There was a time when the personal luxury coupe was a vehicle to aspire to. A car to show the neighbours you “had made it.” In North America the luxury coupe, (a two-door hardtop) had its beginnings in the mid-’60s and reached its zenith by the late ’70s when tastes were changing. Those who once owned such cars were drawn to more practical transportation by the dawning of the ’80s. It’s remained a small niche market since then. Not all manufacturers have given up on the luxury coupe. Mercedes still does and their newest offering is the smooth looking E400. The price of entry is $72,000 and a few option packages later you’re way up there. The target buyer of such a fine built, fast-paced car is still predominantly male, but successful women are also drawn to this car as it’s not too big for urban driving, has a somewhat spacious back seat for two people and a nice sized trunk. Yes, it is mechanically identical to the E-class sedan but that’s about it. Like all great Mercedes coupes, there is no B-pillar. Drop all four windows, open the big sunroof, and you have a massive opening above your head and on either side, which brings a sense of airiness. Not quite the freedom of a convertible with the top down, but close enough. Riding on a shortened version of the E sedan’s platform, the new coupe snips 2.6 inches from the sedan’s wheelbase, while at the same time its 113.1-inch wheelbase is 4.4 inches longer than the previous model, opening up an additional 1.8 inches of rear legroom. Still, the back seat accommodates just two. The interior is certainly a nice place to relax for a few hours on the road. You enjoy music from a first class stereo system, the seats offer good support and are not only heated and cooled, but also offer a massage feature. Shut off the stereo and you’ll be impressed how quiet the E400 coupe is on the inside. The instrumentation is a clear analog gauges with a 12.3 inch high resolution centre display. The overall look up front is sporty and elegant. My only gripe is the complexity of the “COMAND” system and touchpad controller. Bringing up menus to change a stereo setting or perform another function on the centre display just seems a little more complicated than other vehicles I’ve driven. What’s wrong with simple? On the outside the fenders are smooth and sweep nicely into the flanks. The soft body culminates in a slightly dovetailed rear end. The shape appears elegant and expensive. To me it looks better in real life than pictures. Only one engine is offered at this time; a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 making 329-horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Not exactly a powerhouse, the engine’s torque pulls well and you can easily break away from traffic even motoring along at 120 km/h. Reaching 150 on the dial comes quickly whether you use the paddle shifters on the 9-speed automatic or let the transmission do its thing. Fuel consumption is rated at 11.1 litres/100km urban and 8.9 litres/100km highway. At an average of 120 km/h I got 9.5 or 30 mpg. Pretty decent for a mid-size coupe powered by a twin-turbo V6. Sportier AMG versions of the coupe will arrive next year, but until then, the E400 offers an AMG Line package for $2,500 that adds more aggressive-looking front and rear bumpers, restyled rocker panels, AMG wheels, and a lowered suspension. My test E400 did come with that. A premium package, technology package and air suspension also on the car brought the price up to $85,600. That’s not too high considering all the features these packages include. Overall the E400 impressed me as a stylish means for long distance travel with all the technology you could want in a luxury coupe and great comfort too.
