New faces for Coupe, Cabriolet

E-CLASS MAKEOVERS DONE: EXPECT MARKET DEBUTS IN SOUTH AFRICA ONLY NEXT YEAR

Restyling follows that of the sedan fairly closely in some departments.

Mercedes-Benz has completed the facelift of the E-Class range by revealing both the Coupe and Cabriolet derivatives. As with the sedan that premiered back in March, the small but noticeable revisions include a restyled grille, new headlights outfitted with full-LEDs or optional MultiBeam LEDs, an updated rear bumper and model bespoke two-piece LED taillights.

There are also new alloy wheel designs and four new colours: Mojave Silver, Mojave Silver, Graphite Grey Metallic and designo Patagonia Red.

Whereas the cabriolet made its showing in “standard” guise, the coupe was shown in, for now, flagship AMG E53 form whose new aesthetics include the Panamericana grille with its jet-wing front apron, a new rear apron with quad, the mentioned LED taillights and five-spoke 19-inch light-alloy wheels with 20-inch alloys in a five twin-spoke design being optional.

The E53’s colour palette is Graphite Grey Metallic and Matte Brilliant Blue Magno, with the added options of the AMG Night Package or the Carbon Package II.

The interior is again in accordance with the sedan, with novelties being the upgraded MBUX infotainment system with the standard 10.25-inch dual screens or the optional 12.3-inch display, the newly designed steering wheel and two new material options; light aluminium grained carbon fibre and open-pore grey ash wood.

The cabriolet and coupe can be furnished with Nappa leather, Artico man-made fibres and conventional leather, plus materials such as walnut and aluminium.

In the case of the E53, the new AMG Performance steering wheel is trimmed in leather, Dinamica micro-fibres or a combination of both, along with AMG specific readouts for the MBUX and instrument cluster. Sport seats are trimmed in Artico/Dinamica with red top-stitching and red seatbelts. AMG Performance sport seats are optional.

With safety specs mirroring the sedan, the powerunits are also similar with a broader use of the 48-volt EQ Boost mild-hybrid system. On the petrol side, the E200 and E300 are powered by the 2.0-litre M254 turbo that produces 145kW/320Nm and 190kW/370Nm respectively, with an additional 10kW/150Nm added by the EQ Boost system.

Aside from the AMG, the E450 rates as the only six-cylinder model offered with its mild-hybrid 3.0-litre M256 straight-six churning out 270kW/500Nm.

Equipped with the 4Matic allwheel-drive system as standard, optional on the E200 but not on the E300, the E450 also boasts a more powerful electric motor that provides 16 kW/250 Nm.

On the diesel side, where electrification is eschewed in favour of a new twin selective catalytic reduction system, NOx storage catalytic converter and upgraded particle filter, the entry-level E220d’s 2.0-litre OM 654 oil-burner produces 143kW/400Nm, while the 3.0-litre OM 656 straight-six in the E400d delivers 250kW/700Nm. Similar to the E450, the E400d sends its twist to all four wheels with the E220d having it as an option. Across the range, only a single transmission is offered – the 9G Tronic.

As for the E53, which comes with the three-mode (Comfort, Sport and Sport+), AMG Ride Control+ system is standard along with the AMG Dynamic Select system featuring a first-time Race mode. The motivation is courtesy of a mild-hybrid 3.0-litre straight-six that punches out 320kW/520Nm. A nine-speed TCT delivers the grunt to all four wheels. With an additional 16kW/250Nm offered by the EQ Boost system, the E53 tops out at 250km/h or 270 km/h with the optional AMG Driver’s Package added.

In Europe, sales of the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet commence this year followed by the E53, but expect a South African market debut only in 2021.