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our test drives or view them all

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe 250 CDI Sport auto

THE grand touring coupe is the epitome of the continent-crossing class – and Mercedes-Benz has a cracker in its new line up.

Replacing the CLK with a bigger, more refined and stylishly edgy coupe and dropping it squarely into the E-Class family was a bit of a risk for Mercedes-Benz.

It might easily have been seen as an attempt to move the popular CLK range a bit above its station – but rest easy, the E-Class Coupe is a move in the right direction.

The past decade or so has not been a great time for the Stuttgart car builder. Falling quality, rusty E-Class cars and a disastrous flirtation with an ailing American car producer dragged the good name of MB down into the mire of indifference.

But that was then – today the Three Pointed Star is back at the top.

A close look at the new E-Class Coupe shows meticulous assembly, careful design features and remarkable utility.

There are nine models in the E-Class Coupe family – due to be boosted by a cabriolet version in the spring. But for now the elegant fixed head coupes, with their superb pillarless side window design, make up the bulk of the range with prices starting at £30,280 for a 201bhp manual 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY in SE trim to £48,380 for a 500 Sport automatic offering 383bhp from a 5.5 litre V8 petrol.

Five models come with outstanding CGI petrol engines, including the V8. Advanced, smooth, quiet and responsive, the CGI technology delivers incredible refinement and excellent fuel economy – especially if mated to the latest family of Mercedes-Benz automatic gearboxes.

The smallest is the 250 CGI with a remarkable 1796cc four-pot petrol delivering 201bhp followed by a 3498cc 350 CGI producing a silky-smooth 288bhp. The V8 tops the list.

The other four models are CDI turbodiesels – a pair of 250 CDIs powered by impressive twin-turbo 2143cc four-cylinder units offering 201bhp or two excellent 2987cc V6 350 CDIs with 228bhp.

All but the V8 come with the BlueEFFICIENCY tag – Mercedes’ environment-friendly marketing push that indicates weight-saving, aerodynamic honing and highly-efficient petrol and design engines.

No matter what you chose you’re unlikely to be disappointed – Mercedes-Benz engineering is back where it deserves to be, at the top, and the new coupe has an engine for all tastes and pockets.

Frankly I would eliminate the V8, only on the grounds that it’s not needed. The other engines are more than adequate in terms of power and refinement and, provided you make sure to opt for a five or seven-speed automatic, you are assured of performance that matches the badge.

The only choice now is CDI or CGI – diesel or petrol.

Personally I’d opt for petrol every time. There’s nothing wrong with any of the diesel options – it’s simply that the coupe class demands petrol refinement and smoothness and if, as most owners will be, you are a relatively low-mileage driver, there is little point in taking the diesel route to improve your overall economy.

But it was John Weir’s Inverness-based blood-red diesel demonstrator I collected for this test. The £33,733 five-speed automatic 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport was immaculately prepared and while it was obvious from the start I had an oil burner under the bonnet, it was smooth and never more raucous than a gentle compression ignition thrum.

But, for another £3437, I could have been driving the real star of the E-Class Coupe dynasty – a silky-smooth 288bhp 3.5 litre V6 CGI petrol model complete with its excellent seven-speed automatic transmission.

For me, the 350 CGI is the perfect E-Class Coupe combination – an ideal GT that will waft as easily through the Highlands as it will confidently cross a continent.

But if you need economy, range and tugboat pulling power, the 250 CDI is worth a close look. And there’s a slightly cheaper version in SE trim that costs £30,280 with six-speed manual transmission or £31,738 with a five-speed auto.

The five-speed automatic fitted to the test car is well-suited to the diesel’s 368lb.ft of torque that peaks between 1600-1800rpm.

It makes for effortless cog-swapping whether you are in fully automatic Sport or Comfort mode or slip into Manual and use the steering wheel mounted paddles.

Earlier five-speed autos from Mercedes could be slow to change up. Not any more. The 250 CDI slipped up and down the box without hesitation, even when cold, and responded quickly to full throttle demands when I needed to overtake slower traffic.

The seating and space is fantastic. From the seat belt "presentation arm", that automatically hands you your belt to avoid an awkward stretch, to the superb multi-contour man-made leather seats the cabin is a masterpiece of comfort and design excellence. The two rear passengers have plenty of head and leg room and visibility for everyone is first class, apart from some junction sightline obstruction for the driver from the shallow-angle A-pillars.

The dash is crisp and angular and materials are top notch with soft-touch facings. Instrumentation and switchgear is among the best, but at night the blue main beam indicator can be obscured by the rev counter needle. However, that’s minor – the rest of the layout is close to perfection and the steering wheel controls for trip computer, cruise and audio are intuitive and easy to use.

One of the joys of the new coupe is its powered pillarless side window design. Even on a chill November day I was able to lower all four panels and cruise in comfort across the Dava Moor with the heating on full blast and the seat heaters ticking over while drinking in fresh air. The perfect way to enjoy a Highland road in winter.

Ride quality is excellent – even on the test car’s 18-inch 40-section tyres. The wide, low-profile Continental covers generate a fair amount of road rumble, but it’s not excessive. Mind you, 45-section tyres would help.

This is a classic full four-seat GT, a mile-eater with sharp handling and effortless performance. It’s a Mercedes that’s retained that vital feeling of build integrity that makes the badge so special, and it’s a genuine load carrier.

The boot may be on the shallow side with an awkward loading lip, but it’s good for a stylish coupe. It has a metre-long flat load space and will swallow a massive 450 litres of luggage with the rear seats in place and even more when you fold them flat. Two boot-mounted release handles drop the seatbacks flat giving more than 1.6 metres of unobstructed cargo floor – skis and even a surf board would pose no carriage problems here.

Mercedes-Benz really is back to being one of the best-engineered quality marques on the market. If the E-Class Coupe has competition it’s only from Audi’s A5 – but the Mercedes has the advantage of that bold three-pointed star set into its handsome vertical grille.

Rating: 8/10

FINAL THOUGHT: An elegant GT coupe in the best traditions of Mercedes-Benz. Expensive but refined, comfortable and exceptionally safe. CDI turbodiesel is frugal and smooth – but a petrol V6 would be a more satisfying choice. Supreme mile-eater.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe 250 CDI Sport auto

• Price: £32,275 (£33,733 with automatic)
• Capacity: 2143cc
• Power: 201bhp
• 0-62mph: 7.4 seconds
• Maximum speed: 153mph
• Economy: Combined 45.6mpg; Urban 33.2mpg
• CO2 emissions: 168g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 17