Mercedes-Benz lobs E-Class coupe pricing

MERCEDES-BENZ Australia Pacific has raised local entry to E-Class coupe ownership by $15,000, owing to a larger body and increased technology compared with the previous model, according to the brand.

On sale from June this year, the three-tier two-door range will open with the E200d priced from $96,000 plus on-road costs, commanding a $3100 surcharge over the equivalent sedan, with which it shares its 143kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine and nine-speed automatic transmission (the latter standard on all models).

However, a claimed 7.4-second 0-100km/h is a tenth slower than its four-door counterpart while its combined cycle consumption claim of 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres is 0.8L thirstier.

Standard is an AMG Line body styling package with 19-inch alloy wheels, plus leather trim, the company’s Comand infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring technology, automatic park assist, keyless auto-entry and a Driver Assistance safety package comprising active cruise control, lane-keep assistance and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

The $110,900 E300 will require a $3000 additional spend over the sedan, with the same 180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and a 6.4s 0-100km/h time that is two-tenths slower.

Over the E220d it will add 20-inch AMG alloy wheels, a sports exhaust system, air suspension, heated front seats and full-LED headlights.

The flagship (for now) $145,900 E400 has been pitched $6000 higher than the sedan, despite utilising the same 3.0-litre turbo petrol V6 engine and claiming a tenth-slower 5.4s 0-100km/h.

Over the E300 it will further include a 13-speaker, 590-watt Burmester sound system, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, metallic paint and privacy glass.

Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific will also launch the vehicle with an unspecified allocation of the Edition 1 package for E300 and E400 customers, limited to 555 units worldwide.

With a cost of between $2420 (E300) and $5900 (E400) it will add two-tone Nappa leather trim and Dinamica microfibre sports steering wheel, an Air-Balance interior filtering package, Designo white magno paintwork, bi-colour 20-inch AMG alloy wheels, black exterior design trimmings and Edition 1 badging.

However, the coupe will not launch with an entry petrol E200 replacement, or the E220d, E350d and E350e specification available with the sedan. Asked whether an AMG E43 or E63 coupe would arrive down the track, Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific public relations and product communications manager Jerry Stamoulis replied: “At this stage AMG have said that they won’t be building an E63 coupe, but we don’t have any further information on a ‘43’ type model.”“We think something like that would work in Australia, but there’s nothing to announce just yet,” he added.

Mr Stamoulis said it was “difficult” to directly compare the new E-Class coupe with the previous-generation model introduced locally in 2009.

“The outgoing car was based on the C-Class chassis and this is based on an E-Class chassis, so (it is) comparable to the sedan and also the level of equipment similar to the sedan has lifted over the previous car,” he continued.

“You are looking at a very different car compared with the outgoing car.”

Mr Stamoulis confessed that the new C-Class coupe had taken sales from the existing E-Class coupe range, but the larger new model – with 123mm additional body length and a 113mm longer wheelbase, 74mm extra rear legroom and 34mm extra shoulder room – would regain an advantage over its smaller sibling.

“(The old E-Class Coupe was) a little more compact, and comparable to what we’ve seen in C-Class coupe,” he said.

“The rear of the (new) E-Class coupe compared with the C-Class coupe and even the S-Class coupe is so much more accommodating to two adults. Realistically the E-Class coupe is for someone who genuinely wants to use the back seat of their coupe.

“It’s genuinely an adult four seater.”

The buyer profile for the E-Class coupe was expected to change “a little bit but not too much” according to Mr Stamoulis.

“If you looked at our previous range from a couple of years ago, some of the E-Class coupe customers have gone into C-Class coupes … and you can see that in the volume of sales.

“But we’ll probably see a broader range of customers now with this vehicle.

With the new one it’s hard to say just yet, but we certainly see an older demographic getting into some of the top-end E-Class coupes, but also we’ll see a younger demographic getting into the E-Class coupe regardless of the model.

“But we’ll also see a different customer getting into the E-Class coupe, especially with the E400 4Matic.”

Asked whether Mercedes-Benz Australia Pacific was expecting sales to rise, Mr Stamoulis replied: “Yes, definitely.”

In 2016, the brand sold 691 E-Class coupe (and convertible) examples, down 27.8 per cent on the year prior. By contrast, 2524 C-Class coupe and convertible models were sold for an annual increase of 79.1 per cent versus 2015.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet will join the coupe in the third quarter.

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe pricing*

E220d (a)	$96,000
E300 (a)	$110,900
E400 4MATIC (a)	$145,900

*Excludes on-road costs