MERCEDES-BENZ E 350 CDI Coupe Review

Mercedes-Benz has a long - if not the longest - tradition of building fabulous-looking coupes that are both fast and comfortable, stretching over 80 years. The history of modern unibody Mercedes-Benz coupes dates back as long as the 1950s, with the first predecessors of the current E-Klasse Coupe and CL models being the so-called Ponton W180 and W128 coupes. Despite these cars being manufactured more than half a century ago, people haven't forgotten about them, and apparently neither has Mercedes.

We say this because there are a number of common design elements between the old and the new Mercedes coupes, which are so subtle that they are mainly visible for connoisseurs and/or people who appreciate them. Let's take a look at the Mercedes-Benz CL, for example, which doesn't use a B pillar so as to not disturb the view from the side in any way.

The same design gimmick, along with a small chrome insert between the doors is also to be found on its W180/W128 two-door predecessors from the 1950s, therefore establishing a design bridge between the old and the new.

The new E-Klasse Coupe takes these small retro motifs to another level, since the rear quarter-panels are almost identical with the aforementioned 1950s luxo-barge coupes, but of course translated into a modern design language. These are not the only old-world Mercedes-Benz details to be found on the E Coupe though, so to better experience them we took one for a test drive.

Considering the new German premium manufacturers trend is to shove a diesel engine under almost everyone of their models (even the next generation SLK will have one), we borrowed an E 350 CDI Coupe, with a mid-range trim level. Was this a good idea or is it just another form of automotive blasphemy? Read on, because we were impressed. You'll soon find out if it was in a good or a bad way.

The first thing that hits you when observing a new E-Klasse Coupe for the first time is its fluidity, despite the fact that most of its design elements are angular, to say the least. It looks fast and comfortable, and that's even before getting behind the wheel and actually driving it.

Designed under the supervision of Mercedes's youngest ever head of design, Gorden Wagener, the new E Coupe had some pretty big shoes to fill, but it might actually be in need of even bigger footwear, at least design wise. We say this because it has taken such an abrupt step in design, keeping only a few elements from the old CLK, but quite a few more from its older predecessors.

We are of course talking about the aforementioned pillar-less side view, the small chrome insert only seen when you open the doors and the creases integrated into the rear quarter-panels. All these elements are more reminiscent of the first unibody coupes from Mercedes-Benz, rather than the CLK which the new E-Klasse Coupe directly replaced.

The front is clearly inline with the new Mercedes angular and pointy design, making it look like it's about to impale the horizon. The dual headlights remain as a vestigial memory from the CLK, only this time they are angular instead of oval, while the engine grille is quite a bit bigger and more upright.

The side view is probably the most spectacular, giving the impression of a very aerodynamic, fast and comfortable vehicle. As it turns out, this is not just an impression, since the new E-Klasse Coupe is actually the most aerodynamically-efficient production car in the world, with a drag coefficient of just 0.25.

The lack of a B pillar really improves the overall look, but the result is somewhat toned down by the addition of a very small third side window, which was put there because of practical reasons, not for aesthetics. Without it, the rear passengers wouldn't have been able to fully open the rear windows.

The design of the rear is a bit controversial, just like on the new E-Klasse, with the main culprit being the taillights. It's not that they don't look good or anything, it's just that some people see a lot of Hyundai inspiration in them, which is not exactly flattering for Mercedes. Taken as a whole though, the rear makes the car look much lower and wider than its CLK predecessors. The entire car, if you ask us, is probably one of the most good-looking true coupes on the current market.

Stepping inside the new E-Klasse Coupe for the very first time is quite an experience, from a number of viewpoints. First of all, the doors are of course huge, but the seat-belt support system automatically glides forward in order for the seat-belts to be more easily reached by the front passengers. Of course, older Mercedes coupes had the very same feature, but that doesn't make it less original.

Second of all, getting into the rear is as easy as 1-2-3, thanks to the wide doors, the lack of a B-pillar and the semi-automatic gliding mechanism of the front seat. It doesn't beat a sedan from this point of view, but it's probably one of the most practical coupes when it comes to rear access.

The overall space is more than enough for a maximum of four passengers, on almost every direction, since the E Coupe is actually a 2+2. The only quarrel from this point of view was the headroom, which is a bit limited in the rear because of the swooping line of the roof. Four full-size adults should fit with no problem though.

The luggage compartment is one of the largest in its segment, with no less than 450 liters (15.9 cu ft) of volume available, more than enough for four passengers. To put things a little bit into perspective, the Volvo S60 we tested a while ago had a trunk with 70 liters (2.5 cu ft) less volume than the E 350 CDI Coupe we tested.

As far as the interior quality goes, we couldn't find almost anything to complain about in our test car. Some old-school Mercedes aficionados might be a bit offended by the complete lack of wood, since instead of that our car's interior was adorned with what seemed (and felt, for that matter) like aluminium inserts.

All four seats were covered in black perforated leather of a quality expected from any Mercedes-Benz, despite the fact that it wasn't part of the quite expensive Designo package. Overall, the interior design follows the exterior angular cues, giving a rather 80s feel. We were quite impressed of the overall atmosphere inside, since the pictures don't exactly do it justice from this point of view.

At first glance, the E 350 CDI Coupe is not quite the best example of a perfect city car, because of a number of details. First of all, the exterior design makes it look more appropriate for long distance high speed cruising. Second of all, and closely connected to the first point, the spec sheet doesn't exactly scream small and nimble.

Turns out we were half wrong, since the E-Klasse Coupe we tested can be a rather good compromise for strolling around in a busy city. The three-liter V6 oil-burner benefits from the latest Common Rail direct injection system, achieving quite a respectable fuel economy in just about any traffic situation.

The Blue Efficiency badges on the side of the car aren't there just for show, apparently, since during our test drive we managed an in-city average fuel consumption between 10 and 12 liters per 100 kilometers (US 19.6-23.5 mpg), depending on the traffic and the weight of the driver's right foot. Considering our test car was technically brand new, with only 66 kilometers (41 miles) on board, and that we encountered a lot of heavy, stop-and-go traffic, this is quite a feat.

The official numbers point to an average 8.9 liters per 100 km (US 26.4 mpg), which don't seem impossible in a city with better traffic and/or after the car has made a few thousand miles. We weren't expecting this kind of fuel economy from a car that can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.7 seconds.

Parking maneuvers would seem a bit hard at first, mainly because of the luggage compartment's design, which flows downwards towards the rear. Thankfully, that is not exactly the case, because the rear visibility is much improved by the rather large exterior rearview mirrors. On top of that, our test car was fitted with a very helpful array of both front and rear parking sensors.

Speaking of which, the very long and pointy front overhang is adorned with no less than six parking sensors, especially useful since there's no way you can see where the front of the car "starts", no matter how tall you are. All in all, we found the Mercedes E 350 CDI Coupe to handle the role of a city car almost perfectly, despite not being firmly convinced at first.

As we mentioned in the previous chapter, the E 350 CDI Coupe looks like it was specifically made to tackle long distances at high speeds and in total comfort. It didn't take long after exiting the city to find out we were dead right about this.

The 231 horsepower developed by the engine don't seem like much of a record for a modern three-liter diesel, but the 540 Nm (398.3 lb ft) of torque sure transform the whole driving experience. Especially since those mind-blowing torque numbers are available from as low as 1600 rpm, all the way to 2400 rpm. Not that impressive until you remember we're talking about a low-revving diesel here.

At almost any speed, each time you mash the accelerator pedal to the metal, there's an unsuspecting, non-diesel-like roar and the whole car lurches forwards like it had been previously standing still. The feeling is almost like that of a Jumbo Jet during take off. Remember we're talking about further acceleration while already being at highway speeds.

Even though it will soon be replaced with a more powerful (and even more torquey, to be noted) version soon, this three-liter V6 pulls like a locomotive as it is, especially on a car like the E-Klasse Coupe.

The 7G-Tronic seven speed automatic transmission is flawless when it comes to the comfort it delivers. The shifts and/or kickdowns in normal mode aren't at all impressive, while after you press the sport button it manages to only slightly improve its shift times. Still, despite not having the lightning fast feel of a Volkswagen DSG or better yet, a Porsche PDK, it remains even more impressive when it comes to the almost seamless gear shifts it provides.

The standard Agility Control package means that our test car was fitted with the dynamically controlled dampers, which make the car behave completely the opposite as you would expect from a Mercedes built for cruising. It's no BMW, obviously, but hard cornering shouldn't be a stranger from an E-Klasse Coupe's driving life.

On top of that, apart from most AMGs, it probably has the most direct steering feel we ever experienced in a Mercedes. The only quarrel from this point of view would probably be the rather large steering wheel, but that is pretty much a tri-star trademark. All in all, the E 350 CDI Coupe was a real surprise on the open road. Despite having a not-so-powerful diesel engine and having a not-exactly-sporty automatic transmission, it managed to offer almost the best from two different worlds. You can either drive it peacefully or like you just stole it, it won't let you down on either occasion.