2018 Mercedes-Benz E-class Coupe

“Would you like to upgrade to an ocean view?” When you hear that question, what’s really being asked is, how much do you value beauty? How you answer may just determine whether you’re a coupe customer or a sedan buyer.

It’s the same question Mercedes-Benz is asking with the new E-class coupe. It’s mechanically identical to the E-class sedan, but it’s wearing a two-door body. Like all great Mercedes coupes, there is no B-pillar. Send all four windows down, open the big sunroof, and you have a massive opening above your head and on either side, which brings a sense of airiness. It’s not quite the freedom of a convertible with the top down, but losing the B-pillars draws the elements and sights closer. Mostly, the pillars’ absence is just cool.

Coupes naturally compromise practicality, but the new E-class coupe is more practical than its smaller, C-class–based predecessor. Riding on a shortened version of the E sedan’s platform, the new coupe snips 2.6 inches from the sedan’s wheelbase, while at the same time its 113.1-inch wheelbase is 4.4 inches longer than the previous model, opening up an additional 1.8 inches of rear legroom. Still, the back seat accommodates just two. Although this ocean-view room is a little smaller, at least it’s made prettier with new air vents and an optional light brown open-pore wood for $150. (The two-door E-class has several coupe-specific leather and wood trim options.) The rest of the interior is pulled straight from the E-class sedan.

No sheetmetal is shared between the E-class sedan and coupe. Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener has said, “The time of creases is over.” Thus we see smooth fenders and flanks on the E-class coupe. As smooth as Henry Moore’s later sculptures, the soft body culminates in a slightly dovetailed rear end. The shape appears elegant and expensive, if familiar. It’s so familiar that it’s a challenge to tell the E-class coupe from the C-class and S-class two-doors.

Another differentiator between the E-class sedan and coupe is under the hood. At launch, the E-class coupe will come only as an E400. Its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 makes 329 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. That engine is not available in the sedan—yet. An E400 sedan with the same engine is expected next year, when it will join the E300’s turbocharged 247-hp 2.0-liter inline-four, the Mercedes-AMG E43’s 396-hp version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, and the mighty twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 in the AMG E63. For now, the 329-hp V-6 is exclusive to the coupe—and, curiously, the E-class wagon.

Six cylinders and two turbos notwithstanding, the E400 isn’t exactly a powerhouse. Mercedes-Benz claims a believable 5.5-second zero-to-60-mph time for the rear-drive version and 5.2 seconds with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. What the E400 does best is act like a not-so-rich-man’s Bentley. Like a Bentley Continental GT, the E400 coupe’s waft game is strong, what with its easy torque, silence at speed, supple suspension, and solid structure.

Sportier AMG versions of the coupe will arrive next year, but until then, the E400 offers an AMG Line package for $2500 that adds more aggressive-looking front and rear bumpers, restyled rocker panels, AMG wheels, and a lowered suspension. The coupes we sampled in and around Whistler, British Columbia, all came with this appearance package and summer tires, but even with the chassis changes, the E400 coupe is softer and less sharp than the overtly sporty E43 sedan.

For those who are sold on the coupe’s beauty, the price starts at $59,895 for a rear-wheel-drive E400, or $62,395 for an all-wheel-drive E400 4MATIC. That’s a $6820 premium over an E300 sedan. The extra cost must factor in the handsomeness of the coupe, but also its more-powerful twin-turbo V-6. Comparing the price of the 2018 E400 coupe to last year’s model reveals a $4420 increase. The new car’s style, size, and refinement are definitely worth that upcharge. Whether you think it’s worth the extra cost over the sedan likely will depend on how you answer the ocean-view question.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear- or all-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe

BASE PRICES: E400, $59,895;
E400 4MATIC, $62,395

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 183 cu in, 2996 cc
Power: 329 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 354 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 113.1 in
Length: 190.0 in
Width: 73.2 in Height: 56.3 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 4200–4300 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.9–5.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 12.1–12.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.3–13.5 sec
Top speed: 130 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA combined/city/highway: 24/21/30 mpg