Road Test | Mercedes E500 Coupe
E-inducEd Ecstasy
The Mercedes E500 Coupe seems a tasty recipe with its potent 5.5-litre V8 and swoopy proportions. Gautam Sharma gleans whether the ‘E’ genuinely equates to euphoria
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urbocharged/supercharged six-cylinder engines are well and good, but nothing gets my juices flowing like a beefy, old-school V8. Granted, force-fed sixes might be capable of eking out as much power and torque as an “atmo” eight-pot, belching out less ozone-depleting nasties in the process… but their aural qualities just aren’t in the same league. It’s a bit like comparing Pavarotti to a cattleyard auctioneer. They can both crank out the decibels, but you listen to one for pleasure, the other out of necessity. So it is with the Mercedes E500 Coupe – one of the few V8 grunters left in its segment. Arguably the only direct
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competitor is Audi’s S5 Coupe, which melds a stylish two-door bodyshell with a creamy 4.2-litre V8. BMW’s 3 Series Coupe tops out with the turbo six-cylinder 335i (unless you go the whole hog and splurge on an M3), while Infiniti’s twodoor flagship is the V6-powered G37S. The only other mainstream four-seater V8 coupes lie further downmarket (ie the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger). Mercedes has a habit of changing its model nomenclatures from time to time, and its volume-selling coupé was formerly distinguished by a “CE” badge and then – from 1996 onwards – it adopted a “CLK” prefix. The latest- ◊
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Road Test | Mercedes E500 Coupe
‘It draws Its faIr share of second glances... even If they’re not all admIrIng ones’
‘The XKR-S glues itself to your chosen line until you do something at the wheel to vary
ABOVE E-Class Coupe is no classical beauty, but it does have visual impact BELOW 5.5-litre V8 is a gem... smooth, powerful and pleasing to the ear
∆ gen model is known simply as the “EClass Coupe”, and it’s underpinned by much of the same hardware as the new (W212) E-Class sedan. This is in contrast to the outgoing CLK, which was derived from the smaller C-Class. The switch to E-Class hardware is in line with Merc’s desire to move the coupé upmarket, and it’s longer and wider – but lower – than the CLK to endow it with
greater levels of interior stretching room, as well as a more formidable on-road presence. The styling, too, mimics the E-Class sedan, which I’m not sure is such a good thing. In my humble opinion (and I’m not alone here), Merc has churned out some fine designs in recent years… the SLS AMG, facelifted SL and C-Class being the most notable examples. I’m not quite sure what to make of the E-Class Coupe though. There are elements of it that I rather like – such as the bold snout and curved roofline – but it just doesn’t come together as a whole. Where Audi’s sublime A5 Coupe looks so right – there’s not a curve nor crease that doesn’t belong – the E-Class Coupe looks a little awkward from some angles. It’s almost as though the end product is an amalgamation of three different cars. That said, it certainly makes a statement, and it draws its fair share of second glances, even if they’re not all admiring ones. While on the subject of styling, I’d recommend you spend the extra on the AMG Sports Package, which brings an
aggressive front apron with large cooling air intakes, side skirts, an AMG rear apron, 18-inch alloys, perforated brake discs, silver-painted calipers and twin rectangular tailpipes in polished stainless steel. The stance also benefits hugely from Direct Control suspension (included as part of the Sports Package), which drops ride height by 15mm. No complaints about the interior, as it’s beautifully finished and tastefully presented. Mercedes was stung by criticism of its previous-generation E-Class, which didn’t quite uphold the Benz hallmarks of quality and reliability, and it’s left no stone unturned in ensuring the latest model redeems itself. The painstaking attention to detail is evident in the E500, which has an expensive, hewn-from-solid feel, barring perhaps some of the hard plastics used on the dash and centre console. The AMG Sports Package (as fitted to the test car) brings a grippy flat-bottomed steering wheel, paddleshifts and sports seats. The seats are nicely contoured, and there’s ample scope for adjustability,
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Mercedes E500 Coupe | Road Test
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making the E Coupe the ideal companion for cross-continental dashes. Even the rear pews are fine for someone of my stature (I stand a modest 1.72m tall), and I had no qualms about riding in the back for a Dubai-Abu Dhabi trip to take in the V8 Supercar race at Yas Marina Circuit. Happily, I emerged free of backaches or in need of spinal realignment. That said, the driver’s seat is undoubtedly the place to be in the E500 Coupe and it’s somewhat ironic that the car’s most intoxicating element is essentially a carryover item from the superseded CLK500 – namely, the 5.5-litre V8. The engine is a jewel.
Vitals
en line el to vary it’
Muscular and big-hearted in the lower rev range (peak torque of 530Nm is accessible from just 2800rpm), the big V8 also spins happily to 6000rpm, rewarding your ears with a rich baritone soundtrack. Mercedes claims a 5.2sec 0-100km/h split, and the seat of my pants suggests that figure is on the money. The 7G-Tronic seven-speeder is one of the best automatics on the market, slurring seamless between ratios and endowed with the knack of generally being in the right gear at the right time. The paddle-shifters are also beautifully tactile and respond quickly to your fingers’ commands.
ABOVE Amg sports package brings bespoke front spoiler and tasty 18-inch alloys LEFT Flat-bottomed wheel and paddle shifters come with Amg sports package FAR LEFT Rear seats are fine for anyone under 1.75m tall
mERCEdEs E500 COUpE
Engine 5.5-litre V8 Power 383bhp at 6000rpm Torque 530Nm from 2800-4800rpm Transmission Seven-speed auto Length 4698mm Width 1786mm Height 1397mm Wheelbase 2760mm Kerb weight 1715kg 0-100km/h 5.2sec Top speed 250km/h Price $83,400 (as tested) On sale Now
The E500 Coupe is more Grand Tourer than out-and-out sports car, but it’s agile and responsive enough to reward enthusiastic drivers. Our tester undoubtedly benefited from its stiffened, lowered AMG suspension and low-profile rubber, which elevate grip levels and cornering stability to surprisingly high levels – as a tailgating BMW M5 pilot discovered. Said individual was unable to cling to the Merc’s rear bumper once curves were introduced to the equation. Take note though that the AMG sports suspension does impinge on ride quality to the extent that sharp-edged speed humps become a teeth-rattling affair. If you like a cosseting ride, you’re better off sticking with the standard suspension. All in all, the E500 Coupe is an endearing package, and I was reluctant to part with it after five days. Given that Mercedes has no plans to make a full-house AMG version of the E-Class Coupe, the E500 is the next best thing. It’s certainly not short on grunt, charisma or practicality. I’m still getting my head around the looks though… L April 2010 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 81
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