Mercedes-Benz to Reveal Clean-Sheet E-Class Coupe

STUTTGART, Germany – The all-new ʼ17 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe lineup will be crowned by an AMG-engineered E50 4Matic gasoline-electric mild-hybrid model to be unveiled during the latter half of 2017.

Launching as part of the 50^th anniversary celebrations planned next year for Mercedes’s AMG performance-car division, the new 2-door will be one of the first models to receive the German automaker’s all-new M256 designated in-line 6-cyl. direct-injection gasoline engine.

Running a conventional exhaust-gas turbocharger in combination with an electrically driven turbocharger powered by a 48V electric architecture, Mercedes claims standard iteration of the 3.0L unit can deliver 402 hp.

However, Mercedes sources tell WardsAuto, a series of power-enhancing tweaks will increase reserves for the new engine in AMG guise, in a move that promises to position the E50 4Matic Coupe well above other new E-Class Coupe models in terms of performance and pricing.

Set to make its world debut in standard guise at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit ahead of North American deliveries starting in second-half 2017, the new E-Class Coupe has been re-engineered from the ground up in a program aimed at positioning it more up-market than its predecessor.

In official photographs released by Mercedes, the new coupe, which goes under the internal codename C238, introduces the latest evolution of the automaker’s sensual design lineage with a near-total lack of feature lines on its aluminum-and-steel body. This is a departure from the old E-Class Coupe, which drew criticism for its heavily structured look and liberal use of feature lines.

Distinguishing design elements include a prominent twin-blade grille, a more conventional hood that eschews the side-fender “clamshell” shut line of its predecessor, frameless doors, absence of a B-pillar, more defined hunches over the rear wheelhouses, a shallow rear window, sloping trunk line and trapezoid-shaped exhaust pipes integrated into the lower section of the rear bumper.

With the adoption of Mercedes’s latest modular rear-drive architecture, the new E-Class Coupe further distances it from the latest C-class Coupe, both in size and positioning. Length is up 4.8 ins. (122 mm) to 190 ins. (4,826 mm) and height increases 1.3 ins. (33 mm) to 52.3 ins. (1,322 mm).

The wheelbase of the new E-Class Coupe is 4.5 ins. (114 mm) longer than its predecessor’s at 113.1 ins. (2,870 mm), while the front and rear tracks are up in length 2.6 ins. (66 mm) and 2.7 ins. (69 mm), respectively, to 63.2 ins. (1,605 mm) and 63.3 ins. (1,608 mm).

The larger footprint allows a roomier interior boasting an additional 0.7 ins. (17.8 mm) of headroom, 2.0 ins. (51 mm) of shoulder room and 1.5 ins. (38 mm) of elbow room up front.

The increase in interior space is mirrored in the rear, which gets an added 2.9 ins. (74 mm) of knee room, 0.6 ins. (15 mm) of headroom, 1.3 ins. (33 mm) of shoulder room and 0.5 ins. (12.7 mm) of elbow room over the old E-Class Coupe, which was based on the same platform as the superseded C-Class sedan.

The design of the 4-seat cabin leans heavily on that of other new E-Class models but receives a number of unique touches, including newly designed air vents, automatically operated feeder arms for the seat belts and exclusive trim panels. Key elements include two optional 12.3-in. (312-cm) high-definition displays for the instruments and Comand infotainment system – the latter of which can be operated either by touchpads in the steering wheel or by a rotary control and touchpad in the center console.

Mercedes confirms there will be four E-Class Coupe models when European sales launch, with the choice of a single diesel and three gasoline engines ranging in power from 181 hp to 328 hp.

Included is the E220d Coupe running Mercedes’s latest turbocharged 2.0L aluminum-block 4-cyl. diesel making 191 hp. It is joined by the E200 Coupe with a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. gasoline engine with 181 hp as well as the midrange E300 Coupe, which has the same powerplant as the E200 Coupe but is in a higher state of tune delivering 242 hp.

Crowning the regular lineup is the E400 4Matic Coupe. It receives the German automaker’s twin-turbo 3.0L V-6 gasoline engine producing 328 hp.

Standard on all models is Mercedes’s in-house-produced 9G-Tronic torque converter automatic gearbox. The E220d Coupe, E200 Coupe and E300 Coupe all have rear-wheel drive, while the E400 4Matic features an all-wheel-drive system providing a nominal 45:55 front-to-rear apportioning of drive.

Three different suspension setups will be offered on the new 2-door: a base steel-spring Direct Control system, a steel-spring Dynamic Body Control system with adjustable damping and an Air Body Control system with multichamber air springs.

In combination with the Dynamic Body Control and Air Body Control suspensions, the E-Class Coupe also receives Mercedes’s Dynamic Select system, which allows the driver to alter the characteristics of the car in four modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus.