Economy stands at 8.1 litres/100km (35mpg) with 183g/km of CO2 emitted.
All models at launch come with a nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox, tuned to match performance with efficiency, while Direct Control suspension is fitted as standard to the Coupes, meaning all cars sit 15mm lower than an equivalent saloon E-Class. Dynamic Body Control adjustable damping and Air Body Control full air suspension upgrades are optionally available.
Anything else?
Prof. Dr Thomas Weber, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, said: "With its clear, aesthetic lines, our new E-Class Coupe appeals equally to heart and mind. It condenses contemporary luxury, agile sportiness and high-tech engineering into an automotive personality with esprit, offering exclusive, refined driving pleasure."