Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe 2009 review

Zoom along the centre lane on the autobahn out of Stuttgart in Mercedes new coupe and glance at the clinical LCD speedo in disbelief.

It’s telling you 140km/h as you wind up the speed to overtake the crazy man in a Smart. They let anyone on an autobahn. Yet the tachometer is at 2100rpm and there’s simply no noise — nothing from the wind and nothing from the engine.

Drivetrain

That’s remarkable in itself but the sealer is that this E-Class Coupe is a diesel and the engine is a four-cylinder of only 2.1 litres.

This is the world’s most aerodynamic production car with a co-efficient of drag (cD) of 0.24 in a motoring world of averages in the low 0.30s. The lower, the better.

It has an awesome 500Nm of torque that seamlessly slingshots the car forward through the gears. It saw 200km/h with ease on the unrestricted zone of the autobahn and when switched off two hours later, showed a mere 6.4 litres/100km on the trip computer.

The E250 CDI is one of five engines slotted into the muscular E-Class Coupe for its Australian debut in July. In fact, two models — the E350 diesel and E500 petrol — come in July. And the others: E350 petrol and E250 petrol and diesel, get here in September.

The four-cylinder models have five-speed automatic transmissions and the six and eight cylinder versions have seven-speed autos.

The new coupe ostensibly replaces the CLK. But a quiet chat to Mercedes reps and it seems the CLK — which was basically made of parts from a few different models — may reappear to be sandwiched between the E Coupe and the cheaper CLC.

The E Coupe is based heavily on the E-Class sedan with about 100mm sliced out of the wheelbase. It shares some interior features — but not items such as the two-door’s superb seats — and no external panels.

Engines and transmissions are identical, though its lighter weight means the Coupe can boast fuel savings of up to 17 per cent over the outgoing CLK.

An example is the E250 CDI that officially is rated at 5.1 l/100km yet accelerates from rest to 100km/h in a brisk 7.4 seconds.

The E350 CDI drinks at 6.8 l/100km and sprints to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds and the new direct petrol-injection E350 CGI posts 8.5 l/100km and 6.5 seconds.

Appearance

It may be substantially more economical and quicker than its predecessor, but Mercedes-Benz sees its latest coupe’s allure as being its captivating style.

It is tailored specifically to lure buyers with its sleek, rounded tapered lines much in the same way as the feminine curves of the CLK made it a top seller.

Project manager of the E Coupe, Rainer Tiefenbacher, says the appeal of the styling was balanced by the sophistication of the engineering.

“When we asked groups of people what, for them, defined driving pleasure, 80 per cent answered it was a car’s comfort,” he says.

“Only 10 per cent felt driving pleasure when going fast. So the E Coupe focuses on the look, the features and the comfort.

“But,” he says with a smile, “we would never compromise performance.”

Equipment

The E Coupe gets a sophisticated Agility Control suspension system as standard. This has variable shock absorbers to provide the comfort or sporty handling depending on road conditions.

But for the more enthusiastic owner, options include either a sports suspension system or a dynamic handling package. The latter has electronic shocks, two-mode ride levels and automatically sharpens throttle and gearshift responses.

The bucket seats for the front occupants are beautifully sculptured and perfectly bolstered for the Coupes varied roles. Optional is seat air pumps to modify the cushions to suit varying body shapes.

There is seating for two (not tall) adults in the rear and extended front seat travel to make easy entry and egress to the back seats.

The E Coupe gets a surprisingly large boot, fold down rear seat backs and — for the Australian market — a full-size spare tyre. Incidentally, Mercedes Australia has specified a full-size spare for its E-Class sedan and S-Class range on the basis that it considers them safer than space-saver spares.

Buyers can request AMG updates but these do not include engine enhancements. Mercedes has yet to officially reject a full-blown AMG Coupe — there was one in the CLK but it appears it won’t happen. It may be the future CLK reincarnate that will become the AMG model.

Pricing is yet to be finalised though don’t expect much of a change from the CLK prices. The E250 diesel and petrol models, for example, will likely to be the same price which makes the diesel a low-cost entry to the brand.