Mercedes announces refreshed E Coupe and Cabriolet = Hello new posters on my cupboard!
I’m going to be very honest here. The previous gen E Class Cab and Coupe did not (do not) find my approval. Its just that they give me an impression Mercedes is trying too hard to impress upon the idea that I need to have a cab/coupe in my life. And I’m living in India where frankly we can do without them. For many obvious reasons (if you’re from the US, you might have heard stories of bird droppings and coconuts falling from the trees all of which are true!). Somehow, thats not the case with these new twins of the refreshed E Class. You can read that story here:
No, for some reason, I quite fancy one of these. I think they look brilliant! If anything, the new set of head and tail lamps — which were a tad on the inconspicuous side on the sedan and estate — are even more prominent on these twins.
The engine line-up includes the entry-level turbo 2.0L 4-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine which develops 181bhp in the E200 and 208bhp in the E250. On the diesel front, a 2.1L 4-cylinder common rail diesel with 168bhp in the E220 CDI and 201bhp in the E250 CDI is what you can spec your cab/coupe with. Or why not the range topping 3.0-litre V6 common rail diesel unit that (no points for guessing — E350) 248bhp.
The E500 (twin-turbocharged 4.6-litre V8 engine) has been left out from some markets like the UK, or so it seems.
A six-speed manual and an updated seven speed automatic with steering wheel column-mounted shift lever are the options for sending power to the wheels. Both gearboxes come with standard stop/start and brake energy recuperation systems.
Collision prevention assist, Attention assist, Distronic Plus with Steering Assist (which helps to keep the car centred in a chosen lane and tracks traffic in tailbacks) and Brake Assist Plus with Junction Assist (the car is able to detect cross traffic and pedestrians and can boost the braking power if the brakes are insufficiently applied by the driver to avoid an impact) complete the standard Merc safety forte.
The thing I like most of these fun twins however, is the fact that they’re coming to India! Mercedes Benz India already sells these body types albeit in the outgoing version of the E. Prices are pretty decent as well. Expect to cough up about 65–70 lakhs for these beauties. That is actually reasonable as BMW India will want 67.5 lakhs for a 3 Series Convertible. And I don’t need to tell you an E is better than a 3! (Did that rhyme? Oops!)
