E-Class Coupe Test Drives Thread

[bmwownage]

Actually I like the CLK name more, it 'sounds' sportier while a Eclass coupe is.. well, high class it may sound but sounds too normal and dull.
About steering, actually nowadays nothing is particularly bad, even normal Japanese cars, notably Mazda has pretty darn good steering feel to it, while some Honda models has very quick steerings that feels fake, but that's what you get with electronic steering anyway.. any "feel" created is just electronics... haven't driven any MBs but the 1series steering (FL) for example, together with its handling, i don't know what can be better..

[Merc1]

What is it?

Ignore the badge. While Mercedes has a long history of naming individual models according to the displacement of their engine, the realities of modern-day marketing mean the practice is sadly dying out.

Witness the new E-class coupe. The entry level Mercedes E250 CGI coupe model driven here actually runs a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine. Well down in size to what the badge attached to its boot lid suggests, then.

It’s significant, as it runs Mercedes’s first-ever four-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine.

What’s it like?

Delivering 201bhp and 228lb ft between 2000rpm and 4300rpm, it is quite lively, with impressive response down low and willingness to rev – qualities not associated with the Mercedes’s older supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder used in this car’s direct predecessor, the Mercedes CLK180 Kompressor.

What the Mercedes E250 CGI coupe does share with its predecessor is a particularly strong mid range, although it’s much smoother – the result, no doubt, of the decision to replace the old Roots-style supercharger with a combination of direct-injection and turbocharging.

Indeed, despite having 1500kg to haul, there’s solid performance: Mercedes claims 0-62mph in 7.4sec and a limited 155mph top speed – an improvement of 1.4sec and 7mph. The best bit, though, is the ability of the new engine to deliver the kind of hushed progress you’d normally expect from a six-cylinder engine.

It also benefits from a range of fuel saving initiatives, including a new stop-start system built into the standard five-speed automatic gearbox, as part of Mercedes’s BlueEfficiency package to give it a near-40mpg combined average.

In other areas the Mercedes E250 CGI coupe is the equal of its more expensive siblings. In fact, with a lighter engine sitting up front it feels livelier over challenging roads and its standard 235/45 R17 tyres provide an added element of on-the-limit adjustability.

Should I buy one?

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class E250 CGI BlueEfficiency is proof that the trend towards engine downsizing needn’t come at the expense of driving enjoyment.


Mercedes E-Class E250 CGI BlueEfficiency Coupe - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk


M

[SirOracle]

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe (2009-) | Car Review | Road Test | 4car | Channel 4

[Merc1]

Square (rhomboid, if you want to get technical) is the new round, at least as headlights go with the 2010 coupe versions of the E-Class. Of course, the front end treatment — reflecting the stylistic Cubist-think of last year's Fascination show car — just scratches the surface of this handsome coupe that replaces the CLK in Mercedes' model lineup. There is a rakish bluntness to the nose that's consistent with the C-Class's new look, sharp creases that displace the CLK's more rounded forms, and rear fender shapes reminiscent of the 1955 S 220 "Ponton" Mercedes that are also seen in the 2010 E-Class sedan, proving once again that virtually anything will come back into style if you wait long enough. The look is wider, lower and longer, and the tape measure concurs...both width and length are up by 1.8 in.

The all-aluminum 4-valve-per-cylinder engines carry over — the 268-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 and the 382-bhp 5.5-liter V-8, each mated to a 7-speed automatic with identical ratios, although the V-8 model has a taller final drive. The E550, says Mercedes, is good for a 0–60 dash of 5.0 seconds and returns EPA numbers of 16/23 city/highway.

The interior is all-new, the dash configured to accept a high-mounted 7-in. display, as the COMAND controller interface system is standard on both cars. It differs from the sedan in that the shift selector is on the console rather than the steering column. The coupes are strictly 4-seaters, with individual buckets in back that fold down, revealing a generously sized pass-through to the trunk. As is convention with Mercedes' pillarless coupes, there are robotic "presenters" that move the belts forward when the doors are closed...quite handy.

