Essential to the interior design language of any sporting coupe is a substantial centre consul, and in this case, it is rendered in an elegant touch, and is even echoed in with a mini-consul in the rear seating area. Those rear seats are raked back for comfort, but still cozy, and would be tight for anyone approaching six feet.
But the rear seats fold over flat, and easily, to quickly open up a substantial cargo area.
As befitting Merc's clientele, the overall interior theme is sporty but conservative.
“You probably heard me say this before, but our customers enjoy sporting driving without sacrificing comfort,” said Goszan. “We provide exceptional driving dynamics without sacrificing traditional Merc values, like luxury, fit and finish, comfort, and safety ... we give it all to them.”
But safety first
As reported previously, the new E-Class cars are chock full of new safety systems, like ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness monitor, NECK-PRO active front head restraints, Adaptive High Beam Assist (which automatically turns your high beams on an off depending on traffic conditions), and PRE-SAFE braking.
The Coupe debuts a new wrinkle to the PRE-SAFE braking system. First you need to order the DISTRONIC PLUS Package, to get all those radar systems that allow for adaptive cruise control that automatically maintains a pre-selected distance between you and the vehicle you’re following. DISTRONIC PLUS can bring the vehicle to a complete stop, but on the E Class Coupe it goes one further, and applies the brakes forcefully and automatically when an accident is imminent and the driver has not reacted to the warning signals.
Road notes
Making the dual goals of comfort and sport possible is a little button on the IP marked “Sport.” Press it and the steering tightens up, the engines revs longer in each gear, and the suspension firms up (via new settings on the continuously variable damping system).
It changes the character of the car quite dramatically. We switched back and forth for a while, but ended up only going to “Sport” when the road gave us chance to do some hard charging. On the normal setting the car is very comfortable, composed and quiet.
It might be too big, too luxurious, and the steering feel a bit too muted, to “feel” outright sporty, but that’s not saying this car isn’t incredibly competent. It has lots of power, traction (courtesy of Pirelli P-Zero rubber), and no body roll. We suspect it would perform quite admirably on a racetrack.
E550 Coupe
While we spent the majority of our time in the E350, whose V6 packs 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, we had a fling in the E550 Coupe, whose V8 grunts out 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque.
Obviously those increased outputs put a different spin on things, but I was still surprised how it completely transforms the E-Class Coupe experience.
The E350 makes you focus on your well-being. The E550 almost forces you to plumb the depths of those torque reserves and create some ACTION. Like if you didn’t, you would be foregoing one of those too infrequent occasions to live life LARGE.
photo:Mike Goetz
But the rear seats fold over flat, and easily, to quickly open up a substantial cargo area.
As befitting Merc's clientele, the overall interior theme is sporty but conservative.
“You probably heard me say this before, but our customers enjoy sporting driving without sacrificing comfort,” said Goszan. “We provide exceptional driving dynamics without sacrificing traditional Merc values, like luxury, fit and finish, comfort, and safety ... we give it all to them.”
But safety first
As reported previously, the new E-Class cars are chock full of new safety systems, like ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness monitor, NECK-PRO active front head restraints, Adaptive High Beam Assist (which automatically turns your high beams on an off depending on traffic conditions), and PRE-SAFE braking.
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| The E350 Coupe starts at $58,600; $10,900 less than the CLK350. |
The Coupe debuts a new wrinkle to the PRE-SAFE braking system. First you need to order the DISTRONIC PLUS Package, to get all those radar systems that allow for adaptive cruise control that automatically maintains a pre-selected distance between you and the vehicle you’re following. DISTRONIC PLUS can bring the vehicle to a complete stop, but on the E Class Coupe it goes one further, and applies the brakes forcefully and automatically when an accident is imminent and the driver has not reacted to the warning signals.
Road notes
Making the dual goals of comfort and sport possible is a little button on the IP marked “Sport.” Press it and the steering tightens up, the engines revs longer in each gear, and the suspension firms up (via new settings on the continuously variable damping system).
It changes the character of the car quite dramatically. We switched back and forth for a while, but ended up only going to “Sport” when the road gave us chance to do some hard charging. On the normal setting the car is very comfortable, composed and quiet.
It might be too big, too luxurious, and the steering feel a bit too muted, to “feel” outright sporty, but that’s not saying this car isn’t incredibly competent. It has lots of power, traction (courtesy of Pirelli P-Zero rubber), and no body roll. We suspect it would perform quite admirably on a racetrack.
E550 Coupe
While we spent the majority of our time in the E350, whose V6 packs 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, we had a fling in the E550 Coupe, whose V8 grunts out 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque.
Obviously those increased outputs put a different spin on things, but I was still surprised how it completely transforms the E-Class Coupe experience.
The E350 makes you focus on your well-being. The E550 almost forces you to plumb the depths of those torque reserves and create some ACTION. Like if you didn’t, you would be foregoing one of those too infrequent occasions to live life LARGE.
photo:Mike Goetz
2010 Mercedes E-Class E350 4MATIC
2010 Mercedes E-Class E350 4MATIC
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