2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe new car review

[Express]

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe new car review


Smart-looking two-door offers a smooth driving character and a luxurious cabin.



10 March 2017
Jonathan Hawley




2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe. Photo: Daimler AG



















In a world where the term "coupe" gets bandied about with almost negligent ease it's almost a relief to find a car that's not an SUV coupe, it's not a four door sedan coupe, it is exactly as the name suggests.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe is simply a two door version of the company's four-door E-Class sedan. End of story.

Well, perhaps not quite. Every exterior panel of the new coupe - which arrives in Australia this June - is different to the sedan and the rear end in particular has its own distinctive look thanks in part to the elongated tail lamps.

It even sits on a shorter wheelbase of 2873mm compared with the four-door's 2939mm between front and rear wheels.

Crucially, though, the new E-Class Coupe is significantly larger than its predecessor which somewhat confusingly, was based on the smaller C-Class Mercedes' platform.

The new version is a good 123mm longer, has 113mm more wheelbase and that's resulted in 74mm more legroom. That means two adults (and only two, because it's a four seater) can sit in the back seat if not with sprawling space to spare, but certainly in more comfort than some other more squeezy two doors.

Whether that will be a big attraction to buyers is debatable in a segment where style is king - and the E-Coupe has plenty of that in a dignified, restrained way - because after all, if space is really needed, they could always buy the sedan.

Three versions will initially be offered in Australia, starting with the $96,000 (plus on-roads) E220d powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine producing 143kW of power with performance in the range of 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.4 seconds.

The diesel might be the price leader, but Mercedes believes 80 per cent of buyers will opt for petrol-powered models of which there are two choices.

First up is the E300 which, at $110,900 (plus on-roads), comes with a 180kW, 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder that will propel it to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds.

The range topper is the E400 4Matic with its 245kW, twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 that will hit 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and costs $145,900 (plus on-roads).

As its name suggests, the E400 also has permanent all-wheel-drive and like the E300 has fully air-sprung suspension and 20-inch wheels, compared with the E220d's more prosaic coil-sprung and adaptive damper set-up and 19-inch alloys.

To justify the E400's price there are also niceties such as a panoramic glass sunroof, head-up display, 13-speaker stereo and metallic paintwork thrown in.

Remarkably, all this gives Mercedes an ace up its sleeve against rivals BMW and Audi, whose 4-Series and A5 coupes are based on the smaller 3-series and A4 respectively. BMW has the larger 6-Series coupe, but its prices start at around $180,000.

While the E-Coupe's exterior is distinctively different to the donor sedan's, and the frameless side glass with no visible B-pillars make for a perfect transformation into the just-announced E-Class Cabriolet, from the driver's seat it's all very familiar to anyone who's sat in the sedan.

Although minor switchgear is minimal, the dashboard fascia is dominated by the so-called Widescreen Display that uses two 12.3-inch screens that project instruments and other information in front of the driver, and other functions such as navigation, audio and ventilation across the top of the centre console.

A new touch are the chrome-laden, turbine style vents below and beside that and of which there are six in all. They look bright and maybe a bit chintzy, and disappointingly feel light and plasticky too.

Driving either of the two petrol-powered versions is to learn the E-Class Coupe experience is more about ease, serenity and comfort rather than outright sportiness.

As you'd expect, the E400 feels quicker than the E300, and acceleration is more easily accessible thanks to the depth of its torque curve, peaking at 480Nm versus 370Nm.

The V6-powered car also has a more pleasant (but still distant and muted) engine note, compared with the four-cylinder's rather gruff and almost diesel-like rumble.

But both have Mercedes' treacle-smooth nine-speed automatic transmission that slurs up and down the ratios with more refinement than any twin-clutch unit could hope for.

Mercedes' semi-autonomous radar and camera-driven Driver Assist package is standard on all Australian cars, which basically means if the driver double-taps the cruise control the car will change lanes on the freeway if asked, obey the speed limits, avoid running into other cars and even steer by itself for a time. It's an interesting novelty but mainly for those who see driving as a chore rather than a thought process.

Ride comfort is mellow even on the low-profile 20-inch tyres and cornering ability, which doesn't feel particularly sporty thanks to the softish suspension setting, is deceptively fast thanks to the amount of available grip.

The E400 4Matic adds to that what would presumably be extra traction in wet or slippery conditions, and it's nice to imagine this car giving a C63 AMG driver the hurry-up on a snow-covered Alpine pass.

A centre console-mounted switch gives a number of different driving modes (comfort, sport and extra sporty) that stiffen the air suspension, alter gearshift points, lessen stability control intervention and add weight to the steering, but their calibration is relative to the Coupe's intended purpose and are far from race-ready.

In fact, in "Sport" mode the transmission's tendency to hold onto lower gears quickly becomes tiresome, and it's a better bet to set the system up in the "Individual" mode, or shift gears manually via the steering wheel paddles.

But honestly, it's difficult to imagine too many customers bothering with all this; Mercedes seems to know who the car will appeal to, and is not even planning a V8-powered AMG version.

This is a car that is all about the way it looks, because even though the rear seat is relatively spacious it is obviously more difficult to access than a four door, and the boot, while commendably spacious with 425 litres capacity, is still a good 115 litres down on the sedan.

But then, if practicality ruled the day maybe we'd all be driving Commodore wagons.

Mercedes has a long history of building coupes like this current E-Class and it seems remarkable that with car-buyers scattering into all kinds of other body styles - whether SUV, wagon, sedan or sports car in all their guises - that a car so conventionally solid in concept actually exists.

For those who reckon this is the perfect size and shape for a car, however, it probably hits the bulls eye.


2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 Coupe pricing and specifications

On sale: June 2017

Price: From $110,900 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo

Power: 180kW at 5500rpm

Torque: 370Nm at 1400-4000rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 6.4L/100km



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