2018 Mercedes-Benz E-class Coupe: More Size, More Style, More Space
The coupe—the real, two-door variety—is alive and well at Mercedes-Benz. The latest evidence is the redesigned two-door now joining the fresh W213-generation E-class lineup to bring the middle child in step with its C- and S-class siblings.
At very first glance, you could be forgiven for confusing this fresh E-class for its stablemates, given the flowing design language collective by all three. That’s not a dig, as the E-class preserves much of the beauty of the larger S-class despite its slightly shrunken proportions. While the familiar front end with its “diamond” grille is hardly groundbreaking, the E-class coupe’s clean assets sides and B-pillar-less side glass combine with an uncluttered rear end to make for a beautifully sleek profile.
Creating Space
Moving away from the C-class–derived underpinnings of the previous E-class coupe, the fresh E coupe now shares more with the E sedan, widening the size gap inbetween it and the smaller model. Railing on a Four.4-inch-longer wheelbase, the fresh coupe is five inches longer overall, three inches broader, and an inch and a half taller than its predecessor, and its 190.0-inch length now neatly splits the difference inbetween the 184.5-inch C-class and the 197.9-inch S-class. Mercedes says that rear-seat room increases commensurately, with the two individual chairs back there providing better leg- and headroom than before.
The engine lineup for the U.S. market also seems poised to put some distance inbetween the E- and the C-class. While the E300 sedan available on our shores shares its turbocharged four-cylinder with the C300, the two-door E will be suggested only as an E400. As it does on the E-class wagon, this moniker indicates a standard twin-turbo Trio.0-liter V-6 making three hundred twenty nine horsepower and three hundred fifty four lb-ft of torque. This same engine was installed in the previous E400 coupe, but a fresh nine-speed automatic transmission substitutes the previous seven-speed for improved acceleration and improved fuel economy, claims Mercedes. Rear-wheel-drive and 4MATIC all-wheel-drive versions will be suggested, and Mercedes says the RWD E400 gets from zero to sixty mph in Five.Two seconds, 0.9 2nd quicker than the company’s claim for the outgoing model.
The coupe’s rail height is lower than the sedan’s, and an air suspension is optional. A Sport package (the white car in the photos) adds a bod kit, AMG wheels, and an AMG steering wheel. Those desiring an even sportier E-class coupe will have to wait a bit longer for a total AMG version; there’s no official word on one yet, albeit a V-8–powered E63 coupe won’t be in the cards. Instead, the AMG coupe will be powered by one of Mercedes-Benz’s fresh turbocharged inline-six engines, possibly with around four hundred fifty horsepower, meant to sit above AMG’s own E43 sedan variant, which has a more powerful version of the E400’s turbocharged V-6.
Techy Treats
A total array of high-tech features will be available in the coupe, as they are in the E-class sedan. The sedan’s 12.3-inch central COMAND screen is standard on the two-door, and a 2nd 12.3-inch digital instrument-cluster display is optional. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included on models tooled with navigation, and there’s a wireless inductive charging pad for compatible smartphones as well. Automatic emergency braking is standard equipment, while the more advanced Drive Pilot semi-autonomous system is available.