When it comes to big, ostentatious coupés, Mercedes-Benz is the master. Its expertise stretches back to the early 1950s when it began stuffing huge engines into even huger two-door bodies, and it’s been doing it ever since.
But this new E250 Coupé is nothing like its ancestors, because, rest my soul – it’s powered by a 1.8-litre engine. My gosh, what have the green revolutionaries done with the Germans? Where is my V12? Where is my exhaust burble? Where are my acceleration figures worth strangling a polar bear for?
It’s clear that Mercedes, who thankfully still make biturbo V12 engines and put them into huge two-door bodies (CL 65AMG), are feeling the pressure to bring their average CO2 emissions down to earth and need to make some sacrifices here and there by fitting new fuel-sipping engines into as many cars across its range as possible. The initiative, in Mercedes lingo, is called Bluefficiency and here it’s applied to the E-Class Coupé launched back in 2009 with the usual big V6 and V8 engines.
So now you’re expecting me to say that the formula doesn’t work, and that the 150kW and 310Nm available from this puny turbocharged four-cylinder is a recipe for pedestrian performance, especially with one-and-a-half tons to carry on its back.
But, no, I’d be lying if I said I knew the cleverly-badged E250 was a 1.8 on the day it arrived in our garage for test, and I actually told friends and family during my evaluation period that it was a bigger engine under the hood. Honestly, not once did I put my foot down and think to myself that Merc’s green compromise had left me looking for more giddy-up.
Our satellite Vbox test equipment says that this big coupé with a little engine did the 0-100km/h deed in 8.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 16.4, and while that’s not in the same solar system as the aforementioned V12-powered relative, it’s still decent enough poke on the daily runabout. And besides, if it weren’t for the initial 0-20km/h, where the transmission seems to go on strike, I think the car could be much quicker.
Mercedes has a couple of very nice 7-speed gearboxes in its arsenal, but in this E250 application gear changing is done by way of an old-school 5-speed auto. It’s very lazy in character, especially at low speeds, and it needs to be awoken from slumber if the need to overtake arises. Luckily there’s a “Sport” setting by the gearlever that helps, but does not completely eliminate the problem. I also picked up a slight whine from our test unit’s transmission tunnel at around 100km/h.
Compare the E250’s kerb weight to the V8-powered E500 version, and there’s a saving of almost 150kg – most of which comes right off the front wheels. Not to say the E500 was a bad handler, but this “welterweight” feels very light on its toes and I’m super impressed by its suspension tuning. Gone is the old Merc stigma of lumbering through corners, and here there’s a perfect balance of nimbleness and comfort... exactly what this car’s all about I suppose.
Technically speaking this “E-Class” Coupé actually shares very little with the current E-Class Sedan launched in 2009, and underneath is more closely related to the current and smaller C-Class. The exterior skin’s very similar between the two and four-door Es; and this is good because both wear sexy suits with those accentuated rear haunches harking back to the 1950s model Ponton Mercs, but the coupé’s chassis is less complex than the sedan’s. Nevertheless, the Coupé’s suspension and handling, as mentioned, are strong points so the case is null and void.
There’s a surprising amount of space too for a two-door car. The rear legroom is more than acceptable and I comfortably fitted in four people. Boot space is also decent, but I suspect most middle-aged execs attracted to the E Coupé will hardly use it for more than a briefcase and a set of golf clubs or two – which will fit with no problem at all.
VERDICT
I wish I could report a magical fuel consumption figure that jives with Merc’s 7.2l/100km claims but I can’t. During my test I averaged over 10 litres per 100km, which is respectable for a big coupé especially by Mercedes’ historic standards, but hardly worth the effort of squeezing every last drop of efficiency out of such a relatively small-capacity engine.
Methinks a bigger motor that would require less throttle input to achieve similar performance results could get the job done similarly.
But as we know, developments are happening behind closed laboratory doors as we speak, and projects like this one are just stepping stones towards even more efficient products of the future.
For now though, I’ll keep my V12s and exhaust burbles, thank you very much. That said, at R607 000, you’re not only saving polar bears but your bank balance too.
A V6-powered E-Class Coupé is R721 000 and a V8 is a whopping R877 000. Is the performance deficit worth the savings? Absolutely! -Drive Times