There are high-tech features galore, the optional Distronic Plus bundling radar-based adaptive cruise control with Brake Assist Plus that, without touching the brake pedal at all, will apply 40 percent braking power if it determines a collision is imminent. In a similar situation when the driver does apply the brakes to any degree, the system will apply the extra force necessary to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Attention Assist (standard on both cars) measures more than 70 different parameters, the most important being sudden steering corrections, to determine if a driver is drowsy and sounds a chime if it makes that determination. Both V-6 and V-8 Coupes have electronically controlled damping as standard, and offer Sport packages with AMG 18-in. wheels, cross-drilled brakes, steering-wheel paddle-shift capability and truly excellent, high-bolstered sport seats.

Best of all, prices are down slightly despite more standard equipment, including a huge power-operated Panorama moonroof. The E350 Coupe starts at $48,050; the E5500 Coupe at $54,650. They should be in dealerships at the end of June.

What's Hot:

* Sexy new shape
* Standard power Panorama roof
* COMAND system standard

What's Not:

* Strictly a 4-seater
* Tight rear-seat confines
* Sluggish downshifts

Cars to Compare:

* Audi A5
* BMW 335i Coupe
* Infiniti G37 Coupe



Road & Track Magazine - Driving Impression: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe & E550 Coupe (5/2009)


M

[Tarek]

Looks incredibly good in red..

[SKYSONY]

Can someone take a stick and kicck hard the ass of the one who design those double fogs?. I would be gratefull.

[NarutoRamen]

Damn, there are some nice reviews in this thread. I'm getting more confidence with this car, but as of right now I'm still not sure if I like it more than the S5. I will have to see it in person to truly appreciate it, just like what happened with me an the S5.

[Merc1]

Back in the 1980s, Mercedes sold its midsize E-class in both four-door and two-door form, the latter with either a fixed steel roof or a convertible cloth top. It wasn't a particularly sporty car, but it-like all 124-chassis Mercedes E-classes-was built like a nuclear bunker. And priced accordingly.

The W124 E-class sedan was replaced for the 1995 model year, and a few years later, the E-class coupe's spiritual successor of sorts debuted in the form of the 1998 CLK. Mercedes' new nomenclature reflected the fact that this coupe was no longer simply a two-door variant of the E-class; indeed it was based on the smaller C-class, but styled more similarly to the E-class. And it was far, far less expensive than the old E coupe.

The CLK enjoyed two generations (the 1998 C208-chassis and the 2003 C209-chassis), the second being the far better car, with interior materials again befitting a vehicle wearing a three-pointed star. (If we're being honest, the C208-like many late 1990s Mercedes models-wasn't quite up to the quality and reliability standards that buyers of Daimler-Benz vehicles had come to expect.)

Thankfully, Mercedes has cleaned up its act considerably-in terms of quality, and now it's cleaning house in terms of its naming scheme. The CLK name proved confusing to customers, not by virtue of the particular three letters, but because there are so many other vehicles in the Mercedes lineup. Quick quiz: what's the difference between a C, CL, CLK, and CLS?

You get the point. To help customers keep track of what Mercedes is what, the CLK is being renamed the E-class coupe for the C207-chassis. Unlike the old C124, it's not merely a two-door version of the sedan. In fact, it's not really based on the sedan at all. Mercedes insist that sixty percent of the coupe's structure and parts comes from E-class, but of course that means that the other forty come from somewhere else. In this case, it's the C-class.

Sure, Mercedes could have called the new coupe a D-class, as D is halfway between C and E in the alphabet. BMW did something similar with the 6-series coupe (based on the 5-series sedan) and so did Audi (the A5 is a two-door based on the A4). But since the company wants to simplify its naming scheme, the coupe reverts to E nomenclature.

