Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled the new E‑Class Coupé ahead of its public debut at the North American International Auto Show in January.
The new coupé joins the sedan, estate and all-terrain variants in the E-Class line-up. It is, of course, based on the sedan, but features a long bonnet with subtle powerdomes, a rearward-shifted greenhouse and a fairly muscular rear end. Naturally, the side windows are frameless and the B‑pillar is absent.
Round back, the two-part LED taillamps – which are reminiscent of those found on the C- and S-Class coupés – boast a new “welcome feature”: when the vehicle is opened, the LEDs illuminate successively from the centre outwards; on locking the car, the light sequence runs in the opposite direction.
The four-seater coupé measures 4826 mm long (+123), 1860 mm wide (+74) and 1430 mm high (+32), making it significantly larger than its forebear. The Stuttgart automaker says this increase in dimensions boosts rear legroom, front and rear shoulder room as well as rear headroom, while the wider tracks front and rear ostensibly benefit driving dynamics.
At launch, there will be an initial choice of one diesel and three petrol engines, with a range of outputs from 135 kW to 245 kW. Mercedes says further engine variants and 4Matic versions will follow.
Perhaps the most interesting of the first four powerplants is the all-new 2,0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine doing duty in the E220d, which delivers 143 kW and 400 N.m, while returning a claimed average consumption of 4,0 L/100 km.
Meanwhile, the 2,0-litre turbo-petrol four-pot in the E200 is worth 135 kW and 300 N.m, while a higher output version of the same mill in the E300 churns out 180 kW and 370 N.m. The E400 serves up 245 kW and 480 N.m, which translates to a 5,3-second sprint to 100 km/h.
Since the E‑Class Coupé is based on the sedan, it will be available with the same range of on-board technology, including multi-chamber air suspension, a handful of semi-autonomous driving aids and a choice of high-resolution infotainment displays.
We expect the new E-Class Coupé to arrive in South Africa around May 2017.
