2010 Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe Road Test Review

THE CLK IS DEAD, and no amount of defibrillating is going to bring it back. Despite its popularity with moneyed-up motorists, Mercedes-Benz has changed tack for its mid-range coupe product line-up and replaced the CLK with the all-new C207 E-Class Coupe.

That’s not the only thing that’s changed. Mercedes-Benz has made it clear that there will be no AMG-tuned E Coupe variants - meaning the V8-powered E500 Coupe is the fastest two-door E-Class available.

With the demise of the CLK, the 2010 C207 is the first two-door model to wear an ‘E’ badge since the C124 E-Class coupe shuffled out of showrooms in 1996.

How successfully will the new car fill the shoes of its much-loved ancestor? We were interested to find out.

In the absence of an AMG-branded halo model, we were also interested to see whether the E500 Coupe had enough sporting DNA to satisfy those Benz buyers looking for some hammer in the velvet.

After seven days in the E500’s driver’s seat, we came away thoroughly impressed.

Styling

The C207 E-Class Coupe takes the design of its four-door stablemate, carries it off to the gym and heaps some muscle on it. The four rectangular headlamps and L-shaped LED running lamps are recognisably E-Class, but everything has been massaged for a more athletic look.

Although slightly smaller than the E-Class sedan, it still cuts an imposing presence. The rear fender’s ‘pontoons’ are more pronounced than the sedan’s, and the top edge of the Coupe’s headlight clusters are flattened.

The grille flaunts the large three-pointed star characteristic of all sporting Benzes; the pillarless design another Mercedes coupe hallmark.

In lieu of a pure-bred AMG flagship for the E Coupe range, Mercedes-Benz has gifted the E500 with an AMG sports package, which, among other things, includes a sportier front bumper, rear bumper and sideskirts.

A quartet of 18-inch six-spoke AMG alloys are also part of the package (although not the most aggressive design in Benz’s extensive wheel catalogue).

The strong ‘jaw’ and deeply-sculpted flanks add real potency to the Coupe’s lines but things are not as bold around the rear quarters - aerodynamic efficiency dictating the styling of the tapered tail.

While some may have preferred a little more ‘muscle’ in evidence here, with a coefficient of drag of just 0.24, the E-Class Coupe is the most aerodynamic production car in the world.

Another design compromise is the small triangle of fixed glass in the corner of the C-Pillar. We know why it’s there – the rear windows wouldn’t retract fully without it – but it spoils the pillarless look when all windows are dropped.

One other thing: those twin rectangular exhaust outlets look fantastic, but are simply part of the bumper and are not in fact connected to the rear mufflers. A trifling complaint, but a detail we didn’t expect on a Benz.

Interior

The Coupe’s general dashboard layout is the same as the sedan, with a large colour multi-function display at the top of the centre-stack alongside a five-dial instrument cluster. However, the similarities end there.

The cabin is narrower than the sedans, and the dash pad is an entirely new shape. The trim strips aren’t as broad, the air-vents are different and the glovebox is much smaller, while each dial in the instrument panel is ensconced in its own little recess.

There’s another fundamental difference – a traditional gearshift, rather than the sedan’s column-mounted stalk, sprouts from of the centre console.

The gearshift’s position is more in keeping with the coupe’s sporty image, but storage space in the console is diminished as a result. However, the controller for the COMAND multi-function display still falls readily to hand, and is offset towards the driver for ease of use.

The E-Class Coupe boasts a 2+2 seating layout, but rear leg and headroom is limited for adult passengers. Entry and egress is aided by the sliding front seats though, and the rear pews are comfortable to sit on.

Up front, there’s more than enough sprawling space for driver and front passenger. The two front seats are styled differnetly to the sedan, and offer more grip around the torso and thighs.

As with the sedan, both front seats feature inflatable air bladders in the squab and backrest, enabling lumbar support, under-thigh support and bolster ‘squeeze’ to be customised.

The front seats are fully electrically adjustable, and the steering wheel features power adjustment for reach and rake.

Our E500 test car’s interior looked particularly fetching in Avantgarde spec, with black headliner, black dash plastics and alloy trim offset by white leather seats and door inserts. A grey-on-grey Elegance specification interior is available as a no-cost option.

As part of the AMG sports package that’s fitted to all E500 Coupes, our car had a three-spoke sports steering wheel, alloy pedals, AMG floormats and steering wheel-mounted gearshift paddles.

All E500 Coupes are fitted with the Entertainment Package as standard, which adds a top-shelf Harman/Kardon stereo system and panoramic glass sunroof. The latter fills the interior with light, however the fabric mesh blind does little to cut the sun’s intensity on bright days. Deleting the sunroof is a no-cost option.

There is 450 litres of luggage capacity in the boot with the rear seats up – just five litres less than the Audi A5 coupe. Larger loads can be accommodated by folding down the 60/40 split-fold rear seats, which are dropped via the two release catches mounted conveniently in the boot.

Equipment and Features

As the flagship of the E Coupe range, the E500 comes generously configured in showroom form with a similarly extensive options list.

In addition to the AMG and Entertainment packages, Sat-nav is standard as is a digital TV tuner, while the COMAND APS system acts as the hub that ties all the multimedia systems together.

The COMAND controller sits aft of the gear lever, and although the controller itself feels a bit minimal compared to the updated iDrive system in new BMW models, it’s intuitive to use.

Dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, a reversing camera, Bluetooth telephony, keyless entry and ignition, auto-dimming rear-view mirrors and electrically-folding exterior mirrors are other standard features.

Optional extras include radar-assisted cruise control, heated and ventilated front seats and a power-operated rear sun blind. Metallic paint is standard, but the premium Diamond White paint scheme incurs an extra cost.