The 2010 E-class coupe goes on sale this summer in two forms: the V-6-powered E350 and the V-8 E550. In both cases, the powertrain is familiar from the current E-class sedan, which the coupe is styled to look like. In terms of size, the coupe is still C-class.

The E350 will start at $48,925, about $50 less than last year's CLK350 coupe. Despite the price reduction, the E includes a substantial amount of standard equipment that wasn't included in the CLK350, such as a sliding glass panorama roof, three additional air bags (two pelvic bags and a driver's knee bag), Bluetooth, auto dimming mirrors, and the COMAND user interface. Also included is Mercedes' new Attention-Assist system, which warns the driver that he or she may be losing concentration due to fatigue. It monitors seventy factors to make its decision to scold the driver with a coffee-cup and a message on the instrument cluster display.

The E350's 3.5-liter V-6 produces 268 hp and is matched to a seven-speed automatic, propelling the coupe to 60 mph in a claimed 6.2 seconds.

The second E-coupe is the $55,525 E550. Under its hood is the torque-monster V-8 we know and love from other 550-badged Mercedes, producing 382 hp, 391 lb-ft of torque, and two strips of black rubber on the asphalt, if asked to. It uses the same seven-speed automatic, and can scoot to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds, according to Mercedes

Replacing the E350's conventional suspension, and in place of the Airmatic air suspension found on the E550 sedan, the E550 coupe uses a new system called Dynamic Handling. It uses computer-controlled adjustable shocks to allow both a smoother ride and better body control than the E350's. Mercedes says it chose this new system instead of Airmatic because it provides a more sporty driving experience. We suspect cost--the air-spring system isn't cheap--played just as important of a role in that decision.

The two E coupes share their steering gear--a rack-and-pinion layout that has an overall ratio of 14.7:1, much quicker than the E-class sedan's 17.0:1. Indeed, the quicker steering helps to make the E coupe feel lighter and smaller than the sedan-but then again, it actually is smaller and lighter than the sedan. Over the road, though, it doesn't feel small at all: road and wind noise are unusually well hushed. In fact, the E coupe seemed to provide near S-class levels of quietness on the open road, even at its 130-mph speed limiter.

The E coupe is more of a high-speed grand tourer than it is a sports car. The seven-speed automatic is smooth in normal driving, but can be slow to react and clumsy in manic driving. Typical of most Mercedes, the steering is devoid of feedback on-center, where there's an appreciable amount of play in the system. In crosswinds, the E requires more input than one would expect to keep it traveling in a straight line. Unfortunately, there is also a substantial amount of lateral compliance in the rear (C-class-based) suspension, which results in an unsettling yaw moment as the rear takes a set.

There are no complaints about the E's cabin, which is filled with first-rate switchgear and very high-quality materials. It lacks the E-class sedan's ambient lighting, but it uses the sedan's new, straightforward climate control, which operates effectively and quietly. The front seats (optionally heated, ventilated, and highly adjustable) are aggressively bolstered and very comfortable. The rear seats are also buckets, and there's plenty of legroom, but the low roofline restricts headroom for passengers approaching six feet tall. Headroom is tight up front, too, for very tall adults. The optional Harmon/Kardon stereo plays well with iPods and offers excellent sound reproduction.

It's the interior's feeling of quality that's the E-class coupe's best attribute. Like the CLK, this two-door will sell on emotional appeal rather than logic. (In other words, people will buy it because of the way it looks.) It's in that area that the new C207-chassis is a little awkward. It's a mish-mash of styling cues from all over the map, including rear fenders that have a modern interpretation of the rear flare from 1950s Ponton-fendered Mercedes. Not only do the fenders look a little out of place on a vehicle with such an aggressive face (especially on the E550, which gets standard AMG body-styling), it's obvious that they were flared to help distract the eye from what would otherwise be a big ol' expanse of plain steel. The relatively short doors leave an emormous rear quarter panel. And the LED taillight treatment-though pretty-isn't particularly distinctive.

As with most modern Mercedes-especially the S-class-the E coupe looks best in motion, painted in a dark color. Under such conditions, the eye notices less of the awkward details and more of the traditional Mercedes cues-the trapezoidal grille, CLS-like arching roofline, and get-out-of-my-way headlights. It's then that the new coupe becomes glamorous enough to proudly wear its E-class badge.


2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class Coupe - Mercedes Benz Luxury Coupe Review - Automobile Magazine


I love the W124 references!


M

[Merc1]

Mercedes-Benz aligns its entry-level coupe with its stoic mid-size sedan in both look and feel. Should we play along?


In car-speak, acronyms have their pros and cons. Alphanumeric, gobbledygook names force customers to use the parent company’s name every time they identify a car, casting a halo effect for the brand. “I drive a Legend,” for example, did less for Acura than, “I drive an Acura.” And so the RL was born.

Now apply that thinking to Mercedes-Benz, which, to be fair, has always used alphanumeric names. But as the company expanded its lineup to some 15 separate nameplates—not counting the AMG models—it resulted in confusion on the showroom floor and significant marketing challenges in promoting individual models. Things needed to get simpler, and they have: the replacements for Mercedes’ mid-sized CLK-class coupe and cabriolet models will henceforth be identified as part of the E-class family. (The CL coupes will also become part of the S-class lineup.)

E-class Innards, C-class Dimensions

Unlike the last C124 E-class coupe from the mid-1990s, as well as most of the E-class coupes before it, the 2010 E coupe is not simply a two-door version of the 2010 E-class sedan. Rather, as with the CLK, it is more or less a blend of C-class and E-class components under the skin. But whereas the CLK was more C-class than E-class, the new E coupe has more suspension and powertrain bits in common with the E than the C, according to Mercedes-Benz USA product manager Bernhard Glaser. Dimensionally, however, the E coupe is much closer to the compact C than the mid-sized E, sharing the C-class’s 108.7-inch wheelbase, and the exterior dimensions remain within an inch or two of the C even given the wider, longer, and lower bodywork. Compared with the E-class sedan, however, the E coupe has a three-inch-lower roof and five fewer inches of wheelbase, and is about 200 pounds lighter, seven inches shorter, and a whopping five-and-a-half inches narrower.

E-class Style Inside and Out

Mercedes clearly wants the E coupe to be seen as an E, and so it adopts the sedan’s design cues, including quad headlamps and the Ponton-inspired rear quarters. Few pieces are actually shared, however; look closer and you’ll notice that the fender contours are ever-so-slightly exaggerated compared with those of the sedan and that the low-beam headlamps are unique. Unique also describes the grille treatment—here, it features two bars bracketing the three-pointed star, whereas the sedan has three or four grille slats with a vertical hood ornament. Most distinct, however, is the roofline, which like that of the CLK, remains pillarless (that is, if you don’t count the mullion that forms the little rear quarter window). Wheels start out at 17 inches in diameter, with 18s optional on the E350 and standard on the E550. All E coupes get a full-length, partially retractable moonroof as standard equipment, the light from which is particularly appreciable from the snug rear bucket seats.

In the front row, the low-mounted seats ensure a sporty driving position, and settling in is made easier as the seatbelts are presented upon startup by motorized arms. The driver faces a dashboard that recalls the sedan’s retro-inspired, angular cabinetry without copying it outright; differences include a subtle V-shape that helps reduce the design’s imposing squareness, while a conventional console-mounted transmission shifter—as found on the C-class—stands in for the sedan’s column-mounted electronic gear stalk.

The driver faces arguably one of Mercedes’ best-ever gauge clusters, which combines five Porsche-like intersecting circles with clear, crisp displays. All E-classes feature Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment system that bundles secondary controls into a reasonably sensible screen-based interface, and E550 coupes add navigation as standard. Other options include front seat ventilation, pneumatically adjustable seat bolsters, and a five-channel surround sound stereo. Sadly, there’s nothing on the list capable of adding any visual spice to the conservative burlwood-trimmed interior décor, which is as exciting as a bank lobby, especially compared to the intense driving environs of the Audi A5 and the BMW 3-series coupe. It’s reasonable to assume more interesting trim options are forthcoming.

Capable and Quick, but Misses Being Engaging

Consider the stage set, then, for a mature driving experience, one that neither sets one’s heart ablaze nor lulls a guy to sleep (although if indeed the latter occurs, the list of E-class safety equipment includes a drowsiness monitor). The E350’s 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 pulls hard and is capable of hustling the car to 60 mph in an impressive 6.1 seconds, according to Mercedes. While the E350 never feels slow or winded, it lacks the sexy engine notes of, say, the Infiniti G37 or any six-cylinder BMW. The 382-hp, 5.5-liter V-8 of the E550 is far more glorious, with buckets of torque all over the range, a claimed 0–60 time of 5.2 seconds, and a surprisingly hurly-burly exhaust grunt. Throttle response on the E550 can be sharpened by pressing the Sport button, which also stiffens the shocks and raises shift points of the ubiquitous seven-speed automatic that is shared with the E350 (and nearly every other model in the Mercedes lineup). Manual shifts can be requested via the shift lever or paddles mounted to the steering wheel spokes—left for downshifts, right for upshifts.

Speaking of steering, both models present beautifully weighted helms with quick responses, complemented by suspensions (with adaptive shocks that stiffen automatically in turns) communicative enough to instill confidence long after the speedo passes the century mark. Meanwhile, ride quality remains civilized, even when equipped with the staggered-width 18-inch wheels, which are shod with thin 40-series front and 35-series rear tires. The electrically variable shocks—standard on the E550—manage body roll gracefully, and in their stiffest settings, dial in considerable road feel while mitigating harsher impacts.

All things considered, there isn’t much to fault with either E coupe, except to say that they’re a little low on excitement. The utter repose of the chassis and eerie silence at triple-digit speeds made our repeated bursts up to the E-class’s computer-limited top speed of 130 mph relatively anticlimactic. Seriously, if you can’t have fun at 130, when does the fun start? That said, autobahn stoicism has always been a trait of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. And scrubbing off speed for the occasional oncoming Crown Vic (or anything that might look like one from a mile away) proved that Mercedes did its homework in the braking department, too. Still, we climbed out of the coupes feeling rather apathetic toward them as performance vehicles. But we’re not ready to blame the car just yet—the roads Mercedes chose for our route were heavy on high-speed sweepers, affording us no sustained opportunity to test its transitional liveliness, let alone coax it into tail-out shenanigans. (An AMG model would up the fun nicely, but Mercedes is making no promises, and hints that even if we were to get a two-door E AMG, it would likely be of the convertible variety.)

So there is little about either the E350 or E550 coupes that really invites sports-coupe hooliganism. Pretty much everything about them—from their graceful styling and comfort-oriented interiors to their serene ride characteristics and stealthy speed—reflects an attitude not seemingly concerned with the competition from BMW, Audi, or even Jaguar. The 2010 E-class coupe feels stronger and more confidence-inspiring than the outgoing CLK, and at $48,975 for the E350 and $55,535 for the E550, they are nearly identically priced. But the E-class coupe is also more mature in pretty much every respect, offering luxury-sedan hospitality in coupe attire. So we’ll go along with the name change. Because after all, if it looks like an E-class and drives like an E-class, it’s pretty fair to call it an E-class.


2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class / E350 / E550 Coupe - First Drive Review/The Coupe Coop/Car Shopping/Hot Lists/Reviews/Car and Driver - Car And Driver


M

[ree]

This car needs the AMG sportpackage…and it looks good in red! But would definitely prefer a darker colour!